How can I avoid ironing clothes?

[Earlytobedplease]

I'm not very knowledgeable about housework so hence this maybe a silly question.... I hate ironing and have always actively tried to avoid it, pretty successfully! I now have a toddler and a husband whose laundry I do (we share the chores but laundry is my area).

We use a washer/dryer and also don't have a garden.

Since baby stopped wearing onesies and started wearing normal clothes it not as simple as just tumble drying everything.

How do I avoid ironing things like:
t-shirts
Shirts
Chino type trousers?

Not sure if I'm missing a trick?

I hang things on radiators and bang them when they come out of the washing machine to try to remove crumples, but prefer to dry them in the machine where possible.

Is there any anti-iron solution I can add to the machine, or a better setting on the dryer?

I hate ironing and refuse to do it..last month I got a hand held steamer..cost me about £30 on Amazon and it's brilliant. I only have to do odd things as I wear them and it's perfect

You hang them up while they are still hot from the drier neatly. Then most things barely need ironing at all. If you line dry them put them in the tumble for a few minutes till warm and do the same. Sounds wasteful but it will half your ironing time so saves effort and electricity.

Zeonlywayisup beat me to it - one of my friends always looks immaculate, she literally puts a wash on, times it to the second as the items finish the spin or drying cycle, opens the door the instant the cycle finished noise clicks, then whisks them out and onto hangers.

Washer/dryers are no good for removing creases unless you dry very small amount at a time. You need a separate tumble.

if this isn’t an option (it’s not for me either), lower your standards and buy clothes that can drip dry as crease free as possible on a proper airer. stop using the radiator as it bunches up clothes and makes them need an iron.

I only press things if I’m going out and want took especially smart. I don’t care about minor creases and I certainly don’t iron my toddlers dungarees

Firstly don't dry on the radiator. It makes all the creases dry in strongly and the clothes go crunchy.

I used to iron everything, the joy of growing up with a mother like that. I now dry things outside or on airers. I finish almost everything off in the tumble dryer for 10 mins, enough to heat the clothes up to get creases out, and then fold or hang immediately.

Also for a lot of clothes, body heat will get the creases out after a short time of wearing.

I don't iron anything and don't have a tumble drier. We dry everything outside on the line (good drying weather only) or inside on clothes airers. We have a dehumidifier which really speeds up the drying process in winter when the heating is on and windows are closed.
The trick is to remove from the washing machine immediately (I always do an extra spin) then shake each item well and hang flat and neat on airers. When dry I fold and put in piles for putting away. Nothing is ever crumpled and I don't think we look scruffy! I guess we're not linen suit and silk dress folk though...
The iron only comes out for Hama beads!

I dry all my tops/ blouses on hangers drop of fabric conditioner in wash( very hard water) and I never iron... in fact I haven't had an iron for decades!
Outside if possible

I don't iron anything, life is far too short. If people are bothered by the fact my clothes aren't flat, that's very odd and entirely their problem. I might occasionally iron a dress for something formal, but that's it. I don't iron school uniform, anything.

We stopped ironing at the start of the pandemic and since then I’ve ironed about 5 items for special events.

School uniform was the most time consuming, so now I dry shirts on a coat hanger on the washing line, or hang them up hot from the tumble dryer. Same with t-shirts and dresses. Game changer, saves loads of time.

I’m 35 and I’ve never ironed anything in my life. The very rare time I’ve put on something wrinkled the creases have dropped out once it’s on. Did clothes wrinkle more easily in the past or something?

'Twas on the pages of this august site that I first learned about " camping ironing". Spread your clothes flat and sit on them while you watch the telly.

Handily, a very good way to make use of the big bum you got from watching too much telly.

I literally don't do anything special to prevent creasing - no hanging, steaming, etc. Once it's dry it goes away (my kids don't have wardrobes, just drawers, so uniform doesn't get hung up). Admittedly neither me nor OH need shirts or formalwear for work, which we might iron if that were the case, but it really doesn't matter if your clothes are ironed or not, it is significant time you could spend doing other things.

Hang them up, don't use the dryer, it makes most things worse.. Give them a good shake before hanging up.

Remember that whether or not your clothes started out ironed, they'll look pretty much the same by the time you've got dressed, got out of the house and walked/driven/taken public transport anywhere, especially if you've been wrangling a child along with you.

For any items that look creased given the above, get rid of them.

Thank you for these ideas. I haven't ironed anything save for a wedding for 10 years and I don't intend to start now, so these ideas are great!

Can I just check something please.. when pp say about hanging up straight from tumble when hot, I presume you don't mean that they are bone dry? So are you setting the dryer to gentle dry, or intensive dry but only for a shorter time?

Unfortunately we rent so can't switch to separate tumble though I'd love one, one day.

Mine are bone dry and I hang them straight in the wardrobe.

Since the energy prices have gone up I try to tumble for less time. After 20 mins or so I shake the clothes out a bit to get rid of steam, things don’t take much longer to dry after that.

Crease release spray. I get it for £2.49 in Home Bargains.

I don't follow the instructions on the bottle but I find if I spray the item liberally and then give it a really hard whip/shake type motion it works faster than what the instructions say. I'll do that on the front and back and almost all the creases go from that. Hanging it up after and it tends to lose the rest of them.

DM (avid ironer) had never heard of it and we recently shared a hotel room on a theatre trip and she was amazed when she saw it. She's almost convinced. But not quite because she likes ironing (whereas I hate it).

Just never use it near hard floors. It makes the floors VERY slippy. 🙈

I just don't iron. It's that simple.

I hang everything carefully and immediately on the clothes airer (if drying inside) or straight on the washing line if drying outside. Nothing else.

To be honest, I don't think anyone ever even notices whether anyone else has ironed their clothes or not when out and about. If they do then that's their problem and not mine.

Depends also on the fabrics. Silk satin or linen creases very easily, man-made fibres less so. Jersey (where it's basically knitted rather than woven - t-shirt material) is usually better than woven.

But dealing with it as soon as it's dry, as people have mentioned.

Bone dry, out of dryer, hung up

Or straight out of washer, shake each item vigorously, put on hangers to dry.

Low spin, on a hanger immediately.

I only use the iron to fuse hem webbing!

I have a washer dryer and dont iron.

I wash a load. Then I open the machine and remove anything that doesn't need ironing such as underwear, thick jumpers and more. Hang these to dry.

I tumble dry just a few items together such as 4 shirts, for about 7mins. They are hot and wet.

I hang them up immediately on a rail in the airing cupboard. I bought 2 long kitchen cupboard handles and screwed them into the cupboard horizontally (cheap ones from Amazon).

I do the same with the next few things. Such as two pairs of jeans.

No ironing needed!

Buy things that don't need ironing and body heat will do the rest.

Only buy things that don't need ironing
Dramatically lower your standards about what you think does need ironing
Make the things that do need ironing easier eg men's shirts - always dry on a hanger, only buy easy iron shirts

But most effectively - get someone else to do it.

I never iron I hang everything outside , over the fire guard or on the pulley then every gets hung on hangers even kids stuff . Never use my dryer as everything creases so badly

I haven't ironed anything in years. I found that...
Not overloading the washing machine.
Not overloading the dryer.
Taking stuff out of the dryer as soon as it stops and immediately folding it or hanging it.
If line drying in nicer weather, I give it a good shake before pegging, then I fold it neatly into the basket as I take it from the line.

Most laundry ends up creased because the machines are overloaded and things aren't immediately folded when dry.