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Original poster

Is iorning a thing of the past?

336 replies

icenasliceplease · 14/01/2018 19:56

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)

OP posts:
blackberryfairy · 14/01/2018 21:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GinUser · 14/01/2018 21:06

I iron, I rather enjoy it. I have been ironing since I was 12, now approaching 60.
Rather as with table manners, if this goes, standards drop.

ForalltheSaints · 14/01/2018 21:07

I iron shirts. The occasional pillow case or tea towel to check it is warm enough. Nothing else.

TheFaerieQueene · 14/01/2018 21:07

I iron everything I wear. My DH has crisp shirts for work that take a fair bit of ironing as do all his casual clothes too. I couldn’t wear unironed clothes, I would feel dreadfully uncomfortable.

WhiskeySourpuss · 14/01/2018 21:09

I used to put the uniforms on a soft spin. Take them out carefully, pull them into shape, dry them on the clothes horse.

It would take me longer to do this than it would to iron the clothes

Crinkle77 · 14/01/2018 21:09

No ironing done here either. I am careful not to scrunch it up when it is dry and hang it up straight away.

HeyhoIndigo · 14/01/2018 21:10

I want to know who thought up ironing in the first place ? How did it come about that we had to have crease-free clothes ? Who would think that was a good idea ?

No I don't iron.

sillywonka · 14/01/2018 21:10

Ha! Was just speaking to a pal about maybe getting some of those jumpers with a fake collar sewn in as I hate ironing my work shirts.

Other than that the only other things are DS's school shorts and Taekwon-do dobok.

But he can do them himself in a year or two.

Original poster
icenasliceplease · 14/01/2018 21:12

I want to know who thought up ironing in the first place ? How did it come about that we had to have crease-free clothes ? Who would think that was a good idea ?

No I don't iron

My kind of people Grin

It's like in the olden days, people used to spend x amount of hours every weekend brassoing everything in sight.

I'm thinkg, Don't buy anything in brass.
Job done
or silver

OP posts:
LoniceraJaponica · 14/01/2018 21:13

On MN it is. There is a competitive non ironing element on MN.

In real life all my friends iron, and so do I. In spite of all the advice on here - using the tumble dryer, hanging stuff out my clothes still look very wrinkled. I iron far less than I used to, but I still have cotton shirts and linen dresses that look awful if I don't iron them. And I refuse to wear non iron synthetic materials all the time.

I prefer to wear natural fibres, and I don't mind ironing anyway.

ShinyMe · 14/01/2018 21:13

The only ironing I do is when I'm sewing and need to press seams or turn hems or press finished items. I have one shirt which needs ironing, and I hardly ever wear it because it's such a faff. Everything else is stretchy/jersey fabric that doesn't need ironing.

Original poster
icenasliceplease · 14/01/2018 21:14

Brassoing,
that's where, back in the day, people had tons of ornaments, made of brass, or silver that had to be cleaned and buffed and shined every two weeks.
Mainly by the women. No surprise.

OP posts:
blackberryfairy · 14/01/2018 21:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LaurieMarlow · 14/01/2018 21:15

I'm not sure how much I value children being 'tidy' for school anyway. It's not the 1950s. I'd prefer they were comfortable, free, happy to get stuck into whatever's going on. DS is pretty grubby at the end of a day of nursery and that's exactly as it should be.

if this goes standards drop

I get the table manners thing, which is completely different, but don't get this at all with ironing. What standards would those be and why does it matter? Confused

ElphabaTheGreen · 14/01/2018 21:17

so as long as you wash them carefully and hang carefully, they shouldn't need ironing.

But what does this mean? I can't tell my washing machine to wash any more carefully than it already does and I've tried hanging stuff both on a clothes airer or on a hanger, pulling it as taut and smooth as I can and it still looks like it's been scrunched.

I would dearly love to not have an ironing pile, but I have found no alternatives.

LightastheBreeze · 14/01/2018 21:17

In ye old days though people didn’t have as many clothes or wash stuff so often so there wouldn’t be as much to iron.

Original poster
icenasliceplease · 14/01/2018 21:19

But what does this mean? I can't tell my washing machine to wash any more carefully than it already does and I've tried hanging stuff both on a clothes airer or on a hanger, pulling it as taut and smooth as I can and it still looks like it's been scrunched.

It's easy.
You put your washing on a high enough temperature that it gets the clothes clean.
You put your washing machine on a gentle spin.
You take clothes out.
Pull them into shape.
Hang accordingly.
No creases.

OP posts:
LaurieMarlow · 14/01/2018 21:20

I'm thinkg, Don't buy anything in brass. Job done

Exactly. My mothers and aunts all have houses full of China ornaments. Screw that, it just makes work.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 14/01/2018 21:21

Clothes look better and last longer when ironed.

Also, ironing underwear means no thrush.

Original poster
icenasliceplease · 14/01/2018 21:22

My DM too.
Hundreds of little china ornaments (and crystal) and bloody brass, that all need dusting and polishing and brasso ing every couple of weeks.

In God's Name WHY?

OP posts:
LoniceraJaponica · 14/01/2018 21:22

"But what does this mean? I can't tell my washing machine to wash any more carefully than it already does and I've tried hanging stuff both on a clothes airer or on a hanger, pulling it as taut and smooth as I can and it still looks like it's been scrunched."

Same here Elphaba.

icenasliceplease Washing on a low spin at this time of year and not tumble drying isn't practical as everything would take too long to dry. I will try that tactic when I can hang clothes outside again.

LightastheBreeze · 14/01/2018 21:24

I put mine though a 1600 spin in the winter then into dryer and as long as dryer is not overloaded the creases get knocked out, in the summer they get a more gentle spin, it all gets a quick 5 mins in the dryer to knock the creases out before going on the line,

cathycake · 14/01/2018 21:24

What is this strange past time you speak of?

Original poster
icenasliceplease · 14/01/2018 21:25

Also, ironing underwear means no thrush.

I've never ironed my underwear in my life and never had thrush.

OP posts:
ElfrideSwancourt · 14/01/2018 21:25

I'm sitting mumsnetting while my husband irons- it's his job I wash dry and put away the laundry.
He doesn't mind and the household rule is 'he or she who wields the iron also wields the remote control' (unless Poldark is on obviously) Grin