Starching collars

[theber]

Due to the nature of my job need to wear a suit but they tend to take a lot of abuse. I'm an assistant manager in a small hotel so from day to day I can be doing anything from serving food and drink to cleaning rooms and scrubbing ovens. For this reason I buy cheap suits and shirts that I won't mind getting ruined and having to replace. I do however want make them look as good as I can. I have started using spray starch on the collars and cuffs of my shirts but the collars always seem to curl inwards. What am I doing wrong?

 

[bbaquiran]

Do your shirts come with collar stays?

 

[theber]

They do but cheap plastic ones. Am looking into getting some better ones but some of the shirts have the stays sewn in

 

[Nexus6]

Some thoughts.....

Are the shirts 100% cotton?
Blends sometimes are not good, and look tired to begin with.

-Are you using an iron that is too hot? (if so, lower temp)
-Are you 'misting' the shirts as you iron? (if not, do)
I hope also that you are removing the collar stays before ironing (if possible)

Also,
Iron the collar flat out.
do not fold the collar and iron in the fold.

you want the collar to 'roll' over, when the ironing is done.

I concur with the others, and yourself, about getting perhaps some metal stays,
or even doubling up on the stays.

Try to prepare a weeks worth of shirts in advance,
so day to day, you will not have to fuss as you rush off to work.


If this problem persists,
maybe you better invest in better quality shirts after all.

Try Hathaway.
They are reasonable quality for the price.

One last thought....
A little trick I do, is to take a sheet of papaer towel,
fold length-wise twice, creating a strip of paper towel.
I slip this between my neck & shirt collar,
juuust under the collar line.
The paper towel will secretly absorb perspiration,
leaving your shirt collar looking fresher longer.

-hope this helps.

 

[why18]

I find starching the collar shrink it after a while.

 

[Hans]

Try applying the starch to both sides of the collar (underneath & on the outside)

 

[GoClick]

I find it's best to starch both sides of most things you starch and realize that it's the heat, not the pressure that does the work of setting the starch. Pressing harder while rubbing will only make the curl worse. Let the heat and the starch do their jobs.