As we look forward to starting a new school year, one thing is bound to take up our attention. That’s the purchase, replacement, washing and drying of school uniform. No matter how well we prepare, there is no telling what state our children will come home in. This is especially true if they have been having a kick-around with their friends and the weather hasn’t been great! However, we can at least make sure that our children arrive at school looking smart. With that being said, let’s take a look at everything you need to know about how to iron school uniform.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD IRON?
Before we take you through how to iron school uniform, we will advise what to consider when purchasing an iron. Here are some of the different things to consider:
STEAM IRON OR STEAM GENERATOR IRON?
There are various types of irons out there. Travel irons are handy, but they are made for use while on the go. Generally speaking, you should either go for a ceramic steam iron or steam generator iron. The former is more affordable, but you will get much better results if you opt for a steam generator iron, as the higher amount of steam creates a more professional finish. Plus, you can expect quicker ironing, which is always a bonus.
GO CORDLESS
Whether it’s a quick run over a shirt to freshen it up, or you need to get the creases out of a brand new pair of trousers that have just arrived, going for a cordless iron means you’ll be able to wield that steam iron without getting tangled. Great for when you’re in a hurry!
FEATURES TO LOOK OUT FOR
Irons today are a lot more advanced than they used to be, and there are a lot of different features you should look out for. This includes an anti-scale function, safety shut off, clean water tank, steam shot, continuous fill, and vertical steam function.
CHOOSE AN IRON THAT IS LIGHTWEIGHT AND COMFORTABLE
While we do not recommend choosing a travel iron for your daily ironing requirements, you should still make sure that the iron is lightweight and comfortable. This will help you to lower wrist strain, especially if you are going to be tackling a big pile of laundry.
READ REVIEWS THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT BY OTHERS
Thanks to the Internet, it is easier than it ever has been to find out whether a product lives up to the hype or not. Spend some time looking at the comments and feedback that has been left by others. You will be able to find out whether or not the iron you are considering comes recommended, and whether it can handle the never-ending school clothing!
HOW TO IRON SCHOOL UNIFORM
Now that you know the sort of iron you should be looking for, let’s look at everything you need to know about ironing a school uniform.
IRONING YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL SHIRT
Firstly, let’s take you through how to iron the dreaded school shirt. We recommend that you use the tip of the iron to iron the back of the collar and then move onto the front.
Next, you can iron the yoke. This is the part of the shirt that links the rest of the shirt to the collar. Now, move onto the shoulder areas, and then you can iron the back of the shirt. If your child’s shirt has cuffs, you should iron them by pressing inside of the cuff to begin with, and then do the outside afterwards.
Simply lay the sleeve onto the ironing board flat, with the cuff opening up, and then start to iron from the shoulder seam, moving down to the cuff. Then iron the other side by turning the sleeve over and simply repeating the process.
Next, it’s time to start on the body. You should start from the front panel and then moving onto the back and then onto the last front panel. Finish off by using the iron tip to press the area around the buttons, but do not iron on top of them.
IRONING A PLEATED SKIRT
If your child needs to wear a pleated skirt for school, don’t worry. While this will require a different approach it’s not difficult to do. To get this right, you should arrange or fold the pleats in the manner they are supposed to fall. While you are holding them in the correct place, iron over the arranged pleats, starting at the top of the pleat and then making your way downward.
You may find it more useful to pin the pleats in place. If you do this, though, make sure you don’t iron over the pins. As you iron, pull the pins out one at a time to save damaging your iron, and remember; you should always work from the top downward.
IRONING A BLAZER
A lot of children need to wear blazers to school these days. If this applies to your child, we would advise that you flip the jacket inside out, and then iron it as this will give you the best possible result. If you were to iron your jacket suit the other way, i.e., from the outside, the drapery can end up getting burned and this can result in the material losing its shiny look. It’ll start to look dull and grubby much quicker too.
When ironing the sleeves of the blazer, it can be a bit of a challenge to make sure that the sleeves are free from any folds. One of the best ways to make this challenge easier is to put some other type of cloth material into the jacket so that you can help it keep the shape. Then you can start providing steam steadily to smooth any creases out of the blazer.
Once you have finished ironing the blazer, hang it up, rather than laying it on your child’s bed. This will make sure that it stays free of any creases. As many of us are well aware, if you place it on their bed, there’s always a (pretty good) chance it could end up on the floor.
Whether you want to use this guide to how to iron school uniform, or teach your child how to iron school uniform, the tips above could help ensure they’re looking great – although we can’t guarantee they’ll come home looking as smart as they were when they left!