Petty ironing issue with DH...

[Jng1]

We have a cleaner who comes for 4 hours on a Monday. She spends the last hour ironing.
She wasn't here last week (Bank Holiday) so although I have done some ironing of essentials there is still a larger than usual pile.

I went to add some things to the basket this morning and found that DH has been through it and put all his clothes at the top, so that all his stuff will get ironed first, and if she runs out of time, it will be mine and the DCs stuff which isn't ironed (and presumably I will have to do later).
It's not even like it's just his work shirts - it's also scraggy T shirts and pyjama bottoms (which I wouldn't normally iron anyway!).

I am just so with him - seems so selfish!

I've told him it would be more cost effective for him to drop them at the dry cleaners each week where they will wash & press 5 for £12, but won't as he says 'someone might see him'

That's the craziest excuse I've ever heard. What does that even mean??

it means its woman work
like pushing trolley in a supermarket ?

Really? Never heard that! Every bloke I know drops his suits off at the dry cleaner's!

it means its woman work - like pushing trolley in a supermarket

EXACTLY Mix!

I agree with Muncheys - it does look scruffy. I've seen posts where people claim that others can't tell that they don't iron their clothes.. yes they can tell!

I've had a job that involved ironing hundreds of shirts a day for several years. Even a man's heavy cotton shirt only takes three minutes to iron if it's been washed and handled appsopriately. Paying (or expecting) someone else to iron your clothes, just so that you can look naice and 'professional', is entitled wankery of the highest order.

The only times I iron now is for weddings, funerals and bar mitzvot. Judging someone on the basis of whether their clothes are ironed or not is Hyacinth Bucket territory. As long as they're clean, who gives a toss?

I did a stint as an au pair and could iron 15 men's shirts in an hour. It would take him 20 minutes to iron his shirts for the week. Suggest you show him where the iron is and tell him to get to it!

I think the only people who notice others creased clothes are those stuck in the ironing loop themselves.

Worrying, like charity, starts at home. Stop worrying about whether your toddler is in a creased t-shirt and you'll stop worrying about the crease levels of other people's attire. Life will go on almost as before, just with slightly more free time, less ironing and less crease worry. I guarantee you won't be on your death bed saying 'if only I'd spent more time ironing!'

Don't iron, couldn't give less of a toss if it's noticeable.

I hang everything straight and it gets folded/hung properly. It's fine.

If a person wants to iron they can have at it though - I don't care how other people spend their time. But I would absolutely not be spending my time doing for someone else what I won't do for myself.

And that includes your ironing pile OP. I think the only fair way to deal with it is to remove stuff that just doesn't need ironing and jumble the rest up if you can do that without making more work for your cleaner.

It seems this is a very selfish attitude, definitely right yo swept them over, if he kicks off say he should have put 50% yours & 50% his at the 'top' of the pile.

I agree with Muncheys - it does look scruffy. I've seen posts where people claim that others can't tell that they don't iron their clothes.. yes they can tell!

You see this often quoted on mn and it is rubbish. There are 3 types of clothes you see

1. obviously ironed - sharp creases etc.
2. obviously unironed (creased shirts, crumpled lined trousers etc)
3. People who you simply don't notice or comment on, because they look neither super highly creased, nor super uncreased.

I have plenty of clothes that fit into category 2, and it is up to me if I chose to look crumpled or not, I don't care. But I also have plenty of clothes which fit into category 3. Once I have pulled on my Tshirt and jeans, after 5 minutes of body heat there are no creases on it. It doesn't look any different if I iron it. I do have some T shirts which look creased, but many not. Some of dh shirts need ironing, many of his poly cotton/non iron shirts don't, as long as they are properly hung up. Same with dcs uniform shirts, ds's need ironing, dds don't. When they are both standing their in their uniform, you simple can't tell which is which.

So before you start with ' Oh you can tell, you look all crumpled' remember that 50% of people you simple can't tell, you only notice the obviou ones.

I iron everything. I love the feel of pressed bedlinen and clothes. Some of my dresses for work don't need it though, just hang them to dry and they're fine.
Your dh was being a selfish twat. I'd put his work shirts to the top and remove anything non urgent.

Paying (or expecting) someone else to iron your clothes, just so that you can look naice and 'professional', is entitled wankery of the highest order.

Sorry, but that's bullshit of the highest order. Since when was buying a service an issue? Your argument could apply to all manner of things:

• hairdressing

• dressmaking/tailoring
• nails & beauty services
• personal stylist

Nothing wrong with having a pride in your appearance, and indeed many jobs do require a degree of smartness. If someone wants to hang out in creased clothes then that's their choice, but it's not mine.

DP and I don't iron anything, we work from home and don't give a shit if some random might think we look crumpled. I am an expert at hanging school shirts up so they don't require ironing - in winter, they usually go in tumble dryer and thus don't need to be ironed.

That's the first time I've used thus on MN btw.

My DH irons his shirts. I couldn't care less about the rest. Would never iron anything.

Could you find the time to drop his work shirts at the dry cleaners while he is at work? Why make an argument out of this?

Charlieiscool - Most of the stuff I do is home-based (have a home office) and grocery shop is delivered so a trip into town would end up being specifically for that purpose. Meanwhile, DH works in town and walks out past the dry cleaners every day to get his lunch!

It's commented on at DH's work, even if it isn't obviously wrinkled but just not pressed. It's not in a nasty way, particularly, but it really is noticed.

Ha I was just laughing at him reorganising the ironing basket thinking 'what a tool'. But actually he's worse than that!

My husband using the dry cleaners shirt service. He drops and picks them up himself. He's very manly and couldn't give a shit who sees him. He sometimes takes our children with him too!

Could you pay the cleaner an extra hour to do all the ironing? If it's £12 to get the shirts done at the dry cleaners then how much of a difference is there between that and the cleaner hourly rate ?
I love getting my ironing done, it's £15 for 30 items including pick up and delivery.

At first I just thought your DH was a bit selfish, but the part about "not wanting to be seen" dropping off clothes at the dry cleaners' is LTB territory. Truly. Not because it is in itself so bad but because it reflects an attitude toward the world that I simply couldn't live with.

'it's commented on at DH's work'

What on earth does he do? Catwalk model? Iron salesman? Support worker for people with OCD?

Tbh I think it's sensible for your dh's stuff to be ironed first anyway.

I would rather iron five of the dc's (or even my) tops over one of dh's shirts or tops purely because of the size difference.

The split of who irons the remainder is a different issue though...

nuff😂

I'd ask him what the fuck he thought he was playing at.

Is he usually a selfish prick?

secretnetter his shirts maybe, but pj's? Old t shirts? Everything?

Nope. That's just very selfish twattery.

Do you need to pay her for longer so she does all the ironing?