If you are interviewing for a job or internship, having a well-pressed outfit can boost your impression while a wrinkled shirt could cause a negative judgement. Because most interviews are happening online, you only need to iron what’s on screen. However, for those who want to go the extra length, here are easy pants and skirt tutorials.

Know Your Fabric

High heat settings and steam are not appropriate for certain fabrics. For example, polyester, silk, satin, and wool should not be steamed while nylon can be easily damaged by medium to high heat. Find the label to know whether the fabric can be ironed, steamed, or needs a specific heat level.

Check for Spots Before Ironing

When ironing, any stains that are on the cloth will be pressed further in, making it very difficult to get rid of. Stains can even grow visibly larger if ironed over too. Check for stains, but preferably clothes are washed beforehand.

Spread Your Collar

Once spread, it’s easiest to move the tip over the collar to give more control over pressing so the iron doesn’t cross over to parts of the shirt that are not flat.

Avoid Ironing the Back and Front at Once

While this can’t be avoided for sleeves and pants, you can unbutton shirts and fit dresses and blouses over the edge of the iron board. After finished ironing one side, move onto a new section.

Find the Seams for Sleeves

Knowing where the seams are can prevent ironing an additional line.

As a preference, you can avoid ironing over the top seam and use the tip to iron close. This will prevent creating a noticeable line along the sleeve.

Leave Time to Hang and Dry

For steam iron users, clothes will be damp after ironing so make sure you leave time for them to hang on a rack. Avoid wire hangers and button shirts. Otherwise, wearing them immediately afterwards can cause even more wrinkles to appear.

Protective Clothes for Dark Clothes

For darker clothing, sometimes shine marks can appear after ironing and not all are easily removed. For instance, Polyester can melt and create a mark on clothes. To prevent this, place a protective cloth over the clothing as you iron. You can use a clean tea towel, pillowcase, or press cloth. Make sure the protective cloth is the correct fabric to handle heat. Alternatively, sometimes using lower heat can avoid marks too.

Choosing or Using a Dry Iron or Steam Iron

Steam irons come with a built-in steamer that sprays a hot mist of water or has holes that release steam as you press. Dry irons lack these features.

For most fabrics, the dry iron will work and are more affordable. A steam iron smooths out wrinkles more quickly and with longer lasting results, but requires more cleaning, especially if you have hard water. If you are not regularly ironing, a dry iron is easier. For stubborn wrinkles or a frequent or a high load of ironing, a steam iron may be better.