• How to press a shirt, step by step

Island Style
Ironing's a pain, but folks have found ways to cope

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Features to consider when shopping for an iron (click on image for details). Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

It frustrates her that the natural-fiber fabrics she prefers wrinkly so readily. "After 10 minutes, I look like a pig pen," she said. So she quit ironing.

The ironic thing, she said (pun intended), is that she has a state-of-the-art iron in a designated closet with an ironing board that folds down. "It couldn't be easier, but I still haven't taken the iron out of the box."

Though most of us lack Killebrew's high-tech ironing equipment, many share her sentiments: Ironing is a pain and not always worth it. What tricks have people developed to reduce ironing, or make it easier? What equipment works best? Island Style set out to find out.

When Ray Lovell was a reporter with KHON-TV, he had to wear a fresh aloha shirt each day. But he didn't want to iron.

So he devised a system: He would wash five or six shirts on the warm wash/cold rinse cycle, starting the dryer before the wash cycle was pau — "so it would be nice and hot." He'd take one shirt out by the shoulder seams, thwack it get the wrinkles out, put it in the dryer just long enough to get hot, take it out and hang it up. Then he'd repeat the process. Lovell swears the shirts he laundered this way resisted wrinkles longer than ironed shirts.

Ann Shinno of Manoa is one of those who finds ironing relaxing. "When I'm upset or flustered, I iron. I like the motion of it, and I like how it comes out — neat and pristine." Her best ironing tip: Use spray starch on everything; doesn't matter what brand. She likes anything that has a "linen scent." Before buying spray starch, test to be sure the nozzle isn't clogged, as often happens.

Shinno prefers a light iron, "so it's not tiring to use." And she recommends cleaning the iron from time to time with distilled water, as well as the soleplate (the bottom of the iron).

Cheryl Tipton of Wilhelmina Rise, another linen lover who hates ironing, recalls her grandmother's technique, which included sprinkling clothes and storing them in plastic bags in the fridge so they wouldn't mildew. Like many of our elders, Tipton's grandmother ironed everything — even her husband's boxer shorts. She would run the iron over a candle periodically; the melted wax, ironed off on a spare cloth, would clean the soleplate.

There's an easier way now: Dritz notions makes Iron Off cleaner, a paste you wipe over the soleplate to clean it. Quilters and seamstresses who use fusible interfacings consider Iron Off a necessity. It's available at craft and sewing stores.

Choose your weapon

There are a surprising number of variables to consider when selecting an iron, but what you need — and how much to spend — is up to you.

It's important to handle an iron before buying it: Irons can weigh less than a pound or more than three pounds. Choose a lighter weight if you have hand problems. The ease with which indicator lights and temperature controls can be seen is important. If there are children in the house, automatic shut-off is critical, as is a stable base.

On a recent visit to Kmart, we found 12 models costing from $5.99 for a White-Westinghouse to $57.49 for a Black & Decker.

All offered steam, a thermostat control dial, a clear view of theæwater window and a longish cord. The difference between $6 and $60 seems to be heft and certain extras, such as steam control methods. Unfortunately, Kmart keeps all its display irons strapped down so they can't be picked up. You have to pull one out of a box.

Innovative new designs

One of the hottest-selling items at the Sewing and Craft Expo in the Blaisdell earlier this month was a mini-iron made by Clover Co. of Japan. Joy Shimabukuro of Ben Franklin stores said it resembles a curling iron with a flat side. This works especially well for seamstresses and quilters who must access tiny spaces, such as cuffs or folded piecing for quilts. The mini-iron sells for $24.99 at Ben Franklin.

Image consultant and frequent international traveler Dean Christopher of Manoa recently purchased a Panasonic cordless steam iron, "and it's the most amazing thing since sliced bread," he said. It's light but does a good job of getting wrinkles out, he said. He carries a small misting bottle on trips or photo shoots and lightly sprays garments before ironing them.

High-end ironing

Priscilla Growney of Tantalus avoided ironing until recently, when she purchased a LauraStar system through a Williams-Sonoma catalog. A product of Swiss engineering, the technologically advanced iron and ironing board system is equipped with this own steam generator under the board — and a hefty price tag, more than $1,000 with shipping.

Growney considers her investment worth it. "It makes short work of ironing, and it's quick and pleasant," Growney said. One tap of a button generates enough steam that she needs no spray starch.

Another Swiss company, Bernina, and the American Singer company, offer similar systems that include separate boiler units. Their ironing tables have built-in heat and suction to relax fabric and keep it from slipping. The Singer system sells for $499 and the Bernina for $899.

How to press a shirt, step by step

Alice Ihori of Wai'alae-Kahala needed a job she could do from home when she was raising her kids (she's now a tutu and recently entered her eighth decade). So she started ironing.

She specialized in men's shirts, for which she charged 25 cents each. "In the olden days, men wore white dress shirts, and they had to be crisply pressed," she said. "But now hardly anyone wears them, and, if they do, they're wash and wear."

For those who'd like to step back in time, she shared the proper sequence for ironing a shirt:

Step 1: Back collar; use a little spray starch.

Step 2: Inside of the sleeve cuffs.

Step 3: Front of collar.

Step 4: Back and front yokes, rolling the yoke so as not to crease it. (The yoke stretches across the shoulders, with a horizontal seam the width of the shirt.)

Step 5: Sleeves from shoulder to cuffs, then around the outside of cuff (she favors a sleeve board, a narrow contraption that a sleeve can be slipped over to avoid creasing).

Step 6: Inside of the placket (the bands where the buttons and buttonholes go).

Step 7: Body, front and back.

At the top of Ihori's wish list is a Rowenta Power Glide iron. She bought one for her son through the Nancy's Notions catalogue (for about $70-$80), and now she's waiting for it to go on sale so she can buy one for herself.