When you’re travelling for business, you don’t want to waste time having to iron your clothes on arrival. It’s important to look the part and portray a professional image at all times, whether you’re attending a meeting, speaking at a conference or visiting a different office.
In this simple guide, we’ll share our top tips so you can ensure your smart business clothes keep as crease-free as possible.
How to iron and fold a shirt step-by-step
Most people would admit that they iron on autopilot and don’t consider whether there could be a better way. However, there is an art to ironing and folding a shirt well, so let’s talk you through it.
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Start by spritzing the shirt with water.
Have your iron on as hot a setting as possible if you have a cotton shirt. Iron the collar, cuffs and sleeves first.
Iron the yoke (the section around the neck and shoulders). Make sure it is flat by placing the top sleeve over the pointed end of your ironing board. Repeat with the other half.
Fasten the top button and then start ironing the main body of the shirt. Move the shirt around your ironing board, doing the front first and working your way around to the back.
Make sure you’ve ironed carefully between the buttons. This shouldn’t be rushed as you could melt the buttons if you place the hot iron on top of them.
Put the shirt on a hanger and wait for it to completely dry.
When you’re ready to fold, fasten all of the shirt’s buttons and place the shirt face down on a flat surface.
Fold one arm across the back of the shirt before folding the sleeve vertically. Fold the cuff downwards before folding this half of the shirt towards the middle.
Fold the second arm across the back and repeat the process, as above.
Fold the bottom of the shirt before flipping over. The shirt should be in a neat square shape.
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Packing top tips
When it comes to packing for business, it’s important to think about the order you pack things. You want to find that everything is where it should be when you open your suitcase at the other end. Here are some tips: <ol>
Use a hard suitcase so that your clothes don’t accidentally get squashed in transit.
If possible, have your suit in a suit carrier. If you can’t take a suit carrier with you, put your suit in a plastic dry cleaning bag (still on its hanger), fold in half and put in your case.
Less is more. Don’t overpack your suitcase, but make sure you take one spare shirt or blouse, just in case you have a spillage and need to change at some point.
Take time folding each item. Pack jumpers and cardigans first as they are less likely to crease. Any shoes need to be at the bottom of your case (nearest the wheels)
Use casual clothes and underwear to fill any gaps and if your case has elasticated straps inside, fasten them. This should stop your business clothes from scrunching up as you carry your case.
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When you arrive
You might want to collapse on your hotel bed the second you enter your room, but why not spend a few minutes getting your clothes in order? This could save valuable time in the morning.
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If you’re only staying one night, it can be tempting to leave your clothes in your case but if you want to look your best you should hang everything up in the wardrobe.
If anything has creased, you could hang it up on your bathroom door as the steam from your shower should help de-wrinkle the item.
Depending on the length of your stay, you might want to use our laundry service to clean and press your clothes once they’ve been worn. Alternatively, if you feel that they just need a refresh, you could spray them with a small amount of Febreze.
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We wish you a wonderful, wrinkle-free stay. Check out our blog for more tips, whether you’re looking for the best places for free Wi-Fi or icebreaker ideas for meetings.
