Ironing a shirt is easy, as long as you do it carefully and exercise a bit of patience. On this page, you'll find all the steps explained!

The Shirt Label

Many people think the label inside the shirt is just for show, to annoy you, or simply because that's how it is. Wrong! The label provides information on what you should and shouldn't do with your shirt. Not only does it include washing instructions (washing at 30 degrees on a gentle cycle is generally our advice), but it also offers tips on ironing your shirts. The dots on the iron symbol shown on the label correspond to your own iron settings. Follow these maximum temperatures. Yes, we know: hotter irons make ironing easier. Unfortunately, this also burns the fabric/thread, causing it to break more easily and your shirt to wear out much faster.

The Fabric of the Shirt

Following on from the above: take the fabric of the shirt into account. A refined fabric is often more delicate than a less refined material. Although you can iron most shirts on the outside, we recommend— to avoid mistakes— always ironing your shirts on the inside. This prevents iron marks on the fabric. Especially on dark shirts (black, dark blue), these marks are very visible. These marks are permanent discolorations or damage, so be very careful. Marks can also be caused by ironing at too high a temperature (see previous paragraph).

The preparations

Make sure your iron is set to the correct temperature, that your ironing board is level (and covered with a good, padded cover), that all (yes, all) buttons on your shirt are undone, and that you have a filled spray bottle at hand. You can fill this spray with plain water. Optionally, you can add some ironing spray. If you use a steam iron, watch out for any limescale deposits. These can cause brown stains on your shirt.

Collar and yoke

Start with the collar of your shirt (first the standing edge, then the wing). Make sure you iron the correct side of the collar: the inside is actually the outside here. Iron the collar from the back, from outside to inside. Then fold the collar of the shirt over and iron a sharp crease into it. Next, turn the shirt inside out, pull the sleeves/shoulders over the head of the board, and iron the back panel (repeat this for the left and right sides).

Ironing the sleeves of your shirt

Perhaps the part of the shirt that sparks the most debate. So many people, so many opinions. We recommend placing the sleeve with the sleeve placket facing up on the board. Hold the shirt at the shoulder and cuff along the side seam, pull it taut, lay the sleeve down, and first smooth it out by hand. Then iron from the seam outward. If desired, you can repeat this with the sleeve placket facing down. Of course, you can also use a special sleeve board if you have one. Since you iron the shirt inside out, we advise against creating a sharp crease at the top of the sleeve, as this will eventually be on the inside when worn.

Ironing the cuffs of your shirt

Note: this is where the inexperienced ironer gives themselves away. Never iron a crease into your cuff! Only a shirt fresh out of the packaging has a crease and should be ironed (and preferably washed) before wearing. Just like with the collar, iron the cuff on the inside, from outside to inside. Try not to iron creases into the fabric on the inside (which is always a bit looser than the outside of the cuff).

Ironing the body of the shirt

All of the above naturally also applies to the shirt, but the most important (and fortunately the easiest part): the body. Place the shirt with the back panel on the board; align the side seam with the edge of the board. For the vast majority of boards, you need to iron the back panel twice. Then do the right front panel (the panel with the buttons). Again, place the side seam of the shirt against the edge of the board. Let the rest hang freely down. Finally, iron the left front panel. Optionally, you can choose to also iron the area where the buttons are on the outside. Make sure the fabric allows this.

Done? Almost!

Hang the shirt neatly with the top button fastened. Because the shirt is still warm, it is extra sensitive to wrinkles. Keep this in mind. Also, use a good hanger, preferably one with shoulder broadening.