Ironing

[FP]

Is the one thing in life I absolutely hate.  So I shove it all out of sight and then have to spend hours and hours doing it.  When it is done I make a resolution to do it the same day as the washing, but in 30+ years of doing laundry I have never kept this resolution and always I have a spare room full of unironed clothing. 

My son lives quite happily without an iron and an ironing board - should I throw mine away.  Any thoughts?

[cheyenne]

me and the misses share the Ironing.I do it monday wednesday and friday and she does it on the other days.Only takes half an hour and with the radio on time goes quick.Mind you I always make sure my clothes get the best attention!!lol.Isnt your hubby Russ-ian to do it.FP.

[Solarjunkie]

I have probably spent a total of one hour ironing in the last five years!

Firstly ask yourself why you're doing it - is it just habit? Some people find it soothing, personally I find it a waste of time. All my washing comes out of the machine, is arranged neatly on a hanger where it dries inside or out depending on the weather, then it goes in the wardrobe & that's it! It's actually easier in the winter - bedding is folded over a radiator last thing at night, then put in cupboard, dried and smoothed (but not ironed) in the morning.

School uniform was a bit of a worry - but with such a tiny bit of shirt showing between v necked jumper & school tie, it really did not matter. And by 4pm shirts that started the day ironed or unironed looked just the same!

Go on, hang the remainder in a steamy bathroom bit by bit to smooth it out, and then reclaim your spare room for something interesting. Fancy taking up painting? Or need somewhere to practise the saxophone? Have fun!

[thikasabrik]

At the moment I am being very nice to smudge as she loves ironing and I'm hoping she'll do mine as well.

I'm exactly the same as you FP and my ironing pile currently resembles Ayers Rock. I'm full of good intentions but......

[FP]

Cheyenne.  Yes he is Russ-ian, but not to do the ironing!  And I have seen the way he irons and am not letting him near my clothes!

You are quite right Solar Junkie.  Don't misunderstand me, I don't iron loads of things.  But I do iron shirts, trousers and most of my clothing (not underwear of course or Jeans).  Perhaps I have got too many clothes, because most of my pile of ironing is my stuff.  I would also add that I probably only do any ironing about once a month when we have totally run out of anything to wear.  I ironed 28 shirts today!!! (all Mr FPs)

The trouble is also Solar Junkie, that I do draw and paint, and garden and walk the dogs and go out with friends - and enjoy all these things - but don't do the ironing! 

But I am going to try and take your advice.  As from tomorrow clothing will be smoothed and hung straight in the wardrobe.  I'll probably have to wash the spare room pile again first though, as it is probably covered in dust!

The other option of course is to send it round to Smudge with thickasabrick's load.

[Elfin]

Ironing?  What's that then? 

I have survived all these years without one by never buying blouses or other items which crease easily.  Everything I have comes out of the tumble drier straight onto a hanger.  Any posh things (and I have about 3 items) go to the dry cleaners - and I don't wear them often.

Sorted.

[sunflower68]

Yup Elfin, totally agree with you.  Some of my kids' friends' school clothing have iron marks on the creases where it was too hot.  Not me; it looks far neater straight out of the dryer.  Not a crease in sight.  Same goes for tshirts and kids clothes.  They don't look in the least bit creased. If they did I would iron them...

Throw the iron away FP and buy a tumbler.x

[FP]

Got a tumbler sunflower 68!!  A really big one with a pre-iron programme which works really well..  I must be stupid - I admit it.  I suppose in the winter I do use the tumbler and iron far less, but in the summer, like an idiot, I hang all the clothes outside and then they get too dry.  I shall compromise, hang the clothes outside and finish them off in the tumbler to uncrease them (in the interests of economy).  I never ironed school uniforms when my son was at school and he always looked smart and uncreased.

My neighbour irons tea towels, socks, underwear, face flannells - everything.  She just must love ironing.

Mind you when I go through the big pile of clothes in the spare room I sometimes find things I have forgotten I have so it's like having something new again!!

Oh, and I have got quite a few pairs of linen mix trousers  which I love and which really do need ironing - so I won't throw the iron away just yet.

[Wispy68]

I put our clothes away (un-ironed) and just iron them before putting them on. Only takes a couple of minutes. I do like to get the school uniforms ironed and on hangers ready for the next day, just to save time in the morning! I couldn't get rid of my iron, as I'd feel a bit scruffy wearing creased clothes, but having said all that, there's no way I could stand there ironing for 2 hours non-stop. Life's far too short for all that!! 

[shaz-rla]

I should be ironing right now but instead I have put it off to look up answerbank!!!  I have a mountain of ironing and only iron when necessary (school clothes and kids clothes etc.)  I have a friend who irons everything, underwear who in their right mind irons socks!!!!

[FP]

Hi IAP

No I don't iron bedding under any circumstances!!   I might be daft, but not that daft!!

I am now thinking that putting clothes away and ironing them (if they need it) when I want to wear them might be the best option.

[dml54]

My Mum used to iron everything right down to dusters.  I really love ironing, but only do what is necessary - although I do iron dusters as they go away into a much smaller space!  My golden rule is never to do more washing until the last lot has been ironed. Seems to work for me.

[FP]

You must be a very strong willed person dml54!  I am sure I would then have another room full of dirty washing if I tried to do that! :o).

I can't imagine liking ironing!

[Robinia]

There's only me to iron for now so I can't really complain but I did used to dread that Sunday tea time thing of wading through a huge pile.  My oldest son was into silk (aaggghhh) shirts in the eighties & they are devils to do!!

The thing that helped I discovered was not to fold the ironed item before doing the next one. Instead I carefully draped them on the airer or put them onto a hanger.  You've still got to go back & do the folding but somehow the ironing time seems far less.  Er, does that make sense?

I did quite enjoy ironing for the last fella I was in a relationship with,& he baked a better cake than I do!! Fair exchange I reckon!

[FP]

I never fold shirts or T Shirts, Robinia, they all go on hangers in the wardrobe.  Luckily we have got loads of wardrobe space. 

My son hangs his clothes on the floor, but as he has fled the nest now, that's his problem!

[sunflower68]

Wierd FP but this subject cropped up recently http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Home-and-Garden/Question104850.html

and I'm glad it's not just me who thinks all laundry is a bit of a kerfuffle.  I'll iron only when it will look creased if I don't, it's too flipping fiddly.

[FP]

Thanks sunflower68.  Good thread!

Well I hung my washing out, which included 7 shirts.  They then went in the tumbler on the iron programme and are now hung up in the wardrobe (unironed).  I wait to see if Mr FP will notice!

Thanks everybody for making this a nice lively thread.

[Philtaz]

I'll do it for �20 a basket FP!  I love ironing. I find it therapeutic and take great pride in ironing my shirts to A+ standard.   Previously, when my mother-in-law would babysit she would 'iron' my stuff.  As soon as she left the house I would put it all back into the washing machine so that I could iron it myself later!  Whenever she comes round now I just take my stuff out of the basket and hide it!

It must be an ex Forces thing, it's just that I can't bear to let anyone else do my ironing!