AIBU the elephant pile in the room

[JesterA]

Recently our family has grown from 4 to 5. DD was a surprise, we also have DS1 and DS2 plus I have a male DP so the washing And ironing pile resembles an elephant it's soooo big. It doesn't matter what I do it never goes away it's always just there.
In my mother's house growing up she ironed everything, bedsheets even (seriously!), so I have always felt I should do the same, but I am not as organised as she is. So I guess my question is AIBU to just declare unless absolutely necessary, ironing just isn't happening any more?

As the years have passed my ironing pile has become less and less. Just DH's 5 work shirts a week and the odd top of mine if it's very creasy material (which I avoid buying like the plague now). Even jeans get straightened out and flattened.

My grown up DCs don't iron anything so I avoid buying any clothes for DGCs that need ironing.

I iron nothing. Just hang shirts on hangers and tumble dry bed clothes.

Ha! My poor mother I've made her sound bad. She's not I promise, and she has actually taken it upon herself to tackle the Elephant on a few of her visits as she can't stand sitting down so she stands and does it while chatting. She says she enjoys it 😱. Though she is a housekeeper by trade so I think and have told her, she has an unfair advantage haha

The only thing ironed in this house is hama beads 😆

I occasionally iron something if it looks creased. I don't iron a lot these days. Piles of ironing in baskets are a thing of the past. Unless you love ironing. I do iron pillowcases though.

Don't iron.

Also, wash clothes less often where you can get away with it. Most things will stand several wears.

Okay what are Hama Beads??? Did I miss a something while ironing 😂

It's a real generational divide. I don't iron anything. 2 kids, 2 adults in professional jobs. None of us look like tramps! My mum and MIL don't really understand it!

I iron everything but I love doing it. OP you've just had a new baby if it's bothering you so much just send it all out to be dry cleaned and ironed then get your DH to take the kids out while you sort through it all and put it away. If you don't have the money to do that you could always get the help of some family/friends to come and help wash/dry/iron/sort/put away your elephant. Pay them in tea

Ironing is for interviews and dress up events (weddings, funerals etc) there is no need to iron on a daily basis.

Be free. YNBU.

This must be a generational thing

My Mum irons everything too

Me nothing

clothes are dried on hangars in our house.

DS 6 school uniform is starting to look like it needs a good pressing unfortunately so might have to start doing his shirts soon but we have had a great run!!

I overslept one morning and had to dress in a hurry. I threw on a cotton t-shirt from the ironing pile and decided I would explain the creases as coming from wearing my seat belt on the journey in. I got to work 30 minutes later and the creases had dropped out - my body heat must have done the trick (it works on wool too).

What is ironing?

I'm not sure even where my iron is, as it so rarely gets any exercise.

My mum never ironed anything, and I happily take after her. Life is too short to spend it on such shit.

My mum irons everything including underwear and tea towels. I ironed nothing for years and still only iron shirts now. I never used to buy shirts to avoid ironing but I like shirts so relented.

The dses school uniform is non iron; straight into the tumble dryer and job done. Nothing else of the dses has ever been ironed.

Haha, I was going to say the same. My DD thinks the iron is for sewing or Hama beads!

I still iron bedding as I like the silky feel against my skin when I go to bed

I do a loose version of my mother's rules. Everybody old enough to use the iron does their own. So, I iron my own clothes and DS2's, and I took pity on DS1 and said I would iron his school uniform but not his other stuff. Sheets, towels and underwear, forget it.

She used to sort them into piles on the back of the sofa in preparation, but in my life, since hell would free over before DP's did his, I iron what I've agreed to and everything else just gets folded and handed to its owner.

I'm another one for the snap-shake when they are out of the washing machine, and they are fine.

I gave away my ironing board more than a decade ago. I still have an iron, but I've used it maybe a couple of times since then, to iron-dry one of DS's school shirts when I have forgotten to take them out of the washing machine the night before! (They never get ironed in the regular course of things, only when they are actively damp, to dry them.)

I iron school shirts, and the odd item that looks 'too creased' My DH irons his own stuff if he wants it doing and my DD irons her own Army Cadet uniform I'm not up to ironing standard for that lol

Get some big hooks (from a hardware shop) the string bracket hooks that you can hang a bike off and put up next to your washing machine / drier, and a load of good hangers. All the uniform tops and DH shirts get hung up straight out of the tumble and never need ironing. They rarely make it to wardrobes in fact.

Everything else gets folded and put away. If any tops or dresses need ironing, they are done 2 minutes before putting on.

Free yourself of the ironing basket drudgery!

My DH irons everything, I sat on the sofa doing an online shop on Saturday as he watched Rugby/ironed and I spotted him ironing my kitchen apron!!! I kept quiet.

If (it wont happen) the ironing ever (never) falls back to me, it's a needs must only rule (so a shirt for a wedding or interview).

My ironing pile is currently massive. This my fault because I have taken dry washing and dumped it back in the basket instead of folding it up as I took it off the airer. Now everything is creased and crushed. Also my tumble dryer likes to tie bedding knots and stuff doesn't fold small enough to fit in the cupboard unironed.

OP - Hama beads are tiny little plastic bits, which look rather like cut up fuse wire. You arrange them on a plastic base with prongs on, into a pleasing picture or pattern. Once finished, you cover with greaseproof paper and iron over the top. The beads melt slightly at the top, which sticks the whole thing together.

Like this.

5 work shirts for DH and 5 school shirts for DD per week. Everything I buy gets the "scrunch test" in the shop, if it looks like it needs ironing I don't buy it.
My mother irons everything including socks, sheets and tea towels. Urgh. Life's too short.