Unlike many things having to do with taking care of a family and home, there is a "best way" to iron a shirt. We learned this from Mom, who learned it from Twila Rogers at Relief Society in the late 1970s. Mom said Sis. Rogers had a teenage son who was left-handed and she saw how he ironed when the ironing board was set up for a right-handed person. With all of these steps, I use heavy starch and have the iron on the "very hot" setting with steam. First I iron the front of the collar.
Then I iron the back of the collar. If you use enough starch, you can usually get an old collar to look pretty good.
Using the wide, square end of the ironing board, I iron the yoke.
Next I iron one of the front sides of the shirt.
Then I iron the back.
I iron the other front side of the shirt.
Finally I iron the sleeves.
Then I hang up the shirt and it is all done.
Even though I know how to quickly and effectively iron shirts, I still look for 100% cotton "non-iron" shirts and buy them when possible. A good white or off-white non-iron shirt will actually last for almost a year before you have to start ironing it. I have some patterned non-iron shirts from a few years ago that I still have yet to iron. I just take them out of the dryer immediately or when they are slightly damp and hang them up.
Then I iron the back of the collar. If you use enough starch, you can usually get an old collar to look pretty good.
Using the wide, square end of the ironing board, I iron the yoke.
Next I iron one of the front sides of the shirt.
Then I iron the back.
I iron the other front side of the shirt.
Finally I iron the sleeves.
Then I hang up the shirt and it is all done.
Even though I know how to quickly and effectively iron shirts, I still look for 100% cotton "non-iron" shirts and buy them when possible. A good white or off-white non-iron shirt will actually last for almost a year before you have to start ironing it. I have some patterned non-iron shirts from a few years ago that I still have yet to iron. I just take them out of the dryer immediately or when they are slightly damp and hang them up.
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6 comments:
I don't know about the Relief Society part, I have been ironing shirts like that since college. Although Ann does most (almost all) of the ironing lately.
I have passes this method to several friends and they are always amazed at the idea of ironing with the square end of the board. It seems logical to me!
All of the nicer quality ironing boards have iron holders and other stuff on the square end! That is the end I use the most. My ironing board is dying after fifteen years, so maybe I'll just buy a nice one and unscrew the accessories on the square end.
Go square end! :)
I also cheer for the non-iron shirts. That is almost exclusively what my husband buys now--mostly because then I have less ironing to do and therefore less complaining. :)
I've tried and tried to find a good quality ironing board, but like "Cactus Gal" said, they all have something on that end. So we keep using the $15 ones from the local discount store. (Not that I use it very often! We try and buy wrinkle-free everything.
I prefer not to iron my shirts. :) That's why I really try to find real wrinkle-free shirts (usually at least 40% polyester). I've never had a 100% cotton shirt that says it is wrinkle-free be anything other than a "wrinkles for free" shirt.
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