to think this mum takes the ironing thing too far?

[AnnieLobeseder]

I don't iron. I get that some things probably should be ironed, but on the whole, I feel people iron way more than they should.

But a mum at the school gates today had me judging her a bit too obsessive. She said she'd remembered to bring her DS's PE kit (which I'd forgotten ), but hadn't had time to iron his PE shirt, so she would have to take it back home at the end of the day to iron it.

PE kits get left at school. The kids screw their kit up and chuck it into the bag after PE every week. So WHY did she need to iron it?

I'm baffled....

Things you should never iron are:
Towels, teatowels, dishcloths and nappies. Ironing flattens the fibres and makes them less absorbant.

DH does our ironing. He irons all our clothes except nightwear and underwear, and I check clothes before putting them in the ironing basket that they need ironing (a lot don't). We don't iron bedding either.

I iron sports top. It looks less crumpled that way, even if it gets thrown back into the PE kit at the end of he day. Every three weeks I bring a new ironed one in and swap it for the worn one.

domesticsluttery I am always shocked at the numver of children I teach who's PE kits don't get washed for a whole half term, and the shirts are all crumpled and slightly dirty, and there are always children who's parents have forgotten for years to actually check that the PE kit they bought in reception still fit their year 2 child.

My DC's PE shirts are white. The sports field is muddy. I have a feeling that bog snorkelling may be on the PE curriculum. There is no way that their kits would last a week let alone half a term!

"Towels, teatowels, dishcloths and nappies. Ironing flattens the fibres and makes them less absorbant."

These are the things I DO iron out of everything, because the steam sterilises them and kills the germs.

I am a germ phobe, with flat teatowels.

I would iron them. I iron all of DDs babygros, nappies, the lot. I take pride in my appearance which includes ironing and I don't see why I shouldn't do the same for my children

I don't iron pants and socks, but do iron boxers and all other clothes, plus tea-towels. Occasionally pressing towels with some steam can fluff them up, in my experience, rather than squishing the fibres down.

You can tell when clothes have been ironed, both looking at them and wearing them. And it keeps them in good condition.

Secondary school PE kits in our house get washed every weekend, or every fortnight. At primary school, they are washed less frequently.

I am the world's most slatternly housekeeper, and ironing is something that happens to other people. But not wasing DS4's PE kit weekly is too awful to contemplate.

Nearly bounced the cat off my chest laughing at bog snorkelling...

washing*

I do iron DS's PE kit but wouldn't take it home again if I forgot to

I'll iron teatowels (I'm convinced they dry better when ironned ) but not underwear or towels.

I'd iron ds' gym T-shirt if I were doing an ironing and the T-shirt had had to be dried indoors instead of outside so hadn't had "wind" smoothing. I always fold carefully when I take things down from the line (although I was in my 40s before I had that epiphany ). However, I wouldn't expect him to bring it home to be ironed if I hadn't got round to it. As you quite rightly say, it gets scrunched up into his bag and/or his tray at school.

geeze why are you bothered? You don't iron, but you start threads about people who do?

For the record I don't iron either.

The PE kits that stay at school for half a term belong to 4 year olds who mainly do PE indoors, and it usually consists of dancing round a hall, not playing hockey in a grubby field/

I think I did mention that they are KS1, indoor PE children.
Certainly not smelly or filthy - but very decidedly crumpled .

I, also, am a strategic dryer, which means DH always gets out of hanging things out to dry, as he is, shall we say, not a strategic dryer.

I do also iron though, and my Mother would turn in her grave if she thought I wasn't ironing tea towels. They're a piece of piss to iron, being fat and relatively small, so I've made my peace with that.

Being flat, not fat.

Thanks for this thread, I read it last night and would otherwise have forgotten DS needed to take his PE kit back today!

So I ironed it this morning

My DC are 4, 6 and 8. They still get a fresh PE kit every time as theirs are filthy!

I know you mentioned it pipparabbit., but some people later on in the thread still appeared shocked that PE kits weren't being washed after being worn by sweaty hocky players, so I thought I'd clarify.

I'm clinging to the belief that DD will be washing (and possibly ironing) her own kit by the time she is a sweaty hockey player.

DD's first PE lesson in Reception was cross country running! Admittedly the little ones had a shorter route and their class teacher ran with them, but it was a whole school activity and everyone was expected to take part.

I was a very proud mummy, and all of the parents who had come to watch were really cheering on the little ones

I iron because I can't stand creases but Ironing is the worst chore in the world and if I dont do it then no one will.

Oh, and they play football from Reception and hockey from Year 3, so a bit young to be expected to wash their own kits (although my 8 year old is well trained at removing clumps of mud from everyone's footy boots)

I see ironing as one of those things that just has to be done, like cleaning bathrooms or dusting.
When DD1 was littleI used to iron the lot including muslins, I saw it's a way of showing I had everything under control. If I had a pile of ironed and folded sick cloths then everything was just fine!