Herewith, laundry experts share their best techniques and hacks for these (and other) conundrums. Laundry may never be fun, but it will be less of a pain once you know how to iron correctly.
Use enough steam and water: Steam is the key to ironing well, says Patric Richardson, laundry expert and author of “Laundry Love.” It’s easier to get folds and creases out of damp fabric, plus steam helps lock in the finished result. And yet, he says, most irons don’t produce enough of it. If the wrinkles in your clothes seem impossible to beat, there’s a good chance this is the reason. To fix the problem, Richardson suggests keeping a spray-bottle of water on hand. That way, in addition to regularly punching your iron’s steam button, you can also mist the garment as you work. He advises doing so “liberally” and says that nearly all fabrics can handle a spritz of water.
Iron sooner rather than later: Letting items that need to be ironed pile up is one way to make the task more arduous. To minimize wrinkles, pull items out of the dryer promptly, says Becky Rapinchuk, author of “Clean Mama’s Guide to a Peaceful Home.” A little bit of organization can help ironing go smoother, too. She advises setting time aside each week to iron several items at once, rather than lugging out the board just to do the one piece you urgently need to get dressed for work.
Try spray starch: Ironing starch helps lock in a crisp finish. To make applying it easier, Richardson recommends hanging the garment, then spraying on the starch. This way, you’ll get an even distribution. Just wait a few seconds for it to dry, and you’re ready to start ironing. While it’s most common to starch dress shirts, you can use it on other items, too. Generally, Richardson says, natural fabrics such as linen and cotton handle starch best; it “doesn’t seem to work as well on man-made fibers,” he says.
Pick the right setting: If you’ve ever wound up with a shiny spot on a garment after ironing it, you used too high of a heat. Each iron has its own specific settings that correspond to different fabrics; consult both your iron and your clothing’s care tag to figure out the right temperature before you get started. “Test [the iron] in an inconspicuous spot like under a collar if you’re unsure,” recommends Rapinchuk.
Use a pressing cloth: As another precaution against those shiny spots, Richardson swears by using a pressing cloth. “You just lay the cloth down [over your garment] and iron right over the top,” he explains. Though you’ll still have to adhere to the appropriate iron setting for the particular fabric, the cloth provides a bit more protection against burns. And if you’d rather not buy an actual pressing cloth, a cotton tea towel, handkerchief or cloth diaper are all suitable substitutes.
Don’t push too hard: Another common ironing mistake Richardson sees? Applying too much pressure. It may seem like pressing hard helps remove creases, but he says a light or medium touch is best and that the iron’s weight should be sufficient. “If you’re struggling, you need more water, because you should not be mashing out the [fabric’s] finish once the item is on the board,” he says.
Rest between sections: If you’ve ever ironed something in a hurry and found your work coming undone as you move the garment around, you’re probably not letting each section “rest” long enough. For example, after ironing a shirt’s collar, count to five, Richardson says, before moving on to the sleeves. This will allow the heat to set, and the wrinkle-free finish to endure as you progress. You should only need to go over each section once or twice, Richardson says.
How to use the ironing board correctly
An ironing board’s funky shape may seem weird, but it has a purpose. Ironing boards have both a square end and a pointy end to make it easier to reach different parts of clothes; the wider square end provides more surface area for larger items and sections, such as the body of a shirt, while the pointed end is helpful to reach narrower parts, like sleeves and collars.
Tops (shirts and jackets): To iron tailored shirts and blazers, unbutton them and start by laying the collar flat, face up, and ironing it across the middle of the board. Next, work through each sleeve one at a time by laying each flat across the middle section of the board. Then, open or unbutton any cuffs and iron those.
Speaking of sleeves, Richardson has a technique to minimize the turning and folding required to iron sleeves, particularly of a sport coat or blazer. With the jacket on a hanger, stuff a rolled up magazine into the sleeve and iron each one while the garment is hanging up, rather than on your board. “The magazine expands so you can use that as the ironing board and iron it in the round, and move the iron around the sleeve,” he explains.
When it comes to ironing the body of a jacket or shirt, start by ironing the front side that has the buttons. Pull it taut, fitting the shoulder onto a corner of the rectangular end of the board. Once you’re done, pull the garment further across the board, so that you can fit the same shoulder onto the opposite corner, and iron the back. Keep pulling the garment across the board so that you can use the same method to iron the back of the opposite side. Finally, you’ll end with the remaining front side (the side with the placket and button holes) facing up, its shoulder fitted onto a corner. You want to iron this part last because the placket is the part of the shirt that everyone sees. Ironing it last will ensure it stays crisp.
Bottoms (pants and skirts): To iron pants, grab the bottom hem of each leg, then fold one leg on top of the other so that they are lined up. Lay the folded pants lengthwise across the ironing board, then flip the top leg open so the inner part of the bottom leg is exposed; iron this inner part. Richardson then suggests flipping the top leg back onto the board and ironing the outside of this leg. Repeat the process on the other leg. Go over the pockets and waistband as you work your way up.
For skirts, smooth out the waistband with the iron, and lay the body of the skirt flat across the board to iron. If your skirt has pleats, line them up with the point of the iron for an easier time reaching each one.