How to Starch Military Uniforms
It is necessary for military inspections that the military uniform be kept clean, free from stains and well pressed. Most military uniforms need to be heavily starched to avoid wrinkling and the heavily starched uniform is preferred for inspections. You can take your military uniform to a cleaner to be starched and pressed, or you can learn how to starch a military uniform yourself.
Starching a military uniform is easy, but can be time consuming. By learning how to starch a military uniform, you can cut the time in half and still pass your inspections by wearing a crisply starched uniform..
Things You'll Need:
- A clean military uniform
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Heavy spray starch
- Start with a clean military uniform. There is special uniform detergent that you can use to ensure that the material is free from stains and spots yet won’t cause damage to the uniform. Excessive washing can actually cause a breakdown in the uniform. Do not use fabric softener as it interferes with the starching process.
- Turn on your iron and set it to the cotton setting with the steam turned off. You do not want to burn the uniform, nor do you want the Turn the steam to cause water spots on the uniform. Steam will also prevent the starch from adhering to the uniform and can cause a sticky mess.
- Begin by starching the shirt. Place the shirt on the ironing board so that one of the front halves is on the ironing board. Spray a good amount of starch on the shirt so that you can see that it moistens the area to be ironed. Before the starch dries, begin to iron the shirt from top to bottom, moving quickly so that the starch does not dry or the iron does not stick.
- Turn the shirt on the ironing board to the other side. Repeat the directions in step 3.
- Now, iron the other half of the shirt as you did in step 2.
- Iron the sleeves flat, then turn and fold to crease the outside of the sleeve, holding the iron down a bit more firmly on this area or by repeating the process once.
- Iron the cuffs and the collar, adding more starch to these areas then the body of the shirt. Press a bit more firmly on the cuffs and colors than you would on the body of the shirt.
- Take the pants upside down and hold the bottom of the pants and fold in half as to make a crease guide. Lay one of the pant legs on the ironing board then spray liberally with starch. Iron quickly, putting pressure on the creased areas of the pants. Repeat the process for the other pant leg.
- Reach inside the pants and pull the pockets out to iron flat. Carefully smooth these back down and run the iron over the exterior of the pants where the pockets are located to smooth down.