What to do with shirts?

Fletcher
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Fletcher » Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:17 pm

wombatK wrote:
Ozchuck wrote: Still cant get my shirts coming out of my bag respectable. :(
Look at the packaging the shirt is sold in - and try to copy the folding/packing technique with possibly a wider backing board if your bag allows room. Pack the shirt in your bag so that it can't move around. Shirts packed this way in suit-case sized bags can travel thousands of miles and still look good on arrival. Will be more difficult with a back-pack sized bag, less so with larger panniers.

If you need any better result, maybe buy a small travel iron and iron them at work. Can be done on any table/desk with a suitable blanket or similar mat rolled out under it.

Ironing a shirt should only add a few minutes to your commute (i.e. two traffic light changes !), particularly if you heat the iron while showering.

Cheers
This is the way to go. It's pretty much what I do, works a treat. Iron your long sleeved business shirt, then do up all the buttons, except the top one. Get a small-ish square piece of cardboard and fold the shirt around it like they do in the shop (or I use my dad's old RAAF technique for folding shirts, it's very similar). Once folded around the cardboard, do up the top button(I just find it easier to do it once it's folded), slide it in your bag, and you'll find it's still respectable when you arrive at work.

Ozchuck
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Ozchuck » Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:10 am

Whats our chances of getting you to share your dads RAAF technique?
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Timmeh
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Timmeh » Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:34 am

Some good comments here. I use a combination of tricks to minimise shabbiness:

1. Use non iron shirts, they don't crush like pure cotton does. Get some with patterns (eg not plain white), as the patterns help hide any creases.

2. Roll the shirt loosely (fold in half lengthways, bring the arms across, and roll from the collar down) and place as the top item in your panniers/back pack (may sure you leave some air room). If you wrap the shirt around cardboard, you will get a crease.

3. Hang the shirt on a peg in the shower room as soon as you get there - the steam probably helps a bit.

:idea: You can also roll suit pants and ties. (Some of my suit pants crease, some don't).

I'd love to have a locker to avoid all the above but sadly not forthcoming at my workplace.

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casual_cyclist
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby casual_cyclist » Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:49 am

I have a locker, so I try to bring a weeks worth of shirts in on the train one day. Problem is, I detest ironing with a passion so usually don't iron ahead.

On days when I really want to ride but have no shirt waiting for me, I take a shirt in a backpack. Mine are pure cotton but quite thick so don't seem to crease too badly.

Here is what I do:
lay the shirt flat and fold the sleeves in, straight down the front panels. Then I fold the whole shirt in half down the middle so the sleeves are pressed together. At this point I check to make sure there are no major creases and the whole thing is pretty flat. I then take the shirt and hang it over the bottom rung of a coathanger again making sure it's all pretty flat. I have a pretty big pack and I just hang the shirt loosely in the pack. I find this way my shirts mostly arrive in fairly good condition. Of course this won't work if it's raining because I leave the pack open.
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Fletcher
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Fletcher » Tue Dec 22, 2009 4:24 pm

This is close to dad's old RAAF method, but he didn't use the cardboard.

Unfortunately I don't have the motivation or skills to do a powerpoint presentation or vid, so here goes.

After ironing I lay the shirt face down on bed with all buttons except top done up. Place a 20cm sq cardboard top centre just below collar. Take left shoulder point (at sleeve crease) and tail corner below it, and fold it around the left edge of cardboard. Fold the sleeve over itself 2 or 3 times on top of the bit you have just folded so it's as neat as you can get it. Do the same with the other side of shirt and the other sleeve. It's now a long, thin strip folded around the cardboard. Take the tail of the shirt and fold it up so it's just below the collar. Fold up again, around the lower edge of cardboard, and it's now the whole shirt is folded around the cardboard. Turn it over and do up the top button. Voila.

You can slip this in your bag, and if you pack with care it's no worse than it would be if you had worn it driving to work.

This works for me every day.

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby eeksll » Mon Dec 28, 2009 11:12 pm

this is how I fold mine, it is in fact the site I learnt off :)
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video ... 2809/view/
i don't use the tissue paper and sometime I have to squash it flat when I don't have enough room

Initially i went to great lengths to flatten out the shirt before I started folding, but I looked at the back of my shirt one day at lunch time and it was all creased and wrinkled and I stopped being so pedantic.

As others have said, I have some shirts that always turn up more wrinkled than others ( I don't have any iron free shirts).
also some shirt patterns tend to hide the wrinkles a bit more, like darker shirts and shirts that don't have a consistent pattern eg fat and thin stripes, different coloured stripes

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby hartleymartin » Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:57 am

Fletcher wrote:This is close to dad's old RAAF method, but he didn't use the cardboard.

Unfortunately I don't have the motivation or skills to do a powerpoint presentation or vid, so here goes.

After ironing I lay the shirt face down on bed with all buttons except top done up. Place a 20cm sq cardboard top centre just below collar. Take left shoulder point (at sleeve crease) and tail corner below it, and fold it around the left edge of cardboard. Fold the sleeve over itself 2 or 3 times on top of the bit you have just folded so it's as neat as you can get it. Do the same with the other side of shirt and the other sleeve. It's now a long, thin strip folded around the cardboard. Take the tail of the shirt and fold it up so it's just below the collar. Fold up again, around the lower edge of cardboard, and it's now the whole shirt is folded around the cardboard. Turn it over and do up the top button. Voila.

You can slip this in your bag, and if you pack with care it's no worse than it would be if you had worn it driving to work.

This works for me every day.
When I was in the Navy Cadets from 2000 to 2005 we were still taught that method of folding shirts for when we travelled away to Annual Training Camps.
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby itsaghostcar » Thu Dec 31, 2009 2:16 pm

hartleymartin wrote:
Fletcher wrote:This is close to dad's old RAAF method, but he didn't use the cardboard.

Unfortunately I don't have the motivation or skills to do a powerpoint presentation or vid, so here goes.

After ironing I lay the shirt face down on bed with all buttons except top done up. Place a 20cm sq cardboard top centre just below collar. Take left shoulder point (at sleeve crease) and tail corner below it, and fold it around the left edge of cardboard. Fold the sleeve over itself 2 or 3 times on top of the bit you have just folded so it's as neat as you can get it. Do the same with the other side of shirt and the other sleeve. It's now a long, thin strip folded around the cardboard. Take the tail of the shirt and fold it up so it's just below the collar. Fold up again, around the lower edge of cardboard, and it's now the whole shirt is folded around the cardboard. Turn it over and do up the top button. Voila.

You can slip this in your bag, and if you pack with care it's no worse than it would be if you had worn it driving to work.

This works for me every day.
When I was in the Navy Cadets from 2000 to 2005 we were still taught that method of folding shirts for when we travelled away to Annual Training Camps.
That sounds the same as how a shirt comes when you open it from the packet. Don't you end up with one horizontal crease and two vertical creases which meet around about your nipples???

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Fletcher » Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:07 pm

itsaghostcar wrote:
hartleymartin wrote:
Fletcher wrote:This is close to dad's old RAAF method, but he didn't use the cardboard.

Unfortunately I don't have the motivation or skills to do a powerpoint presentation or vid, so here goes.

After ironing I lay the shirt face down on bed with all buttons except top done up. Place a 20cm sq cardboard top centre just below collar. Take left shoulder point (at sleeve crease) and tail corner below it, and fold it around the left edge of cardboard. Fold the sleeve over itself 2 or 3 times on top of the bit you have just folded so it's as neat as you can get it. Do the same with the other side of shirt and the other sleeve. It's now a long, thin strip folded around the cardboard. Take the tail of the shirt and fold it up so it's just below the collar. Fold up again, around the lower edge of cardboard, and it's now the whole shirt is folded around the cardboard. Turn it over and do up the top button. Voila.

You can slip this in your bag, and if you pack with care it's no worse than it would be if you had worn it driving to work.

This works for me every day.
When I was in the Navy Cadets from 2000 to 2005 we were still taught that method of folding shirts for when we travelled away to Annual Training Camps.
That sounds the same as how a shirt comes when you open it from the packet. Don't you end up with one horizontal crease and two vertical creases which meet around about your nipples???

They're still doing it? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, coz if it's not broke....

I don't notice any bad creases on my chest, it keeps the shirt pretty neat. It's not folded as tightly as a brand new shirt in it's packaging.

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Fletcher » Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:26 pm

A word of advice. It helps a lot if you remember to pack your shirt in your bag after ironing and folding it. Like I failed to do this morning :roll: :oops: :evil:

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby gavinr » Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:01 am

Fletcher wrote:A word of advice. It helps a lot if you remember to pack your shirt in your bag after ironing and folding it. Like I failed to do this morning :roll: :oops: :evil:
Similarly, I find nothing maximises your appetite at work like realising your lunch is still in the kitchen at home...

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby casual_cyclist » Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:55 am

Fletcher wrote:A word of advice. It helps a lot if you remember to pack your shirt in your bag after ironing and folding it. Like I failed to do this morning :roll: :oops: :evil:
We have casual friday every week. Last week I thought twice about which jeans I was going to pack when I was packing my bag. Got to work. Finished my shower. Put on my t-shirt. Reached into my bag to get my jeans. No jeans :shock:

I had to go to my locker and grab my trousers and wear them for the day (lucky they matched my t-shirt 8))

For a couple of minutes you would have seen me wandering around our car-park wearing a t-shirt and towel around my waist! :lol:
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Ozchuck » Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:16 pm

LOLOLOL.

Definitely sounds like a once only mistake, haha.
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Maelstrm » Sat Feb 06, 2010 1:25 am

Keep a water spray bottle at work. A quick mist and you have yourself a liquid iron.

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Fletcher » Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:04 am

Some good tips here, not a bad thread. Another useful thing I discovered all my myself last week - bring an extra pair of undies and work socks and keep them in your locker/drawer at your desk - because one day you'll forget to bring them. No underwear and white sweaty socks and black dress shoes isn't ideal.

I like the spray bottle idea. What do you do - put it on a hanger and spray the creases? Does that flatten the creases somehow?

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Thoglette » Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:58 pm

Chanboy wrote:I iron my shirt, then fold and then slip it into a plastic shopping bag (stiffer, thicker variety) with my trousers and then put it all in a flat sort of way into my backpack.
I used to travel a lot - so my first comment is : learn how to fold a shirt. Second - pack flat. My backpack has compression straps which hold the shirt/trousers flat. For panniers, (which are nearly empty) I use an Eagle Creek folder which does the same job.

I also leave my shoes, belt and toiletries at the office. And swap towels every few trips!
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby Fletcher » Tue Feb 16, 2010 11:26 am

I arrived at work today and discovered my socks and undies were still sitting on my bed at home, waiting to be packed in my bag :roll: Then I remembered I had stashed a spare pair of each in my bottom desk drawer.

Spare essentials like this really are necessities.

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby CommuRider » Sun Sep 26, 2010 11:46 pm

Maelstrm wrote:Keep a water spray bottle at work. A quick mist and you have yourself a liquid iron.
Good idea. Thought about bringing the iron, then I realised we had a hand dryer. That should suffice.
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby elStado » Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:14 pm

Been thinking about riding to work as well, stuck on the same issue with getting clothes looking ironed and respectable at the other end.

Currently I ride the 1km to the train station and train it + walk the rest of the way, however I am only about 8.5km from work so it would be good to ride.
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby waynohh » Tue Sep 28, 2010 11:32 am

Ozchuck wrote:I wear business shirts for work.
Sometimes I get to copout and wear a polo, but most days I'm in the thin fabric'd long sleeve shirt.

I've been trying to fold, or even "roll" my shirts up after ironing in the morning.
I'm currently experimenting with tonnes of starch.

Still cant get my shirts coming out of my bag respectable. :(

What do you find works, and how do you do it?

You're folding them the straight after ironing them? Of course they're wrinkled. Do your ironing a different day.

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby DrJay » Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:28 pm

srl wrote:One approach is to lay the shirt (I go with a poly-cotton mix; cotton crushes) flat, front side down, then lay tissue paper or kitchen paper across the back. Fold sleeves in to collar and then down the centre line of the shirt. Fold the sides of the shirt in to the center and, finally, fold the tail up one third and again up to the collar. The folds have to be neat and really taut. Finally, stick the folded shirt in to a plastic bag and tuck the plastic bag tightly in to the shirt without crushing it. I tried this a few weeks ago and the shirt came out in reasonable shape. I then just hung it up while I had a shower so the steam could take out the creases. You won't get the same result as you would with a freshly ironed shirt, but really the only person who notices the crush marks is you.
I tried this around a plastic kitchen tidy bag. That seemed to work really well.
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby CommuRider » Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:08 pm

Thoglette wrote: I used to travel a lot - so my first comment is : learn how to fold a shirt. Second - pack flat. My backpack has compression straps which hold the shirt/trousers flat. For panniers, (which are nearly empty) I use an Eagle Creek folder which does the same job.
+1

Got mine from Snowgum and they work well. Very happy with purchase. Thanks for the pointer Thoglette! :)
Thoglette wrote: I also leave my shoes, belt and toiletries at the office. And swap towels every few trips!
My locker is getting crowded too. Bike gear + work gear. In the office I cleaned up the drawers of my filing cabinet so I can fit in some toiletries - perfume, makeup, *sigh* . I wish us women weren't so judged by our appearance. My boss has toothpaste in his so I don't feel too bad...
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby rdp_au » Tue Oct 26, 2010 11:04 am

I’ve been commuting off and on for many years and have always needed to wear a reasonably presentable business shirt. As many have noted, the process is really pretty simple. Iron shirt the night before. Leave it on a hanger for a few minutes to cool down, then fold. I use the technique shown to me by my mother – do up the buttons (every second one is enough), lay it face down on the bed, smooth out wrinkles and then fold each side of the body into the centre. You’ll find you can then arrange the sleeves to lie neatly down the middle. Then fold up from the bottom into thirds. Turn it over and smooth out any wrinkles. Once you get the hang of it, it’s very quick - less time to actually do than it does to write this description. I then put it straight in the pannier, wrapped in a plastic shopping bag to avoid stains from any dirt or old banana skins lurking in the depths. When I get to work, the first thing I do before showering is to take the shirt out and put it on a hanger. Any creases that have accumulated overnight will disappear in the warm and usually moist air in the changing rooms. Works for pants as well, and even a suit jacket, although I usually try to avoid carrying that on the bike.

As an aside, if I need to carry my laptop, I wrap it in my jumper before putting it in the other pannier. This provides some padding for the laptop, and also minimises creases in the jumper.

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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby matt.blak » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:49 am

I use bundle wrapping for clothes when I travel, it's good to minimise wrinkles:

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&sourc ... uQ&cad=rja

You can also try one of the packing bags from a travel shop, I use one from eagle Creek http://www.eaglecreek.com/packing_solut ... -15-41068/
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Re: Say What to do with shirts?

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 1:49 pm

Iron shirt night before.
Fold it from behind into a square like the packaged business shirts come as from the store.
Put it in a plastic bag.
Put it in a file or put something hard pressing it together or inside it keeping it flat.

This is what I do when I have a presentation at Uni, I am lucky that I have my A4 file in my backpack so I just tried folding it differently and putting it sandwiched in the file and it worked out great. After 4 hours squashed in the bag I put it on and it looked clean and pressed still.
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