Is there any hack/ advice for tackling washing/ironing piles

[pippplop]

Seriously though, I just don't have the hours in the day. I'm working 6 days a week, 2 days are 12 hr shifts. DH is also very busy. We have two small kids and the ironing is insane. I don't know how to keep it tidy and out of the way. Ideally I should iron every day to tackle the load but I'm just so tired and busy that its growing daily. I don't know if I could justify and ironing lady

If you have any tips or advice as to how to keep the ironing under some kind of control or to avoid binning the lot please keep me posted lol

@pippplop The very best tip I can give re: ironing is to use fabric conditioner in every wash that isn't towels. It makes the fabric less creased when it comes out of the wash.

I don’t get the non iron brigade either . They can’t wear anything natural or formal.

The fact that you have said 'they can't wear...' indicated to me that you do 'get the non iron brigade'

I don't buy clothes that are likely to need ironed. It really is that easy.

Do you have a tumble drier? Get stuff out the second it finishes and it won't be creased, put the stuff that normally 'needs' an iron away straight away, it hanging will drop any creases that are there out.

On the 12 hour days leave the rest in a pile after tumbling, then on the rest of the days put them away as you go

If you are using a tumble dryer - use it on the synthetic setting so your clothes don't get over dry and hang up or fold as you take out of the dryer- creases should drop out .

Check your washing machine isn't connected to the hot water fill instead of the cold. This happened to a friend who moved into a new house with white goods a couple of years back. His washing was always very creased and he had no idea why. One day I took the stuff out the machine when I was there and realised it was warm, not cold. Having a plumber change the it to the cold feed made a huge difference in creasing

Well I have a family of 4 and dog and the only thing I’ve ironed in the past 10 years is Hama beads

if the clothes need ironing, they’re bad fabric and should be binned. I tumble shirts - everyone has white shirts only and they are easy care.

I HAVE to iron! My daughter has t shirts for work with the logo (tea shop) and one of her workmates had not ironed their t shirt and the Manager asked her to take it off so that it could be ironed at work ..

oh dear

Why do you have to iron her tops?

Not unkempt??! Perish the thought

I iron linen clothes but nothing else needs it.

I haven't struggled to integrate into society.

[Keye] she’s just turned 18, goes to College, too
i spoil her! HAHA

@jlpth not everyone has a tumble dryer!
Cotton isn’t a bad fabric.

I send it out, which costs me £12 a week and is money well spent. I iron my own stuff as I get dressed and it takes about 2 mins. I sent out all bedding, DH's shirts, and the kids uniforms. DH will iron his trousers or whatever if they need it, or his gym stuff etc.

When I worked full time, my cleaning lady did the ironing... Now, I wear stuff that doesn't need ironing for the most part.

I choose clothes because I like them, can afford them . If I then have to think about them being non iron, there wouldn’t be much to choose from.

@pippplop

It sounds like you need a sort through of the clothing. Putting it away isn't much hassle if the wardrobes/Drawers aren't over full.

i only do washing when I'm going to be there to hang it out as soon as it's finished (it drastically reduces any creasing & I no longer feel comfortable having the washing machine on when I'm or or sleeping, too many house fires!)

if you give it a shake then hang it on the line/airer, not much needs ironing. What does need ironing, try to iron it when it's still ever so slightly damp.

my Mum always feels the washing & exclaims it's 'perfect for ironing' I always reply, great, it'll be almost ready to put away then But when it feels like that it's definitely quicker to iron than when it's been sat in a pile gathering creases!!

my iron & ironing board got put in the loft several years ago when I was renovating, it's still up there. No one died.

I choose mine because I like them too. Im not wearing clothes I don't like so I don't have to iron.

I too haven't handled an iron since... I don't know how long.

But we do have a steamer I use occasionally. What's especially handy is that it can do a couple of items at once on the same hanger.

I let it pile up until I think I would pay money for this to disappear and then call the ironing service.

Top tip: if you Marie Kondo first you have fewer things to pay for ironing.

Top tip 2: If you are large, go where they charge by the piece like Johnson's. If you are small go where they charge by weight of garments.

Surely you can't know if you are spotting all the non-ironers?

As in, if you imagine a Venn diagram with a circle for non-ironers, and a circle for people you perceive as non-ironing, you can't know if the two circles overlap completely or if your perceived non-ironing circle is actually smaller than the total proportion of the population who don't iron most of their stuff. Because your perception is just that - only yours.

Diagram attached to attempt to illustrate, with black being the total population of non-ironers, and red being your perception.

The bottom diagram shows what I think you're suggesting (but can't in fact know) and the top shows what suggest is probably the case (but also can't know without an experiment!).

I only iron schoolwear and dhs work shirts. Everything else is just put away once dry.

Don’t iron. I don’t know where our iron is. No one has died.

Lenor crease release, and only iron things that really need it like shirts and uniforms , get things out on the line at much as you can, I'm off work today and two loads on the line already , it's cold but sunny, dry and windy.

How do you know if it's ironed or not unless you ask people?

You can tell if a cotton shirt collar is ironed.

I was brought up ironing everything. When I left home I realised it just wasn't necessary, and now I iron nothing. My life is a million times better because of it, and I would urge everyone to do the same.