Ironing Is a Sequence, Not a Skill

This is written to be used rather than admired. Each section below is a decision about ironing clothes, and each one has a default.

The order for a shirt

Start with the collar, working from the points inward, so the fabric is pushed toward the centre rather than folded at the tips. Do the cuffs next, opened flat and both sides, since a cuff is double fabric and is the most visible part after the collar.

Then the sleeves, then the yoke across the shoulders, then the two front panels, and finish with the back. The logic is that small stiff double-layered parts come first and large panels last, so nothing finished gets crushed while you work. Hang the shirt immediately on a hanger and leave it a few minutes, because warm fabric creases again if it is folded straight away.

Why heat alone does not work

Ironing works by relaxing the hydrogen bonds in fibres with heat and moisture, then letting them reset in a flat position. Moisture is what makes that possible, which is why a completely dry cotton shirt resists an iron and a slightly damp one does not. Steam from the iron or a spray bottle supplies the moisture, and either works, though a spray gives more control on stubborn creases.

By the second month, pressing rather than sliding gives a better result on thick sections, because it holds heat and moisture in place long enough to work. Letting the garment cool flat or hanging is part of the process, since the fibres set as they cool rather than while hot.

Temperature and fibre

The dots on the iron symbol correspond to fibre tolerance, with synthetics lowest, wool and silk in the middle and cotton and linen highest. Start with the coolest items and work upward, since an iron heats faster than it cools and this avoids waiting. Synthetics can melt or glaze at cotton temperatures, and the resulting shiny mark is permanent rather than a stain.

In a small flat, use a pressing cloth on dark fabrics, wool and anything with a nap, which prevents the shine that direct contact causes. Iron most items inside out where the surface matters, particularly dark cotton, printed fabric and anything with a raised weave.

Doing less of it

Take clothes out of the machine promptly and shake them out, because most creasing happens while a load sits compressed in a warm drum. Hang shirts on hangers to dry rather than laying them flat, and gravity removes a large proportion of the creases for nothing. A lower spin speed on shirts creases them less, at the cost of a longer drying time.

The version that survives a bad week: buy fabrics that suit how much you are willing to iron, since heavy linen and crisp cotton poplin have very different demands.

Touch up only the parts that show, since ironing the back of a shirt worn under a jacket is time spent on nobody's behalf.

Equipment that makes a difference

A stable board at the right height matters more than the iron, because a wobbling board makes everything slower and worse. A reflective or well-padded cover helps, and a worn thin cover means you are ironing against a hard metal surface. Keep the soleplate clean, since burnt residue transfers to clothes, and use the manufacturer's cleaning method rather than an abrasive.

On a Sunday evening, in hard water areas, scale blocks the steam holes and eventually spits white deposit onto garments, so descale as the manual instructs. A garment steamer handles hanging items, curtains and delicate fabrics well, and it does not produce a sharp pressed edge.

Leave gas, mains electrics and anything behind a wall to someone qualified and insured.

Basic iron safety

An iron reaches temperatures that cause serious burns instantly, so it goes on its heel or in its dock every single time you put it down. Never leave a hot iron unattended with a cord where it can be pulled, and let it cool fully before storing it.

Cooking for one, empty the water tank when finished if the manual says to, and never fill a plugged-in iron at the tap. Stop using an iron with a damaged cable or plug, as this is exactly the sort of fault that causes fires. Ironing on a bed or a towel on the floor is how most domestic iron burns and scorched carpets happen.

The takeaway

Collar, cuffs, sleeves, yoke, fronts, back, hanger, and stop thinking of it as a talent.

Do the ten-minute version tonight rather than the proper version never.