How to iron a shirt without leaving a crease

You won’t get far in life with a crumpled shirt. Janneta Hooley of bespoke tailors and dry cleaners T&J Hooley (Tjhooley.co.uk) reveals how to keep your shirt smoother than a Cee Lo Green album.

1 “For the best results, you’ll need a decent steam iron with a built-in reservoir. Start off with the collar. Lay it out along the edge of the ironing board and then smoothly move the iron over it. Go easy on it — don’t push down too hard. You should be exerting only a slight pressure, as if you were gently opening a door.”

2 “Next, lay the front panel with the buttonholes on it across the board. Grip the bottom of the shirt to keep it in place as you gently iron it.”

3 “Now do the back. Iron only the bottom half, though. You’ll do the yoke — the top panel across the shoulders — later.”

4 “The front panel with the buttons on it is next. Buttons are tricky to get in and around, so use just the tip of the iron to gently smooth down the spaces between them.”

5 “Now, push the top of the sleeve as far as you can on to the tip of the board, and iron one side of the yoke. Then do the same on the other side.”

6 “Leave the sleeves until last, or it’s likely that they’ll end up getting creased. Lay the sleeve along the side of the board, leaving 1in hanging over the edge. Iron the centre of the sleeve, front and back, then move it around so the part you’ve just done is now hanging over the edge — and then repeat. This will ensure that you never iron a crease into the sleeve.”