Should You Iron T-Shirts?

Whenever I talk to people about ironing their T-shirts, I always get 2 different responses. On one side would be people who do it often and they would avoid wearing one that has not been ironed as best as they can. On the other would be folks like me who couldn’t care less. The typical response would be, “What for???” whenever this question is posed. Hence, whether you should iron T-shirts or not really boils down to personal preferences and habit.

Casual Wear

T-shirts are generally seen as casual wear. Of course, casual doesn’t mean you can appear in your most wrinkled clothes. If you want to leave a good impression on others, being neat and tidy is a must although your dressing may be casual in nature. But still, I would think there is a leeway when it comes to T-shirts as people generally don’t expect them to be perfectly ironed like a business shirt. Thus, a little line here and there would most probably be overlooked.

Furthermore, T-shirts nowadays also tend to be wrinkle-resistant. Yes, they will look crisper if you iron them. But if you don’t, they won’t look that bad either. The wrinkles are hardly visible most of the time unless you make an effort to look for them. And most people wouldn’t purposely look for lines on the T-shirt that you are wearing anyway. It is different from an office shirt whereby there is a much clearer difference between an ironed and non-ironed piece.

Set Your Own Standards

If you are still unsure if you should iron T-shirts or otherwise, just put it on and look at yourself in the mirror. If you are comfortable with your appearance, then you can just put away your iron. But if you are still feeling hesitant or don’t like what you see, then iron it.

There is really no hard and fast rule about ironing T-shirts. The most important thing is your own comfort and how you feel about your own appearance. Some people are more casual while others can be extremely fussy. So, to iron or not to iron ultimately rests on your own standards of what is acceptable to you for a casual wear or perhaps who you are meeting. It is different from office wear whereby people have to generally conform to a higher standard because image matters particularly in a professional and corporate setting.

How To Iron T-Shirts

If you are still more comfortable in ironing your T-shirts, then the first thing you should do is to look at the care label to see if your T-shirt can be ironed and at what setting. T-shirts are made with all sorts of fabric nowadays. Some are specially designed to dry faster while others have blended fabric to emphasize on the fashion aspect. Different materials will require different heat settings and that is important to take note of to avoid damaging your T-shirt.

Once you have set the heat level correctly, start with the sleeves first. After that, pull the T-shirt through one end of the ironing board from the bottom opening. It is just like wearing the T-shirt for the ironing board. This will make it simpler to iron as you would be able to avoid making creases on the back layer of the T-shirt this way.

Smooth out the surface before you start ironing. After you are done, rotate and reposition the T-shirt to iron the remaining areas. Once the whole T-shirt has been ironed, remove it from the ironing board and hang it up for it to cool down.

How To Avoid Ironing T-Shirts

If you are looking for ways to avoid ironing your T-shirts, there are a few simple things you can try doing. Just like for any other clothes, get them out of the washer or dryer immediately after they are done. If you leave them wet or crumpled inside the drum, you can be sure that wrinkles will set in.

So, hang them up immediately when the washer or dryer stops. Smooth them out with your hands. For most T-shirts, the wrinkles will not set easily if you are quick to get the task done.

Going forward, try to buy wrinkle-resistant T-shirts. Compared to office shirts, you have much more choices when it comes to casual wear. Do a scrunch test before you buy. Crumple a small area and see how well it resists wrinkles. If they are hardly noticeable, it is most probably safe to buy and you can then avoid ironing it.

You Don’t Have To Iron Every T-Shirt

At the end of the day, everything depends on what makes you comfortable. But if you are desperately trying to cut down on your ironing load, start by picking and choosing which T-shirt you should iron. You don’t have to stress yourself out and iron all the T-shirts that you have washed. After all, ironing is hard work.

Some T-shirts can be left out of the ironing pile especially if the wrinkles are fine and can hardly be seen. Just hang or fold them up and put them back into your closet. Sometimes, it is just a habit or psychological barrier that is hard to break rather than a matter of appearance. If that is the case, ask your family members if they see any big difference between an ironed and non-ironed T-shirt. That would give you a pretty good idea if you should iron that particular T-shirt the next round.

Lastly, stop fretting over whether you should iron your T-shirts. If you are overwhelmed, it may be time to lower your standards a little. You don’t have to wear perfectly ironed clothes all the time. There are occasions when you can set the bar lower especially when it comes to casual wear. People will not judge you negatively just because of a little crease here and there on your T-shirt!