J-rap Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No, but my 89-year-old mother still irons all of her sheets! I feel guilty whenever I'm at her house helping her with her laundry and I just take them from the dryer, fold them, and put them away. She likes them to be crisp and smooth with seams. I do like them that way, but it's definitely not worth the time. I don't iron very much, mostly just a blouse now and then or a nice pair of pants that have gotten wrinkly. My dh learned a long time ago that it costs $2.25 per shirt to have someone wash, slightly starch and iron his shirts at a dry cleaners. This is a luxury we afforded ourselves even when we were cutting back on almost everything else. (He needed them for his work.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera33 Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Once in a while I iron a wrinkly dress shirt, but I generally only iron if I am sewing and need to press seams. Every time I go to Costco I look at the steamers and wonder if I should buy one, but I've survived without one so far, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 My dh learned a long time ago that it costs $2.25 per shirt to have someone wash, slightly starch and iron his shirts at a dry cleaners. This is a luxury we afforded ourselves even when we were cutting back on almost everything else. (He needed them for his work.) Here too. When we were very broke, I tried home washing and ironing them. They made me cry every single time, because I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and I could never get them "right." We both decided that it was better for my sanity to keep the shirts going to the laundry and trim the budget elsewhere :lol: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 True story--I have an aunt who is an uber-housewife. She irons her husband's work shirts twice. The first time before she hangs them because she "hates seeing a closet full of wrinkly shirts" and the second time before he wears them "to get rid of the hanging lines". I don't know if she still does, but my mother used to iron my father's white knit underwear. For some of my teenage years, ironing was one of my chores. I flat refused to iron Dad's knit underpants. I mean they had streaks in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No, but my mom does. One reason people used to iron sheets was lice and bed-bugs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 When I fold clothes, I try to do it right after the cycle is done. Most things are not wrinkly, but even things that are a bit wrinkly will smooth out once folded and cooled off. If I don't get to a load until it's been sitting for awhile (even days), I dampen a sock (or use something damp from the next load), toss it back in the dryer, and run it for a couple of minutes. That's almost always enough to dewrinkle the majority of the load. Sometimes I'll be able to fold most of the load and will have just a couple of stubborn items left over. I'll usually just throw them in with the next load and make sure I catch it all coming out. If your clothes are coming out of the hot dryer all wrinkled, you might want to consider whether you're overloading the dryer. Of course, some fabrics just won't come out unwrinkled. I don't buy those :lol: Thanks, I'll give that a try (but I still enjoy ironing :laugh: ) although I don't think I'm overloading the dryer but I know my dryer does run hot. Maybe I think things are more wrinkly than they really are and after I hang up a shirt and then wear it a few days later it won't be as wrinkled as I think it is. Does this make any sense? :) What I mean is - perhaps I am seeing things as more wrinkled than they truly are. I sure don't notice other people looking wrinkled. I love ironing. I love the peacefulness of it- the swishy noise of the steam and and the beautiful clean laundry smell. It makes me happy. If I had more time I would probably iron a lot more. For now, I regularly iron my husband's work shirts, a few of my shirts or dresses, the napkins for our Sunday dinner, and various other things when needed. I love the crispness of our cloth napkins. It just makes me feel so special with our Sunday dinner. I don't really have time to iron them for everyday. I do have a nice iron that my Grandma gave me before she died- it works wonderfully and reminds me of her. I don't regularly iron our sheets but just take them warm out of the dryer and put them right on our bed. They are crisp and wrinkle free and so very nice. I bought super high quality ones so that helps too. :) Yes! This! It's peaceful and soothing and satisfying and makes me feel grounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Nope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No way. Sometimes I think about all the things my grandmother had to do to keep house and cook. It was all so time consuming and I don't understand how she ever had the time. They didn't have internet, outside jobs or cell phones. :lol: My iron lives a life of leisure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I would iron regularly if I had a job that required clothing that needed ironing. I used to iron every morning before work. Dh used to do his own shirts. He sends his shirts out now. I iron table cloths once a year for holidays. I might iron if I'm dressing for something​. There's no reason to iron anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Never, not once in my entire life have I ironed sheets. I probably use our iron 3-4 times a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 (edited) Thanks, I'll give that a try (but I still enjoy ironing :laugh: ) although I don't think I'm overloading the dryer but I know my dryer does run hot. Maybe I think things are more wrinkly than they really are and after I hang up a shirt and then wear it a few days later it won't be as wrinkled as I think it is. Does this make any sense? :) What I mean is - perhaps I am seeing things as more wrinkled than they truly are. I sure don't notice other people looking wrinkled. Well, I can't help you with that *cough* weirdo! *cough* :lol: But if you're washing/drying woven cotton tops (or pants or whatever), then that may be the problem. DH does have some wrinkle-resistant dress shirts, and if I can get those out of the dryer quickly, they still look eeeever so slightly wrinkly, but he says that after wearing them for 10 minutes, they're totally fine. Only you can decide if they're smooth enough for you, though! Fortunately, your penchant for wrinkle-prone materials dovetails nicely with your selected Zen-inducing activity :thumbup: Edited May 17, 2017 by ILiveInFlipFlops 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Not if I lived a million years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I had a neighbor, about 30 years older than me, that did. I remember thinking, "Why??" People are going to sleep on those sheets and won't really care if they're ironed and starch. Way more work than is necessary or needed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Hahahaha! No, never. I barely iron dress clothes and that is usually done frantically 20 minutes before we need to walk out the door for something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No, I'm not a psychopath. I don't own clothes that need ironing. I only iron/press when I quilt because that's how quilting works. I'm currently up to my eyeballs in an English paper piecing project, so I'm using my mini iron to starch and press the fabric edges around my paper pieces. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No way! DH sends his dress shirts off to be laundered. I iron 1 or 2 items per month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Hell no. I don't iron clothes unless it's a dire emergency. My mother irons sheets. And clothes. I do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 30 years ago I stayed at my parents overnight for a job interview. In the morning before the interview, I ironed the front of my blouse. My mom was horrified. I told her I wasn't taking my suit jacket off so there was no need to do sleeves, shoulders or back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 30 years ago I stayed at my parents overnight for a job interview. In the morning before the interview, I ironed the front of my blouse. My mom was horrified. I told her I wasn't taking my suit jacket off so there was no need to do sleeves, shoulders or back. Oh man, I would consider that an open invitation to fate to somehow manage to wreck my jacket and make it so that I have to take it off. I refuse to wear pajamas in the car, even for a quick errand (there's a famous family story about a late-night pickup with the driver in PJs and a fender bender), and I always make the kids take shoes in the car, just in case. You're a brave soul! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I use my iron maybe once or twice a week. I line dry most of my blouses and they get wrinkly. I don't understand how most of you don't need to iron anything. How do you prevent your clothing from being wrinkled? I mean, even after pulling something right out of the dryer it is still a little bit wrinkly. What am I missing here? Now that I think about it, I find ironing to be soothing. There is something satisfying in turning a crumpled piece of fabric into a smooth, wrinkle-free shirt. It's like I'm able to fix something right away and have it stay nice (at least until it's worn). The kids live in sweats or leggings and t-shirts. Dd's dresses for church all come out of the dryer wrinkle free except one of them, and that one isn't too bad just slightly crinkly. Dh's work shirts are wrinkle-free but the older ones may look crinkly, mostly around the collars. He doesn't care for day-to-day. I wear jeans or leggings, and t-shirts most of the time. When I worked, I wore jeans and blouses that were wash and wear. Lots of cardigan sweaters. Around here we could send dh's shirts out for a wash, dry and iron for 99 cents, so that's what we'd probably do if he needed dress shirts daily. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I don't iron anything. We borrowed a steamer for dd's wedding dress. My Dh is a 47 yo man. If he wants a shirt that is less wrinkled than the ones that I hung up out of the dryer then he uses the iron to do so. You might even say it is his iron because he is the only one who uses it for clothes. Sometimes he will look at ds dressed for church & say, "Give me your shirt!" and run the iron over it. I am more likely to throw something in the dryer with a damp towel. When my son has not hung up his button-down shirt & suit after wearing and it is a wrinkled mess, I have him hang it up and hang it in the bathroom while he & his siblings take turns in the shower. Usually a couple of steamy showers later and it looks decent. After looking at all of this it seems amazing the lengths I will go to to avoid ironing :) I did spend a week living out of a small bag where I had to look professional, so each evening, I'd get out my outfit, hang it on a hanger on the closet door, spray it generously with Downy wrinkle release and by morning it would be soft, dry, wrinkle free and nicely scented. Amber in SJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alittledeal Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 When I was 11 and started secondary schoo I started getting pocket money, a later bed time and various other priviledges. Along with these came some new responsibities. One of these was that I had to do my own ironing. So I've been ironing all my clothes since then. Bedsheets were too big a task then but I have been doing them since I was about 16 and freshly ironed aheets are the best thing to climb into so I'll probably continue for a while yet. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Once while staying in a B&B in Scotland, I walked into the kitchen and saw the innkeeper ironing the sheets. I was stunned; she was stunned at my reaction. She said people expected nice smooth sheets. I told her she did not have to iron ours, but she said there was no way she was having unironed sheets on any of her beds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Our housekeeper from the Philippines ironed everything because it killed the eggs of potentially parasitic insects. I don't iron anything. Our duvet covers have a seersucker top. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Nope. Never Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Yeah, no. Not at all. And, furthermore, I talked my English friend out of it when she had a newborn and she talked her sisters out of it. So, not only do I not iron sheets, I am responsible for an entire other family not ironing sheets. Now, when I lived in Africa my sheets were ironed (by my househelp, not I) b/c of bugs which laid eggs which burrowed into your skin and. . . . well, enough said about that. But that is the only sheet ironing exception in my life. And, I don't iron my dh's shirts. I offered to drop them off at the dry cleaners, but he irons them during baseball season--which, fortunately is long, and I don't know what he does from Nov-Feb. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I saw the good old days thread with the woman ironing her sheets. I know it used to be common. Does anyone still do it? :smilielol5: Although, I have been thinking that having my ds iron pillow cases, tablecloths, and cloth napkins as a good place to start learning how to iron. Then I'll have him move to shirts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No, I'm not a psychopath. I don't own clothes that need ironing. I only iron/press when I quilt because that's how quilting works. I'm currently up to my eyeballs in an English paper piecing project, so I'm using my mini iron to starch and press the fabric edges around my paper pieces. I bought a mini iron for quilting but was disappointed that it was so light, it wouldn't stand up on its own. It just sort of flopped whichever way the cord leaned. Do you have a recommendation for a good weighty one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I iron napkins for special occasions. When I'm stressed out, I iron all the napkins, pillowcases, and the sheets. Ironing is very soothing to me, but I don't have time/make time to do it on the regular. And shirts don't soothe me at all (weird?), so I send those out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No, I'm not a psychopath. :smilielol5: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I bought a mini iron for quilting but was disappointed that it was so light, it wouldn't stand up on its own. It just sort of flopped whichever way the cord leaned. Do you have a recommendation for a good weighty one? Weighty ones don't work for what I do. I use this red and white model in the video at the highest setting. I spray spray starch into a jar or drinking glass (it starts our foam but becomes liquid quickly) then use a paint brush to brush the starch on the edge of the fabric. Then I use the mini iron to press it around the template. It edge stays pressed over perfectly. A heavy iron would make that much harder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I don't even know how one would do that. I mean, the sheets would be hanging off the board and dragging all over the floor. We have California King but I imagine this would happen for anything other than say, crib/toddler sheets lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Heck no. I own a very nice iron, though it's more likely used for quilting or perler beads than for clothes. I have ironed a few items for clothing for dh over the years, but mostly I'm a remove from dryer promptly and hang or fold kind of gal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 If you must iron, this will make anything come out looking professionally laundered. http://www.rowenta.com/Linen-Care/Steam-Station/PERFECT-STEAM-DG8520/p/1830004439. I use an older model to do 6 dress shirts a week. No starch and the creases hold all day. It takes a while to heat up, when it is charged, it shoots a 3 ft blast of steam. I don't iron in my undies for fear of what an errant blast would do. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Nope never iron anything. My grandmother irons everything, jeans, sheets, underwear and even cloth diapers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I don't iron. I run to the dryer when the cycle ends to take out clothes before they wrinkle. :p We moved into this house 11 year ago, and I put the iron in the closet. It has not been used once. FWIW, I have used a (hair) flat iron to straighten the collar on DH's dress shirt once. Worked like a charm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMS83 Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I didn't even used to own an iron. I eventually got a hand-me-down from a friend. And I still haven't used it. Thankfully DH is not in a line of work that requires ironing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I don't even know how one would do that. I mean, the sheets would be hanging off the board and dragging all over the floor. We have California King but I imagine this would happen for anything other than say, crib/toddler sheets lol Pretty much the assumption is that your floors are clean enough that this wouldn't matter. I join you in LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 For perfect sheets--hang them outside on a clothes line. They will dry quickly and soak up a delightful fresh smell that they will send into your house for days. And they are slightly crisper when dried this way than from a clothes dryer, which I think feels really nice. What I iron: Tablecloths. And not always. I just wish I knew exactly what to do with them afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 FWIW, I have used a (hair) flat iron to straighten the collar on DH's dress shirt once. Worked like a charm. Genius! 👠1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I only own an iron for sewing purposes. For everything else, I use the dryer or don't care! I cannot see any point whatsoever in ironing sheets! Dh occasionally irons a dress shirt if he has an interview or something. Ok, actually, that's not entirely true I just realized. My 8yo has a couple of ruffle/layered dresses that fold up horribly even if you pull them out of the dryer quickly. I don't have to iron them every time, we usually just don't care if it's perfect. But every once in a while when it starts getting really bent out of shape I find the iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I never iron anything. I would never in a million years even think to iron sheets. I thought I got rid of our iron, but just randomly saw it. I should though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I never iron anything. My grandma irons everything even cloth diapers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) Yes. But, I like to iron. I'm pretty sure I'm not a psychopath. I do not judge unironed sheets or the people who prefer them. Edited May 18, 2017 by Audrey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I don't even know how one would do that. I mean, the sheets would be hanging off the board and dragging all over the floor. We have California King but I imagine this would happen for anything other than say, crib/toddler sheets lol Yeah, that's what I keep imagining too. The only way I can see doing it is to put the fitted sheet on the bed, then iron it while it is on the bed. Seems simpler, no? (We don't use top sheets because we use duvets.) Sheet ironers -- can it be done this way or is that heresy? The entire idea seems confusing to me, but I imagine ironed sheets *do* feel nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 😂 Joke, right? If not, I can tell you that I have never even considered ironing bed linens. Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Yes. But, I like to iron. I'm pretty sure I'm not a psychopath. I do not judge unironed sheets or the people who prefer them. Wait, are you the one who washes her windows every day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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