Custom shirt makers recommend careful laundering for their creations and you should follow suit, washing your shirt after every wearing.
Start by removing the collar stays and scrubbing the shirt underarms, cuffs, collar and stand with soap to remove any stains or soil. Let the garment soak over night if need be. Heavily soiled white shirts can be machine laundered in hot water using the gentle cycle; use warm water for colors. Never bleach or starch your shirt. Bleach discolors the yarn and causes deterioration and starch will shrink collars and cuffs over time. Tumble dry with no heat to remove most of the wrinkles and then hang to dry on a wood or plastic hanger (metal can leave rust stains).
Iron the shirt while it is still damp, using the cotton setting and a clean ironing board. (My mother used to store damp shirts rolled up in the bottom of our refrigerator until she was ready to iron.)
Begin pressing with the cuffs. Unbutton them and press them flat inside and out and then shape the cuff into a curve over the edge of the ironing board. Button the cuff and smooth out the sleeve.
Press from underarm to cuff, stretching the seam slightly. Press up towards the center of the sleeve creasing any pleats as needed.
Move onto the yoke pressing it both from the inside and the outside. Press the back and side seams.
Stretch the center fronts slightly as you press them. Do not press over the buttons as it might cause damage.
Finally, open out the collar stand and press from both sides shaping over the edge of the ironing board.
Press the collar separately, also shaping over the ironing board. Fold the collar over the stand and press along the fold. Insert collar stays and hang the garment on a hanger and button the front.
Shirt care tips courtesy of designer Kathryn Brenne and Vogue Patterns Magazine.