Ironing Tips, Guides & How To's

You press a dress shirt and the collar comes out flatter but shinier than before. The crease down the trouser leg lands in the wrong place, twice. A polyester blouse picks up a scorch mark in the two seconds you set the iron down. Wrinkles are the easy part. The damage you do while removing them is what ruins clothes.

Most of it comes down to heat, moisture and what the fabric can take. Polyester melts long before cotton relaxes, so it wants a low setting and a pressing cloth. A sharp trouser crease needs steam and a slow pass, not more pressure. Shine on dark fabric means the iron was too hot and the cloth too dry. A scorch mark is sometimes liftable and sometimes permanent, which is worth knowing before you start scrubbing.

Gear decisions follow how you actually live. A steamer refreshes hanging clothes, while an iron is what sets a crease, and steam versus dry comes down to whether you press cotton or delicates. Cordless models trade run time for a cable that never catches the corner, a steam generator suits bulk laundry and quilting rather than one shirt a week, and board choice follows storage, whether that is tabletop, over the door, or wall mounted.

Whatever you press with, a soleplate spitting limescale will stain more shirts than it saves, so cleaning the iron is part of the job.