For me ironing falls into that place between rummaging through dirty laundry and vacuuming, it’s just not something I like doing. And I’ve got a sneaky feeling, if you’re reading this, you probably feel the same. Or, perhaps you just don’t have an iron handy.

Whatever the reason you want to go iron-free, I’ve got your back.

In this concise guide, I will show you how to iron a shirt without an iron. These are some handy tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way that should keep you looking dapper… minus the iron.

How To Iron A Shirt With No Iron

Below you can find how to unwrinkle a shirt fast. All of them pretty nifty, and cost effective (for those of us on a budget). Try a few of them a week, and see which one suits your lifestyle the best.

1. Use a pan

The pan has to be one of the oldest ways of ironing clothes without an iron – that’s because it works incredibly well! And while it still requires some effort, it’s minimal.

• Take a common metal pot in which you would normally use to cook with.
• Place some water in the pan (about two cups) and wait for it to boil
• Use the flat part of the pan to press out your shirt
• To add some weight, leave the water in and use a lid cover- just make sure the pan has a good and sturdy handle

Top tip: The bottom of the pan should be warm to hotish, but not scorching (for obvious reason). So, once the water is boiled, wait half a minute or so before ironing. This is a great hack to use when only parts of your shirt need ironing – like the sleeves, and you don’t want to drag out an iron.

2. Use Your Mattress

This one is so easy, you can do it while sitting – literally. The mattress is one of the ways to iron without an iron that can be used with one shirt or many.

• Take your crumpled shirt and roll it up like a burrito.
• Once it is all rolled up (it has to be rolled and not folded), place it under the mattress and leave it there for an hour.
• When you take it out, most of the creases should be gone.

Top tip: Although not necessary, laying or sitting on your bed will help speed up this process as it will add some needed weight.

3 Spray clothes with water

This is so easy you’ll be annoyed that no one told you about it before (I know I was). All you need to uncrease your shirt without an iron is some water – that’s it!

• A couple of hours before you head out the door, lightly spray your wrinkled shirt with a water bottle
• Place the shirt up on a hanger to dry

Top tip: Never soak your shirt, unless you want to wait for hours to wear it, just give it a light mist and hang it to dry. Vinegar can also be added to the to the water to really boost it’s de-wrinkling properties.  Just bare in mind, if you do use vinegar, it may harm some fabrics – it can also be a bit whiffy if you add too much.

This method can be as quick as 20 minutes, if you don’t mind a tiny bit of dampness, otherwise wait a full hour before wearing.

4. Use dryer sheets

One of the best ways to get wrinkles out of clothes without ironing is to use a dryer sheet. This is the quick, easy, no fuss way to never have to deal with an iron again.

• Simply toss a dryer sheet into your dryer the next time you put a load on
• Once you pull your shirts out, they should look much less wrinkled – and in some cases completely wrinkle free

Top tip: To ensure those shirts stay de-wrinkled, hang them up on hangers immediately.

5. Take your shirt into the shower with you

When I was looking into how to unwrinkle a shirt without an iron, the shower method was one that I knew I would come back to again and again. Not only does it save you time, it’s economical too. Just like an iron uses steam to press out those stubborn creases, this uses the same technique, but on a bigger scale.

• Find a place to hang your shirt near where you will be showering (it should be close enough to steam, but not so close it gets wet).
• Step into the shower and do your thang
• Once finished, take the shirt and hang in a dry place for half an hour, then it’s ready to go

Top tip: If you are in a hurry you can de-crease your shirt the same way, but without the shower. Just run hot water and leave the bathroom. Since it does waste water, I recommend using this method while showering.

6. Use a kettle

If you can boil water to make tea, you can get rid of the dents in your clothes. Essentially, ironing this way is almost like using the shower technique, but in this case you don’t have to fill an entire room with steam. Btw, use a metal kettle for this.

• Fill your kettle with water and let it boil
• Just hold a steaming kettle about an inch from your shirt and watch as the creases disappear.

Top tip: This is a great method if you’re away on holiday and need to decrease quickly before you go out.

7 Use a hair iron

Okay, so perhaps using a hair iron to iron clothes is flying a little too close to actually using an iron. But, to be fair, a hair-straightening iron is safer than a clothing iron – plus you’ll have more control.

• Since it has a smaller surface area, you can really zoom in on the areas you want to iron, rather than taking out a iron to deal with a small crumpled area.
• Put the hair iron on someway between blisteringly hot and the cold setting, in other words warm.
• Place the shirt sleeve, or hem between the ironing plates and glide this along until it’s straightened

Top tip: Just make sure that the flat iron is completely clear of hair products, or you’ll have more issues than just a wrinkled shirt.

Need More Ironing Tips? Check out: How To Iron A Polo Shirt: 5 Secrets For Easy Ironing

Other Ways To De-wrinkle A Shirt Without Ironing

Here are some tips on the best ways to wash, stretch and store your clothes, so you reduce your need to iron (or avoid it altogether).

Hack – 1

When you’re putting clothes in the washing machine, never overfill it. Just stick to the maximum loading amount that’s indicated.  While at times it’s tempting to just bung everything in at once, if you do you’ll end up with twisted and wrinkled clothes.

Hack- 2

When clothes are damp, they have a tendency to hold a their shape. So to avoid them drying as a wrinkled mass, when you take clothes out of the washing machine, stretch them out. Also, give them a shake before they go on the washing line. Doing this should stretch out a few wrinkles, and if you’ve followed hack 1 you may not need an iron at all.

Hack – 3

To stretch out your clothes, a great tip is to let them dry on a hanger (also handy if you don’t have an available clothesline). That way they dry faster and don’t deform too much.

Hack – 4

Try not to leave clothes on the clothes line for too long. You don’t want to hang your clothes out nice and smooth, only to have the wind and elements crease them again.

Also, try and fold your clothes straight after collecting them from the line.

Bottom Line

Whatever you do, the main thing is not to damage your shirt in any way. For shirts you wear everyday, or clothing, these methods are fine, but for shirts made with delicate fabric (like silk) you should stick to the specialty instructions. And if you do decide to stick to a good ole iron, just use a sheet of aluminum foil between the shirt and iron to cut down the ironing time.