Do I really have to iron the school shirts?

[ThirdChildFourthPile]

DS is going to secondary school so it's proper shirts, ones that appear to need ironing.

I've just ironed 4 of them and I hate it. There must be another way?

I'm crap at it, I don't like doing it, and it makes me really hot.

Is there a magic spray or a trick that means I never have to see the iron again?

Only two tricks I can think of.

1. No need to iron shirts. They are crease free from the tumble dryer or if hung to dry properly

1. Teach ds to iron his own shirts

This is my pile. ...
3x dc = 15 bloody shirts.

We don't have a tumble drier, we have a Lakeland heated airer..

I’m looking forward to them wearing jumpers so I don’t have to bother. I always feel I need to iron them if anyone is likely to see them - even non-iron ones. 3 dc here too so loads of them.

I find if I wash them on their own and hang them on the line they are pretty creased free. But honestly it doesn't take that long to whizz over them with the iron. Buy enough for the week and do it in one go.

Hang them up on hangers to dry or when partly dry. Creases do lessen that way. Some machines have a special programme to minimise ironing, so maybe check that out. I think it uses a lower spin speed. Doubt anyone will notice a few creases and once it gets colder the shirt will be covered up with other clothing anyway.

Top tip for primary age girls , buy them pinafores then you don’t need to iron their shirts.

well.

If your shirts are poly cotton, (all the easy care school shirts are) then take out of machine, shake HARD (hold shoulders and flick, to get creases out) then hang on hangers.
Or tumble dry until nearly dry and then shake and hang on hangers.

They should then be totally passable.
If you are not sure, let them get dressed in unironed shirt, tie and blazer and take photo. Then dress in ironed shirt tie and blazer, wait half and hour then take a picture. If you can see a difference then you may need to iron!

Unfortunately my ds hates polycotton, it irritates his skin, so I buy 100% cotton from M&S. he does occasionally go in in an unironed one, and once he has blazer on and been on train for half and hour, I'm sure no-one notices, but the cotton ones really do need a quick once over.

Empty the washing machine as soon as wash has finished. Retrieve shirts first and give them a shake. Place on a hanger then put on an airer. Alternatively put on line but peg carefully. Put straight on hanger when you bring them in.

another alternative - hang them on hangers in steamy shower room, once dryish, it is like a steam iron.

Teach him to iron his own.

Top tip for primary age girls , buy them pinafores then you don’t need to iron their shirts.

boys and girls in white polos here.
never ironed a white polo in my life. hang, fold, smooth, sit in pile of other shirts and they look ironed once you put them on

Honestly I know you are going to get plenty of people saying "no you dont need to iron the shirts" However I feel you do. I say that as a mother of 4 who all needed shirts for school when they were all in uniform plus for 2 years I needed shirts for work (uniform) and dh needed shirts too. Every Sunday evening dh or I would stand there and iron 30 shirts.

Now they are older it is their responsibility and they still all iron them. DD1 & 2 are out of shirts however dd3 and ds both ensures their shirts are done. They still stick with the Sunday regime though I do not specify they have to anymore. Some days if I am feeling generous I do them for them. Always gets a grateful reception.

the more you do the quicker you will be come at doing them and time to do so will shorten down. In the winter getting hot is pretty good. By the time he is in year 8 he should be ironing them himself IMO.

3x dc = 15 bloody shirts

are you doing a month at a time?

ooh is the heated airer worth the money? I keep looking at it and can't work out whether its justified or not?

Sorry totally missed the point of the thread, I stopped ironing 2 years ago after a massive hissy fit that probably started from a similar place to where you're at now. I lost count of the number of times I yelled 'how is this my job!!!'

Seriously though they look like plain white shirts. Where did you get them from, most school shirt packs are easy iron so if you just hang them up they'll be fine.

11 is old enough to learn to iron = life skills

Buy non-iron shirts. Tumble dry or hang to dry on hangers straight from the wash. Never iron them except for school photos

I know it doesn't take long, I just don't want to do it. I don't like it, I'm crap at it and it makes me hot.

I will wash, shake hard, hanger and on the airer.

Thank you, I will try this next week!

I didn't even know non-iron shirts were available.
Are they more expensive? Do Asda sell them?

@BillyBagPuss yes a thousand times yes.

It's costs pennies to run, in the winter you don't need to heating on in the room the airer is in because it does the job for you and it gets everything done and dried without costing the fortune of a tumble drier.
I put a sheet over the top of mine when is on to speed up the process.

3x dc = 15 bloody shirts

are you doing a month at a time?

erm 5 days per week, x 3 kids =15 shirts.
teenagers really do need a clean shirt per day.

Most school shirts are non iron/easy iron. All the ones sold by supermarkets are.

My mum gave up ironing when I was 13 with 2 older brothers. She did the washing and realised that was 35 shirts per week. She gave us each an ironing lesson, and then left us to it.

BUT importantly, she never complained if we chose to go around in unironed clothes, that was our choice, as the ironing was our job.

erm 5 days per week, x 3 kids =15 shirts

erm nothing, no way am I doing a new shirt every single day for all of them!

Tumble dry when still slightly damp (not wet) and hang up as soon as drying cycle finishes.

Or take to ironing shop, doesn't cost much and they generally do a quick turnaround.

Buy non-iron shirts. Tumble dry or hang to dry on hangers straight from the wash. Never iron them

^This. But I do not iron anything really.