To think parents should at least iron uniforms

It’s strange given the amount of poster’s on this thread who don’t use an iron, don’t own an iron or have never seen an iron. Irons are still being manufactured and sold. The same with ironing boards. I would think going by this thread that the manufacturers don’t sell many. Maybe the ironers who buy them are too busy ironing to be on MN. Unlike myself who wastes a lot of my time on here. I am after getting one of those posh Italian clothes horses.

Given that DS is autistic and will only change his clothes once a week outside of extremely unusual circumstances, and apparently falling in a river and getting soaked on a warm day, for example, isn't extenuating enough, no I'm not ironing them.

Thankfully the river incident was during school holidays. I've had to lower my standards enormously, but even so.

To be honest, I think you should do! Are you married/ in a couple as well? That will also make your life dramatically easier than that of many others, unless it’s an abusive relationship.

If I worked 24 hours a week I’m sure I could do loads with those 16 hours!

I don't even own an iron. It's rare that something might need hanging up in the bathroom while we shower. We line dry everything and I give it a good shake beforehand so our clothes aren't creased but they also aren't pressed. Life is too short to spend any of it ironing.

Funnily enough, I have OCD and when I did used to iron I'd spend hours obsessing over it. Uni burnt that out of me I think.

This is the UK, we don't do style, most people make little effort to look presentable.

If you're quick you can edit that post to add, "But I'm only speaking for myself"...

Piss off.

Ironing school uniforms would be one more thing to add to a long list of household and admin chores which I absolutely don’t have time for.

It’s not an “at least” or a “if nothing else” - it is an unnecessary extra thing on top of a huge list of other daily, weekly and monthly tasks (respectively )all of which are much more important than ironing.

This is the UK, we don't do style, most people make little effort to look presentable. Unfair to pick out children.

No child will be unhealthy because something is not ironed. However, if they are driven short distances in the SUV or any other car, fed fast food on a regular basis, and spend too much time slumped in front of a screen, it may contribute to poor health.

I didn't iron either of my DC uniforms (they're adults now) and I was a teacher (retired now). I can assure you that I didn't judge any of my pupils by the crumpliness (?) or not of their uniforms and I didn't expect mine to be judged either.

I haven't ironed clothes on a regular basis ever since I got married in 1980. I learned this from my mother who taught me to use a low speed spin and hang clothes up, smoothing them out. She said she ironed everything when she married in the 50s but then decided it was a fool's game. She was a clever woman.

I don't own an iron 🤣 we both work for ourselves from home so no work uniforms to iron. Did consider getting one for eldests school shirts now he's out of polo ones, but we put them on hangers to dry and they look fine 🤷

Nope. Absolutely not. Just no.

It's bizarrely old fashioned.

Way back when my grandmother was young, many women judged their own worth (and each others) by how much housework they did.

They'd judge other women harshly in order to make themselves feel 'better' somehow.

As much as the word 'gross' wasn't something they'd use back then, they would've said something like 'slattern' or 'slut' (before slut had a sexual meaning).

You'd hope that by 2024 women would've found a different way to judge their worth, that doesn't involve how much scrubbing and ironing they do 😒

When our last iron broke we quietly agreed to not replace it; it was only used for DH to iron his work shirt anyway. That was in 2017. Since then we've discovered crease release spray. It really works and it smells nice too. Win/win.

Do nursery workers really go round sniffing children and commenting to parents how good they find the smell?

That's probably the most bizarre thing I've read on MN in a long time.

And God knows, there's been some contenders 😳

OK, but just because you've got an ironing fetish, it doesn't mean people who don't iron their underwear are 'gross'. That's such a bizarre comment to make.

People also comment on how good
my children smell. The nursery workers said they used to love sitting next to my son as he always smelt so good.

This is kinda weird 🫠

Oh god, you're sounding more like a dick with every post 🤣

You definitely are judging though 😂

I don't even own an iron, my poor daughter, can't imagine the trauma she must go through every day.

Yes, and children from very impoverished families are often struggling with washing, hot water, etc.

Exactly, so the clothes very probably need ironing.

When my washing machine broke down and I hand washed the clothes, every single one of them looked like crumpled tissue paper.

Whereas when I got my new machine, I just took them out, shook them, hung them on the line and there wasn't a crease to be seen.

It's often because electricity is gone for a few hours every day so they then use gas, natural wood etc. They do often wash by hand in buckets but they still iron their clothes

Iron cardigans? Is that even a thing? I mean, it obviously IS, because people are doing it, but don't you have to have the iron on really really low, so the knit doesn't scorch (or melt)?

The only thing I ironed was the reverse of the badges on polos and jumpers, because they were annoying if they weren't flat. Shirts and trousers just got put on hangers and the creases fell out.

If they're using the bottoms of pans to iron clothes, it's safe to assume they don't have modern washing machines and detergent that cut down dramatically, the need to iron clothes.

I've ironed two things this year because they were both heavily creased, but nothing else I wash and dry needs it.

Oh I completely agree with you! I have some friends who literally run round after their children from first thing in the morning to last thing at night and then again on weekends!

When our parents and grandparents were small they would go to school and go home (maybe go and play out with friends) but that was it! There was no after school clubs, no lessons, no mid-week having friends over, going here there and everywhere....

Yeah there's a lot of creativity- even in Pakistan now if the electricity goes (which it does for a few hours every day) people will boil water on their gas stoves and use the bottom of the pan to iron clothes if they're going out

I do think people add lots of unnecessary stress with all these classes and playdates. My siblings and I went to after school clubs like football squad, swimming, Spanish etc but after 16.30 it was time for us to spend together as a family- going to the park, cycling, reading or painting at home

I am a big believer in home cooking and have a roster of recipes that I can make quickly- it also helps that homemade curries can be eaten for a few days and often taste nice the older they are!

Yes they do, even in villages they even use the bottoms of pans that they have boiled water in to iron clothes