Is iorning a thing of the past?

[icenasliceplease]

The only time I find myself reaching for the iron these days is if someone is going to a wedding and a shirt, or outfit needs ironing. Or if one of us is going for an interview.
Otherwise, I'm careful how I wash and hang things. No creases. Job done.
I don't have an 'ironing basket' and never have a pile of ironing to get through every week.

Am I slovenly? or what?
My mother is a slave to the iron and spend hours and hours every week wading through a pile of ironing. Whereas I don't see the point. Life's too short. I've worked it out my mother spends, on average, 12 hours a week Ironing!

Do you iron?
Or not?

(Obviously if your job entails having an ironed shirt Monday to Friday, exceptions are made)

I iron - tshirts, school uniforms, jeans, tops and trousers.

No don’t iron.

Kids have M&S non iron shirts for school and they wear a jumper over anyway except in summer.

What is ironing?

Nope, I don't do ironing. Haven't for many years and don't intend to start anytime soon.

What is an iron?

I iron, my mum irons, my friends iron, in fact the only person I know who doesn't iron is SIL and my nieces clothes are always creased to buggery. I hate unironed, creased clothes so iron anything that needs it including bedding and pyjamas. So shoot me.

I iron most things and it takes about an hour a week in front of TV for four people, although DH does his own shirts - after he complained about my creases 25 years ago, I've never done another .

How can one family's ironing possibly take 12 hours per week.

Whether it's structly necessary depends on what ind of clothes/job you have but IMO anything cotton needs it, especially if it's "smart". Synthetics you can often get away with.

To my DM's horror I cannot remember the last time I ironed

My DM is horrified as well.

But, we seem to cope without ironing and we look fairly smart (and uncrumpled) as well.

i quite like ironing, although I don't do much. Maybe 30mins per week. The tv has to be on though, with something good.

What is an iron?

Interestingly (well, it's really not but meh) I bought a new iron and ironing board cover this week after having a clearout and reorganising the wardrobe.

The thrilling life I lead.

Anyway, loads of stuff was clean but very creased from being shoved on the shelves. Got my iron out for the first time in ages but it was cheap as chips, leaks and is pretty crap. Managed to do a sufficient job but it annoyed me.

So I've bought a new iron with the intention to actually iron things in future not just the "every six months when the clothes get sorted". Even though I hang stuff to dry it often looks very creased and usually I just fold it and put it away anyway, but I've resolved to change my slovenly ways...well, a bit anyway.

I rarely iron, in fact I remember getting the iron out a few years ago and my youngest (aged about 3) said, ‘and what is THAT?!’

It’s really just out for for weddings, funerals and interviews here!!

I hope so.

I iron and so does DH

He is company director and so wears lots of formal shirts, they need pressing.

I also have a smartly dressed role, so some of my work wear needs a press. I have found that clothes last much much longer if -
They are of a decent quality to start with!
You wash and dry them carefully and press and hang them with care too.

Some things don’t need ironing, children’s school things in the main do not. Stretchy leggings and riding jodhpurs don’t. But I find even my lightweight merino wool or cashmere jerseys benefit from a light press. And I do think unironed attire can look scruffy, but that’s part of the charm of the individual!

I have an ironing pile that the cleaner does for me, thank fuck

DH's work shirts, my work uniforms, DS1's school uniforms, so 15 shirts and 10 pairs of trousers every week. It's going to get even worse when DS2 starts Reception in September (add five each of shirts and trousers). I have no idea how to get around it - hanging it up makes feck all difference. On the very, very rare occasion I'm able to catch it just as they dryer is finishing, it all still looks like it's been slept in. I buy allegedly 'non-iron' wherever possible, yes even the M&S stuff which is meant to be so bloody brilliant - still needs ironing or it looks awful.

And I really don't think I have a particularly low tolerance for wrinkles. I've tested the theory by not ironing and all I get off colleagues is 'Your iron broken, Elph?' comments all day

Don't understand what parallel wrinkly universe I live in, but it isn't fair.

I don't iron, it's boring and I don't care that much about getting minor creases out - I have enough on my plate. Careful hanging here.

I’m just about to get the ironing board out.
I do iron as little as I can get away with. But school stuff, most tops / t-shirts etc do need ironed.
It’s important to me that kids always look tidy and I think ironed clothes do look a lot better.
I also grew up with an ironing obsessed mother lol

It definitely depends what you wear - if you wear things that need ironing and don’t (eg shirts , linen) it looks dreadful. If you wear stretchy dresses to work then you’d be more likely to ruin them by ironingnthan anything else!

I iron things about once every 3 months unless it’s for taking up or some project.

Having said that, I'm not really a fan of ironing overall. I have to do it in work (residential home) where I iron all the bedsheets etc. Due to incontinence, shower days etc the beds get changed very frequently so the ironing pile to do in the afternoon is huge!

The nightstaff have the thrilling job of ironing all their clothes and that pile is immense! We do have a few fans of ironing in work though. I'm a senior HCA who runs the floor so if an ironing maniac is in, I delegate the pile to them immediately. If not we all do a bit each before we collapse with monotonous boredom.

I send my ironing out or the cleaner does it.

There is a huge difference between the look of ironed clothes and clothes that have been dried on a hanger.

I know it’s a typo, but I can’t help reading the thread title in Edna Turnblad’s voice .

I just finished mine. I don't mind ironing too much but I do the bare minimum, just shirts, uniforms etc and it only takes about an hour a week.

I iron, but then I like smooth cotton sheets and my DC wear all cotton school shirts (eczema) so they need ironing too.

I don't iron polyester type dresses of mine or Ds2's extensive athleisurewear range (nylon Nike hoody, Adidas stretchy joggers) but I do iron cotton stuff. it looks creased if you don't, sorry but it does. If that doesn't bother you that's fine, but it bothers me, which is why I iron!

I dint have a tumble dryer if that makes a difference.

I'm with you OP. I iron about once or twice a year.

ds irons a shirt now and then, but that's because when I give him clean clothes back from the wash, he files them on the floor for a few weeks until he needs one, so no sympathies there.

Combination of less formal clothes being worn so much more than 30 odd years ago; different materials; the fact I have a tumble drier; and possibly the fact I try to fit a lot of things into my life that my Mum probably never had - like MNing for example - but there really is no need.

where I iron all the bedsheets etc

Why do bedsheets need ironing?
If they have to be washed frequently, eg 3 times a week, what's the point of ironing?

As long as they're clean. that's the most important thing.

I just feel sometimes that we've been brainwashed in a 1050's fashion to think that ironing is more important than it really is.

1950's. Obs