To iron my sheets once they're on the bed?

[Runfoxyrunnn]

I don't own an ironing board because I am too slatternly to iron my flat is too small to house one. My parents are coming to stay and I know my mum would sleep better in ironed bedclothes. I have plug sockets either side of the bed so can I just put the sheets/duvet cover/pillowcases on, heave the bed up close to one socket and iron one side then heave it to the other socket and do the other side?
I have been known to break things quite spectacularly with over-zealous/thoughtless cleaning so thought I'd check with you wise ones that I'm not overlooking a potentially disastrous flaw in my plan. E.g. If I had a waterbed, I expect it might pop from the iron heat. I don't unfortunately so that's not a problem but is there anything I'm missing? The duvet is feathers inside if that matters. (Are feathers meltable?). Thank you in advance.

iron them on the flat floor ..much easier

You can try, but I don't think you'll get the pristine ironed sheet look you're after!

How do you iron without an ironing board.

I tend to iron as and when needed, but without a board it's difficult.

Sounds far too much effort! Just buy an ironing board from argos

It's up to you- you don't need anyone else's permission to iron sheets in your own flat. Can't see you could do much damage.
Petsonally, I never iron bedding - if it's tumble dried until just damp and stretched out on a radiator it is fine, or dried outside on the line in summer. It's creased within minutes of us getting into bed so is just pointless IMO.

You can buy an ironing mat that you can put on any flat surface.

Ironing a sheet on a bed might be ok. Keep the hat low. Ironing a duvet cover on a duvet is daft - just iron it on the bed BEFORE you put the cover on the duvet! Likewise pillowcases.

That sounds like an excellent idea to me!

If it's a one off ironing requirement you could just take them to an ironing service. Will cost very little and be far less fraught!

Who on earth has time or motivation to iron sheets? That's like ironing underpants - sheer madness!!!

We used to have this mini ironing board from ikea. Get one of them

I have one of those mini boards to do tops but even trousers get in a bit of a fankle on it so I can imagine a double duvet cover would tip me over the edge. Think I might go with flat out on the floor - I have a big rug that will serve nicely as the ironing surface I think. Thanks for your responses - I wasn't looking for permission Lula, just your thoughts on potential problems like mattress meltage. But think you're right, Blackdaisies, the end result is unlikely to be the creaseless haven I'm aiming for! Oh well, better give the floor a clean in prep.

Won't you melt the matress cover underneath? (Or the carpet on the floor?)

badidea - my mum. She irons anything that will stay still long enough - socks, tea towels, boxers... think kitchen cloths might escape but that's about it. Bonkers, I know.
I'm now thinking I'll give it a whirl on the bed and if I still care that doesn't work, I'll try some of your suggestions.
I think it's a fine line between having the iron hot enough to make a dent in the creases but not too hot to melt anything underneath.
Thanks for the point about not ironing the cover on the duvet, Atia - now that you've said it, I see that that would be extremely daft.
Mystery - you are a poster after my own heart. Paying someone else to do something is usually my first port of call! An excellent back up :-)

I think I would explain that, sadly, the iron broke yesterday.

I tried this earlier in the week (place on market, new bedding for viewings), didn't work well (no melting or anything but mattress is too soft to get a decent iron out of.

If you don't have space for an ironing board you can throw a thick towel over a table?

Also investigating the iron cat!

I'm with mystery too, some launderettes have 'flatwork' ironing service.

Or, tell your mum to bring her own sheets!

*mat. If I had an ironing cat, I wouldn't have a problem in the first place.

Do you have a table? My mother, a keen ironer, (not inherited), always ironed on the kitchen table, with an old blanket underneath. Much quicker for sheets. And I think you are really nice to think of doing this for your mum and I am sure she will be totally amazed.

I've got an iron. Somewhere under the stairs, I believe. I think I last used it on Xmas Eve to iron the tablecloth.

Ironing sheets sounds like a job too far to me. We have fitted sheets which stretch and look smooth... plus we often have crumpled sheets

That sounds like you are pandering to your mother. You are a grown up now, you know, and don't need to do things her way.

Now you're talking, Bewitched! She will feel like she is doing something motherly to contribute and I will not be presenting her with a scorched mattress and smokin pillows!

Knew it was worth getting MN to help me work through the -world's most boring problem.

I thank you all.

Thanks Goblin, now that I'm a little older, wiser and more considerate, I'm trying probably mostly unsuccessfully to make up for all the tears, heartache and worry I've caused her in the past.
Not sure how far ironed sheets would go towards that for most but I know she'll notice :-)
Now you've changed my mind from asking her to bring her own. Will soldier on with my own (well MN's) efforts!