Heat, by fabric
The dots on a care label match the dots on the iron's dial. One dot is low heat, roughly 230 degrees, for acetate, acrylic and nylon. Two dots is medium, roughly 300 degrees, for polyester, silk and wool. Three dots is high, roughly 390 degrees, for cotton and linen. Set the iron for the most delicate fiber in a blend. With several pieces to press, start with the coolest fabrics and work up, because an iron heats far faster than it cools. A synthetic under too hot an iron melts and turns shiny, and that damage is permanent.
A shirt, in order
Cotton and linen press best slightly damp, so pull them from the dryer early or mist them with a spray bottle.
- Press the collar first, underside and then top side, working from the points toward the center.
- Press the cuffs flat, inside and then outside, and steer around the buttons rather than over them.
- Lay each sleeve flat with the seam as the bottom edge and iron from the shoulder down.
- Slip the shoulder yoke over the narrow end of the board and press it.
- Finish with the two front panels and the back, then hang the shirt at once and fasten the top button.
Keep the iron moving in long, straight strokes. Parking it scorches the cloth, and wiggling it stretches the weave.
When to steam instead
A steamer relaxes fibers without flattening them, which suits knits, wool jackets, silk, pleats and anything too structured to lie on a board. Hang the garment, hold the hem taut with your free hand and draw the head slowly downward, touching the cloth or just off it. Delicate fabrics do better steamed from the inside. Give the piece five minutes to dry before you put it on, or it will wrinkle again within the hour.
Mistakes that cost clothes
Dark fabrics and wool turn shiny under a bare iron. Turn them inside out, or lay a clean cotton handkerchief over them as a press cloth. Never iron over a stain, because heat sets it for good. Never press velvet or corduroy flat, since the pile crushes and stays crushed. Fill the tank with distilled water if your tap water is hard, or mineral scale will eventually spit white flakes onto a dark shirt.
Tip A wrinkled shirt hung in the bathroom during a hot shower loses about half its creases in ten minutes, which is enough under a sweater or a jacket.
