How to Iron a Dress Shirt Correctly

Let’s face it; nobody loves to iron their clothes, especially button down dress shirts. With collars, sleeves and buttons to navigate, ironing a dress shirt would seem next to impossible to accomplish. However, we have come up with five simple steps to show you how easy it is to get that crisp, clean, well-ironed button downed dress shirt.

1. Begin to Iron Your Dress Shirt at the Collar
With your iron and ironing board setup and ready to go, begin by spreading the collar of your dress shirt inside and laying it on your ironing board. Taking your hot iron, move it from the middle of the collar to the tip. Press the steam button as you work you way to the tip of the collar. Do this to both collar tips. Flip the collar right side out and repeat the steam from the middle to the tip on both sides.

2. Iron the Shoulder of Your Dress Shirt
The next step in ironing your dress shirt is to place the shoulder over the narrow end or your ironing board with the back of the shirt facing up towards you. Iron the shoulder and the top part of the back (also called the yoke) that connects the shoulders together. Repeat the same iron technique with the other shoulder.

3. Iron the Cuff and the Sleeves of Your Dress Shirt
After the shoulders and yoke, you will next begin to iron the sleeves and cuffs of your dress shirt. Begin by flatting out one of the cuffs on the ironing board and smooth out the wrinkles with your hand. Then begin to iron the inside of the cuff. Next, smooth out the sleeve on the ironing board using your hand. While pulling the sleeve taut, begin ironing from the cuff up to the shoulder. Try to match the existing crease in the arm while ironing. Repeat with the other cuff and sleeve. If you have any stubborn wrinkles, spray a little water on them and iron them again.

4. Iron the Button Front of Your Dress Shirt
Lay out the dress shirt on the ironing board with the buttons parallel to the edge nearest you. Let the other part of the shirt hang off the board. Smooth out the fabric with your hand first, then using the tip of your iron begin to work in-between the buttons. When finished, iron the front of the shirt from the collar down to the bottom hem of the dress shirt. Rotate the shirt towards you as you iron each section around the whole dress shirt.

5. Hanging Your Dress Shirt Properly After Ironing
To prevent shoulder creases on your newly ironed dress shirt, hang it on a non-wire hanger. To keep your dress shirt in shape, button the first two buttons starting at the top of the collar. If followed correctly, you should have a crisp, well ironed, button downed, dress shirt.