Before beginning to iron have everything in readiness—­beeswax, a heavy paper on which to test the iron, a dish of water, and a soft cloth or a small sponge for dampening surfaces which have become too dry to iron well, or which have been poorly ironed and need doing over.  Stand the ironing table in the best light which can be found, with the ironing stand at the right and the clothes at the left, and work as rapidly as consistent with good results.  There is no royal road to ironing, but with perseverance and care the home laundress can become quite expert, even though she cannot hope to compete with the work turned out by those who do nothing but iron six days in the week.  Give the iron a good, steady pressure, lifting from the board as little as possible, and then—­iron!  Take the bed linen first, giving a little extra press to the hems of the sheets.  Many housewives have a theory that unironed sheets are the more hygienic; that ironing destroys the life and freshness imparted by the sun and air.  Such being the case, the sheets can be evenly and carefully folded and put through the wringer, which will give them a certain smoothness.  Towels may be treated in the same way, while flannels, knit wear, and stockings may, if one chooses, be folded and put away unironed.  Table linen must be smoothed over on the wrong side till partially dry, and then ironed rapidly, with good hot irons and strong pressure on the right side, lengthwise and parallel with the selvage, until dry.  This brings out the pattern and imparts a satiny gloss to the fabric, leaving it dainty, soft, and immaculate.  Iron all embroideries on the wrong side.  Trimmings and ruffles must be ironed before doing the body of the garment, going well up into the gathers with a light, pointed iron, carefully avoiding pressing in wrinkles or unexpected pleats.  Iron frills, either plain or with a narrow edge, on the right side to give the necessary gloss.  Bands, hems, and all double parts must be ironed on both sides.  Iron colored clothes—­lawns, dimities, percales, chambrays, etc.—­on the wrong side, with an iron not too hot, otherwise the color is apt to be injured.  The home laundress is usually not quite equal to the task of ironing shirts, which would far better go to the laundry; but when done at home from choice or necessity, plenty of patience and muscle must be applied.  Iron the body of the shirt first, then draw the bosom tightly over a board and attack it with the regular irons, wipe over quickly with a damp cloth and press hard with the polishing iron.  The ironing of very stiffly starched articles may be facilitated by covering with cheesecloth and pressing until partially dry; then remove the cloth and iron dry.  As each piece is ironed, hang on bars or line until thoroughly dried and aired.  A certain amount of moisture remains; even after the ironing, and must be entirely removed before the final sorting and folding and putting away.