Almost any man has at least one button-down shirt in his wardrobe. Some wear them daily, since their status and position at work require them to, while others need them only for special events. Most often shirts are hung on hangers, because that is the best way to keep them from wrinkling, but sometimes you have to fold your clothes, for example, because there is no space in the closet or if you need to pack them into a suitcase. Therefore, it is important to know how to fold the shirt properly so that it does not wrinkle, and remains looking beautiful.
A few tips
To make the piece look perfect after being stored in the drawer or a suitcase, and so you don’t have to iron it for hours, you need to not only keep in mind the scheme of the best way to fold it, but also take into account some of the nuances:
- Do not fold the shirt immediately after ironing. The hot fabric is more susceptible to external influences, so wrinkles can appear on it right away, even if you fold it as neatly as possible. Wait until the material cools down, and only then proceed to the next stage.
- Most often, shirts are sold with a piece of cardboard inside, and you can use this method in everyday life too. If you no longer have the original packaging, you can put any piece of cardboard inside the shirt. This little trick will provide a better protection from wrinkles.
- If you are going on a trip, before packing it into a suitcase, an expensive shirt should be wrapped in thin, clean paper. This will protect the fabric not only from wrinkles but also from accidental stains.
- If you travel often, in addition to a suitcase you can buy a garment bag – this is a special bag for shirts and suits.
- To make the shirts not crumple in the closet, they can be stacked on top of each other, but they cannot be pressed by other, heavier items. Otherwise, you will not be able to iron the shirts quickly and will have to spend time on getting out the developed wrinkles.
- If the shirt still got some wrinkles, even though you folded it correctly, you can give it a perfect look without using an iron. Just hang the item on the hanger in the bathroom for 15 to 30 minutes after you took a hot shower. The steam remaining after the hot water will quickly smooth out all the wrinkles.
Step-by-step guide
Many people believe that you don’t have to know how to properly fold a shirt, you just old it like you do the rest of your clothes, and out it into the closet or suitcase. But in reality everything is not so easy. If you old the shirt quickly, not taking care of its safety, you will have to spend much more time on smoothing it out afterward. When the fabric has cooled down after ironing, you can start to fold the shirt.
First method
This method is universal and suitable both for folding shirts in a closet and for putting them in a suitcase. Folding scheme is as follows:
- First you need to prepare a flat surface. If there is dirt or sharp points, you need to lay a clean cloth on it. Then button up all the buttons, and lay the shirt facing down. Smooth the fabric with your hands so that creases do not form at this stage.
- Then find an approximate center between the edge of the collar and the seam of the sleeve, take this point with one hand, and the bottom edge of the shirt at the same level with the other. The sleeve and part of the shirt should be folded along the line so that they are on the back.
- The sleeve ended up being diagonal to the back, so it should be placed parallel to the folded edge. This is done so the fabric does not wrinkle around the edge of the sleeve.
- Fold the opposite side of the shirt similarly: fold the edge along the line of the middle of the shoulder and fold the sleeve parallel to the bend. After that, you’ll find both sleeves close to each other on the back of the shirt.
- The main part of the shirt now needs to be folded three times. To do this, first fold the lower edge approximately to the middle, and then fold the upper part back.
- The shirt is folded correctly, now it can be put in a closet or suitcase.
Shirts folded in this way should be placed into the closet or a bag a certain way, too. Place them facing each other, but the bottom edge of the top shirt is put to the collar of the bottom shirt – that way, the clothes are protected from deformation of the collar, and wrinkles.
Second method
There is another way that you can use to quickly fold a shirt with long sleeves so that it does not wrinkle. However, it is a bit out of the ordinary and more suitable for a suitcase, when you need to put several shirts into it, but are limited on free space. In addition, there is a chance that the items in your suitcase will shift with movement, and wrinkle your shirts.
To prevent this from happening, you can fold the shirts by rolling them up. However, this method does not work in all cases. First, it is suitable if you want to fold polo shirts or things made of natural delicate fabrics. They are less prone to forming folds in a twisted state.
Second, before rolling it up, you still need to fold the shirt in a certain way. To do this, you must complete the first 4 steps described in the first method. After that, the shirt must be rolled upwards to the collar. The roll should not be too tight, otherwise folds and wrinkles cannot be avoided. Lay down the resulting roll onto collar, and put several shirts in one row.