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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To refuse to do any ironing?

31 replies

notremotelyintofootie · 02/02/2011 10:06

Dh and I both work full time, his is set shift hours, mine is 35 hours per wakings flexible-this in itself is a pain as I often don't get the full time to do it (shared childcare issues...) I also tend to do the majority of the housework (another issue but hey ho...)

When I do the laundry to save time I chuck as much as I can into the tumble dryer and fold it as soon as it done so that I don't need to do any ironing! Not a problem for myself, ds or dd but dh insists that I am shrinking all his tops and has 'demanded' that I don't tumble dry his tops.... Fine, so today I have chucked his tops out on the line and they will stay there until dry- could be a couple of days! They will be all creased of course but I refuse to iron the bloody things..... No doubt he will winge about that but aibu?

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Original poster
notremotelyintofootie · 02/02/2011 10:06

Per week not per wakings!

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clevercloggs · 02/02/2011 10:07

my youngest said yesterday i have shrunk his best top

we have no agreed he will do his own laundry :)

clevercloggs · 02/02/2011 10:07

now

MoonUnitAlpha · 02/02/2011 10:08

Put him in charge of laundry then.

munkymaz · 02/02/2011 10:08

YANBU. I only iron if & when I need to, so school uniform, work pants and top on a Sun night. DH irons all his own shirts on the morning he needs it, rest is washed, dried and put away.

TitsForBrains · 02/02/2011 10:10

YANBU I bloody hate ironing!

swingsofglory · 02/02/2011 10:11

No not unreasonable at all.

DH did his own ironing before meeting me and didn't suddenly lose the ability to iron when we moved in together. I never did any ironing before meeting him and barely do any now. He wants things ironed, he does them. Simples.

MoonUnitAlpha · 02/02/2011 10:20

Why are you doing the majority of the housework though if you both work full time? It isn't a different issue. I really don't understand women like you.

laosvher · 02/02/2011 10:21

Make him do his own ironing/washing

ullainga · 02/02/2011 10:23

surely he can iron his own shirts?

FabbyChic · 02/02/2011 10:27

I sold my tumble drier as it was shrinking all my kids clothes. not a good idea to use a tumble drier to be honest as it does shrink clothes.

Use a clothes horse and pay someone to do your ironing.

GrimmaTheNome · 02/02/2011 10:28

YANBU.

He may find the solution is to buy some bigger tops and tumble dry them (though IME the only thing that would be shrunk by tumbling is wool).

This also is the solution if in fact the issue is not that the tops have shrunk but that he's expanded!

chandellina · 02/02/2011 10:30

YANBU. I don't iron anything except my own work clothes and only when they really need it.

DH doesn't like the tumble dryer either but this time of year, with a potty training child, it is essential.

My opinion is he can hang his own stuff if he doesn't want it in the dryer. He knows I will NEVER iron his shirts - he has them done at a laundry nearby.

I don't tumble dry a lot of my own stuff because I don't want to shrink/ruin it. If anyone else in the household feels the same way, they can sort it out themselves. :)

Bogeyface · 02/02/2011 10:31

He can do his own washing then! I wouldnt be doing his at all if that was his attitude.

"We can both work full time, I will sit on my arse while you do all of the housework and then I will criticize you for it" Not in MY house matey!

As for the ironing....nope, been racking my brains and it isnt ringing any bells for me.

TheCoalitionNeedsYou · 02/02/2011 10:36

Never iron.

onehotmomma · 02/02/2011 10:40

The only time I iron is when I dry clothes on the washing line or airer otherwise it gets folded straight from the tumble dryer.

I would just keep sticking your dh's shirts on the washing line and if he has a problem with it tell him to do his own bloody washing Hmm

darleneconnor · 02/02/2011 10:40

If he wants his clothes ironed he should bloody well do it himself.

YABU for doing his washing at all. If you are both working FT housework should be 50/50.

Divorce him Grin

Original poster
notremotelyintofootie · 02/02/2011 10:46

I agree that housework should be 50/50 as childcare should also be 50/50 but he hides behind his bloody shifts! For example this week he has 2 night shifts so apparently he has to sleep all day before the first one and then all day after each night shift and that doesn't leave him time to look after dd or do any bloody housework.....

I really need more money so we can put dd into more childcare (can only afford 3 afternoons at the moment and that tough) plus a bloody cleaner!

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BettyCash · 02/02/2011 10:51

He needs to pick his battles.

sussexmum · 02/02/2011 10:53

at the risk of sounding middle class which would be truly awful I know, I had a cleaner even when i was a single mum earning a pittance. it makes you clear up before they come if you find a scary one. now things are less tough I pay £25pw for 2 hours cleaning and a stack of ironing delivered to my door.

fedupofnamechanging · 02/02/2011 10:55

I iron my DH's work shirts, but they are the only things of his that I will iron. I do it because I have a more time than him (am SAHM). Woe betide him if he dared to criticise though - it would be the last thing of his I ever ironed!

You do not have more free time than your DH. Time for him to start taking responsibility for his own laundry imo. The more you do, the more he will expect you to do and the more it will be taken for granted. If you think the work should be split 50/50, then you need to start insisting, rather than just keep on doing everything. He is being a bit lazy, I think and you are letting him.

Original poster
notremotelyintofootie · 02/02/2011 11:03

I have tried 'down tools' but the place gets a mess and it's not fair on dd and ds, dh moans like he'll, starts arguements but won't actually do anything or if he does he will do it for a day or two, point out that apparently he does more than most men etc etc ...it really was so much easier as a single mum with just ds and me!

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Original poster
notremotelyintofootie · 02/02/2011 11:03

Moans like hell I mean and he'll go out rather than face it!

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Edinburghlass · 02/02/2011 11:05

Marks & Spencer non-iron shirts are good enough for us - I've done no ironing in 5 years

Original poster
notremotelyintofootie · 02/02/2011 11:16

Most of his tops are polo shirts provided by work.... Come out lovely in the tumble dryer but awful on the line... Even ds's White school shirts dont need to be ironed if I pull them out while hot!

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