How do I clean and iron smart shirts and dresses?
Washing shirts   

1. Prepare the shirt. Undo all the buttons, including cuff buttons and collar buttons. Pre-treat any stains by gently dabbing them with a small about of stain remover solvent, detergent, lemon juice, vinegar, or fizzy water. Rinse the stain and repeat. Ideally, treat the shirt as soon as you can.
2. Use the appropriate wash cycle. If your shirt’s material is fine or lightweight, use a delicate cycle on your washing machine. If it’s made from a heavier fabric, or is especially dirty, you can use a normal setting.
3. It’s all about the colour. Whites and light colours can use hot water, but dark coloured shirts should be washed with cold water to avoid fading them. Don’t wash your shirts with any clothes that might bleed colours. Use a detergent that doesn’t contain chlorine, as this will discolour the fabric of your shirt.
4. Hang the shirt to dry straight away. When it’s dry or almost dry, iron it. It’s best to avoid putting your shirt in the dryer, but if you have to, use a low heat and take it out a few minutes early. If you dry your shirt completely in the machine, it will be harder to iron, and is more likely to shrink.
   
   

Ironing shirts:

1. Check the shirt’s label to see what kind of fabric it is. There should be a little symbol of an iron with a few dots in the middle. Use the equivalent setting on your iron. You can use a hot setting for cotton, but polyester shirts are more fragile to heat. If your iron is a steam iron and you need to fill it with water, do that before you turn your iron on. If you have an ironing board, set your shirt out on that, but if you don’t, lay a towel on a flat surface such as a table or desk, and that will work just as well.
2. Check the condition of your shirt. If it has stains, wash your shirt first, as ironing stains can make them harder to remove. If your shirt has lots of wrinkles, moisten it, either by spraying it with water or by taking it out of the dryer a little early. If your shirt is slightly damp, it will create steam and make it easier to remove wrinkles.
3. Iron the collar first, starting on the underside, slowly (but not too slowly) pushing the iron from one side to the other, pressing it against the fabric. Iron with back-and-forth motions; don’t go in circles, as this could stretch the material. Flip the shirt over and repeat on the other side of the collar.
4. Iron the cuffs: undo the buttons so you can lay it out flat, and iron both sides, being careful to avoid the buttons.
5. Iron the body of the shirt. Start on the front side of the shirt on the side with the buttons. Iron the placket (the strip with the buttons on it), avoiding the buttons themselves. Then you can go over the rest of the two fronts of the shirt. If your shirt has a pocket, pull the material below it taut as you iron, so it doesn’t fold. On the back, iron what’s known as the ‘yoke’, the strip of material that stretches from shoulder-to-shoulder just below the collar. Next, iron the back of your shirt.
6. Go over the sleeves of your shirt. This can be quite tricky, as you’re essentially ironing two pieces of material at the same time. Before you start, try to get the sleeves as crisply folded and flat as you can, so the underside doesn’t crease as you iron the top. Start ironing at the top of the sleeve, where it’s sewn to the shoulder, and work your way down to the cuff. Turn it over and iron the other side.
7. Done! Make sure to check for any final wrinkles, go over them again if necessary. Hang it up straightaway so it stays crease-free.
8. Here is a useful guide to ironing shirts. (Ignore the cringey name of the website - the information is useful).

Ironing dresses:

1. As with ironing shirts, check the label of your dress to see what settings are recommended, and set your iron to that. Prepare it as described above, filling it with water if necessary. If the material is easily damaged, you’ll want to use a lower heat. If your dress is very crinkled, spray or flick some water onto the material as you iron; this will create steam, which helps get rid of creases.
2. Open the bottom of the dress and pull one side of the skit over the ironing board/surface. Position it so that you can iron the back first. Use long, firm strokes, starting from the waist and ending at the seams. Iron with back-and-forth motions; don’t go in circles, as this could stretch the material. When the part you’re ironing is smooth, turn the skirt so that you can iron the sides. Keep going until you’ve finished both sides, and then iron the front of the skirt.
3. When you’ve finished the skirt, remove the dress from the board and undo any buttons or zips. Be careful to iron around these so you don’t damage them. If you can, lay the dress down so that there aren’t two layers of material on top of each other. If this isn’t possible, lay it as flat as you can and smooth it out so that the seams aren’t crinkled. Begin ironing at the back of the top part of the dress, working your way towards the waist, and then turn it over and iron the front side. If it has sleeves or a collar, iron these last.
4. Lay the collar flat and iron the underside and then the top. To iron the sleeves, try to get them as crisply folded and flat as you can, so the underside doesn’t crease as you iron the top. Start ironing at the top of the sleeve, where it’s sewn to the shoulder, and work your way downwards. Turn it over and iron the other side.
5. When you’re finished, check the dress to see if there are any wrinkles, and if there are, give them a quick iron. Hang it up for a few hours before you wear it, to allow it to cool and settle, which will better prevent it from wrinkling when you wear it.

How do I polish/care for my new shoes?
This depends completely on the type of your shoes.
Here are some basics you may wish to consider:

• Protector spray protects your shoes from rain splashes and stains. Some protectors are able to waterproof your shoes if you wish. Apply this to all shoe types except patent (shiny) leather every two weeks (or less often if it’s a stronger one), leaving it to dry for about 10 mins.
• Multi-cleaner lifts dirt out of your shoes and makes them look, you guessed it, clean. Wipe off anything on the surface first with a damp cloth. Spray the spray (usually a foam) across all shoe types except patent (shiny) leather, letting it sink in for about 20 seconds. Wipe off the excess with a damp cloth. Repeat until clean and respray any protector spray you use. You can get specific types of cleaner - a suede and nubuck shampoo may suit your needs if that’s your shoe type.
• Patent gloss acts as both a protector and cleaner for patent (shiny) shoes, and can be used as described for both of the above products.
• Polish adds colour back into your leather shoes. Make sure to clean your shoes before polishing. Apply the polish bit by bit in small circles on the discoloured area with a cloth or sponge applicator - this avoids streaks. Leave this to dry for a couple of minutes, then use a brush to buff the shine on your shoes, once more in small circles.
• Patent leather restorer restores colour to patent leather. Apply a thin coat to dirt-free patent leather to cover up scuffs and scratches.