W
ashed and starched shirts from the dry cleaners or a professional laundry service look good. Going this route is a sure fire way to have nice looking shirts to wear continuously. However, using a laundry/dry cleaning service all the time can get expensive, especially if you have several shirts in your regular rotation. You might be surprised that you can wash, starch, and iron your shirts at home and end up with them looking as good as a professional laundry service. Here is a list of steps to follow to launder, starch and iron your dress shirts
Supplies and tools you will need to do the job are as follows:
Liquid starch
Big sink or washtub
Ironing board
Ironing board high-quality heat-reflective cover
High-quality iron
Clothes hangers
Facts to Know Before You Start
To get a snappy looking starched shirt, start by picking a shirt made with the appropriate fabric. For a shirt to iron well after it has been starched, it must be a woven fabric. A knit fabric shirt with starch in it will not iron to a desired crisp shirt look.
Natural fiber shirts made with linen or cotton will keep the starch and an ironed crisp look longer than shirts made with a blend of natural and synthetic material or a shirt made with 100% synthetic material. Shirts labeled dry clean only will not absorb enough starch for it to iron to a crisp look.
Begin by washing your shirts. Be sure to use stain remover before washing your shirts so they are completely stain-free before you starch and iron them.
1. Prepare the starch for your shirts
Add two cups of liquid starch and 3 gallons to the sink in your laundry room or to a big plastic wash bin.
2. Slowly lower shirts one at a time into the starch solution
Completely submerge one shirt at a time down into the starch/water solution. Make certain the whole shirt is completely soaked
3. Wring out each shirt and set them up on hangers for drying
After the shirt is totally soaked in the solution, completely wring it out and hang it to dry. Be sure to allow it to dry to a barely damp state. Take the damp shirt and iron it.
Note: Starched shirts that end up completely dry are okay. Spray each shirt one at a time with a light mist of water and then iron them.
4. Ironing board requirement
To create snappy crisply starched shirts a solid ironing board with a quality ironing board cover is a necessity. Ironing creases ironed into a starched are a big negative, so be sure to have a quality ironing board with a new heat reflective ironing board cover. The hard ironing board surface provides the required support needed to do a quality ironing job on your starched shirts.
6. Iron temperature setting
Starched shirts made of linen or cotton require an iron setting of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Steam is not needed, so do not turn it on when you set your temperature setting on your iron.
Note: To create the top starched and ironed shirt result possible for yourself use an iron with a perfect ultra-clean non-stick surface that features a full set of temperature settings. If it is a steam iron that is okay, but do not use it when ironing your starched shirts.
7. Iron the shirt collar to start
Iron your starched shirts similarly to any other shirt you have ironed before. Iron the collar on both sides with it laying flat on the ironing board. Iron the shoulder sections of the shirt using the smaller end of the ironing board.
8. Iron the shirt sleeves second
Iron the sleeves next. Lay a sleeve flat and laid out parallel to the long section of the ironing board. Smooth out the sleeve with the flat of your hand and then hold the sleeve down using the cuff. Iron the entire length of the sleeve and then iron the cuff. Turn over the sleeve to its other side and repeat the ironing process. Repeat the process on the other shirt sleeve.
9. Iron the shirt body section third
Iron the shirt body starting with either edge, working your way from one side all the way to the other edge. Do not wrinkle areas you have already ironed.
10. Fix scorch marks quickly
Starched shirts are easy to scorch when ironing them, but there are remedies. Remove light scorching with a clean cloth dipped in white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Gently wipe the affected area with the damp cloth until the scorched area is fixed.
Hang up the shirt and let it dry out and cool down
Note: By allowing it to dry out, the starch and ironing you have done will set in allowing the shirt to look wrinkle free for quite a long time.
Starched and Ironed Shirts After-Care
Once you have completed the process, place shirts in the closet free standing and not next to other garments.
Off-Season Shirt Care
If you are on a dress shirt break, be sure to store them without starching and ironing them. Insects love starch and they will quite possibly eat their way through your shirts while they are stored away if they have starch in them. Take the time to wash them and place them in storage bins or plastic garment bags that zip up to protect them.