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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do I really have to iron the school shirts?

267 replies

ThirdChildFourthPile · 03/09/2018 14:19

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?

OP posts:
TheWinterofOurDiscountTentsMk2 · 03/09/2018 15:06

Yep. Because it is gross

Again, personal opinion not fact. Hmm

PatriciaHolm · 03/09/2018 15:06

..and yes they wear their blazers all the time anyway!

TheOrigFV45 · 03/09/2018 15:06

Naaaaa.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/09/2018 15:08
  • There's no such thing as non iron shirts. They still need ironing.*

No, the M&S non-iron are absolutely fine for school.

By the time they're old enough to be thinking about whether they need a nicer, ironed shirt for interviews or work, they should be able to iron their own.

Winosaurus · 03/09/2018 15:10

TheWinter unless your kids don’t run around, sweat, never spill any food / drink, never get pen/ paint on their shirts and their shirts come home looking and smelling as clean and fresh as they did straight from the wash then it is gross to rewear them. Especially in teenage years.
I would be mortified if my kids were dirty, smelly or scruffy going in to school.
Coming out that way is normal, but not on arrival

2BorNot2Bvocal · 03/09/2018 15:10

^^ I'm with Errol.

hungryhippo90 · 03/09/2018 15:13

Ironing is a high days and holidays sort of thing in our house.

I dry systematically as other posters have mentioned to avoid it.

If we mess up timings I’ll just have to do it...

One tip though, don’t over fill the machine if trying to avoid creases.

And to people who don’t change their kids clothes each day, grim.

Freshprincess · 03/09/2018 15:14

I only ever iron at the beginning of term when I'm ironing the name tapes in. Other than that, dried on a hangar. They aren't allowed to take blazers off so nobody would see them anyway. I don't do much ironing anyway.

And mine also have a clean one every day. You might be able to get away with wearing it more than once when they're 10, but by secondary school, no chance. They smell, and nobody wants to be the smelly kid at school.

furandchandeliers · 03/09/2018 15:17

I feel at 11 they should be doing their own ironing. Mine will be when he starts secondary next year. Every Sunday night iron his shirts and trousers for the week, rest of uniform could probably get away with not being ironed.

ittakes2 · 03/09/2018 15:21

I don't iron School shirts. I worked out if you reduce the speed on the spin cycle they don't crease too much and I hang them up to dry naturally. My son has exxema so his shorts are 100percent cotton.

BlackStar7 · 03/09/2018 15:24

Kids at most secondary schools round here are not allowed to take their blazers off (unless it's really hot) so no, I don't bother ironing them!!

BlackStar7 · 03/09/2018 15:24

As in I don't iron the shirts because they can't really be seen!

Losingthewill1 · 03/09/2018 15:27

( not a mum) but I never iron DH shirts

When they come out of the washing machine I just hang them up,

If he goes into the shower in the morning I hang them in the way of the steam and the wrinkles drop out.

Failing that he can deal with it

bingbongnoise · 03/09/2018 15:43

@ThirdChildFourthPile

Sod that.

I used to wash my kids school shirts, and hang them up immediately (on coat-hangers.) Never ironed one in my life. They had their school (V neck) sweater on, and/or a blazer, so the bloomin' shirt was barely on show anyway. And I never, ever had a complaint from the school about the shirts being scruffy. (And they weren't anyway, coz I hung them on the coat-hanger(s) straight away!)

Life is too short for ironing. I never iron fuck-all. Like I said, just hang stuff up straight away, and there should be no need to iron anything.

BarnabyBungle · 03/09/2018 15:52

Winosaurus

For teenagers I agree - too much sweat and hormones... but for my early primary aged children, if they’ve not made them dirty, it’s a cool autumn day, then they can definitely wear a shirt or blouse more than once.

They’re not going to catch a disease by wearing a blouse on the next day. It’s this obsession with hygiene that’s probably causing this epidemic of allergies we now have. It’s a case of taking a good thing (basic hygiene) and taking too far.

steppemum · 03/09/2018 16:02

Barnaby - totally agree. My 10 year old could wear it all week and not smell, as she hasn't got that hormonal BO yet. I still make her change them obviously, but not every day.

Dh doesn't change every day either.

But teens need it.

bingbongnoise · 03/09/2018 16:06

@Enko

Every Sunday evening dh or I would stand there and iron 30 shirts.

I've heard it all now. Hmm Do you have 10 kids? Confused

@Aprilshowersnowastorm

3x dc = 15 bloody shirts.

@TheWinterofOurDiscountTentsMk2

Are you doing a month at a time?

I wondered that too. No WAY do kids need a clean shirt on every day! What the hell are they doing in them? Rolling around in soot on their lunch break?! And no, it's not 'minging' to let them wear a shirt 2-3 days in a row. All I can think of is that some people must have some stinky kids if they need a clean shirt EVERY DAY. Wink

Maybe if it's very warm, (or for a couple of years in their teens when they are hormonal,) they may need a clean shirt every day. But even then, only through the 11-12 weeks of summer term!

There really does seem to be some 4 Yorkshiremen bollocks going on, on this thread!

@PickaChew
@Woodifer

Make your 11 y.o. iron their own shirts.
He is 11. Teach him to iron, it's a life skill.

Never known a soul do that. Make their 11 y.o. do their own ironing. Just like I don't know anyone who irons 15 to 30 shirts a WEEK for their kids!

The 'Only on mumsnet' meme strikes again!!!

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 03/09/2018 16:12

I wondered that too. No WAY do kids need a clean shirt on every day! What the hell are they doing in them? Rolling around in soot on their lunch break?! And no, it's not 'minging' to let them wear a shirt 2-3 days in a row. All I can think of is that some people must have some stinky kids if they need a clean shirt EVERY DAY.

Have you had a adolescent son?!

I have and can tell you that they do need a clean shirt every day.

Coming to something when folk are begrudging their dc a cleaned ironed shirt every day. It's not that arduous!

clary · 03/09/2018 16:12

Mine all wear/wore cotton shirts (eczema) so they needed ironing, I like ironing tho, pretty quick to do them too. Yy ironer gets to pick TV!.

I agree secondary school kids deffo need a clean shirt each day, sorry but they really stink by 3pm (former secondary teacher here) esp if you get poly cotton which seems to retain the smell

Jamieson90 · 03/09/2018 16:13

Maybe I am wrong but I thought it was just the norm to wear a clean ironed shirt everyday? I would not turn up to work in a dirty shirt that had not been ironed so I don't see why it would be acceptable to send a child to school in a shirt that was not clean and which hadn't been ironed.

In an ideal world people would not judge you by your appearance but people clearly do and it is important to make a good first impression.

Sunnymeg · 03/09/2018 16:13

Take the shirt out from the washing machine as soon as the programme finishes. Put it on a hanger and do the collar button up, taking care to make sure the collar is lying properly, then allow to dry naturally either on a line outdoors or on an indoor airer.

steppemum · 03/09/2018 16:17

No WAY do kids need a clean shirt on every day!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

ds is 15. He showers every day, sometimes twice. He is actually very clean. I have just walked into his room, where he has been all day, and was knocked back by the smell. Not nasty as in unclean/unwashed etc, just teenage boy, it just smells of BODIES.

If you could bottle it, you could sell it as deterrent.

Maybe is depends on how they get to school. But if they cycle/walk/jog/play football at lunchtime, then they are sweating in their shirts. Quite a lot.
Do you change your shirt after you have run a mile in it? No? Well I do!

TheWinterofOurDiscountTentsMk2 · 03/09/2018 16:20

Have you had a adolescent son?! I have and can tell you that they do need a clean shirt every day
You realise that you are talking to other people though, right? Not just you. Perhaps they have younger children, so insisting they should do what you do based on your circumstances is pretty silly, don't you think?

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 03/09/2018 16:25

Nope. The thread was started by someone with a child going into secondary school. Most infant and junior school dc wear polo shirts, so presumed most of the posters on the thread had older children.

My point still stands that they need a clean shirt on everyday.

bingbongnoise · 03/09/2018 16:28

@Steppemum

ds is 15. He showers every day, sometimes twice. He is actually very clean. I have just walked into his room, where he has been all day, and was knocked back by the smell. Not nasty as in unclean/unwashed etc, just teenage boy, it just smells of BODIES.

and @GreatDuckCookery

Have you had a adolescent son?! I have and can tell you that they do need a clean shirt every day.

Have you both taken your sons to the doctors?

Serious question.

My son (now an adult,) never stunk like that. OR my daughter. (Also now an adult.)

Unless they have some kind of skin disease, or infection, or serious issue with B.O, they should not stink in the manner you are describing.

@thewinterofourdiscounttentsmk2

You realise that you are talking to other people though, right? Not just you. Perhaps they have younger children, so insisting they should do what you do based on your circumstances is pretty silly, don't you think?

Hmm, yeah. And defensive too! Wink

GreatDuckCookery

My point still stands that they need a clean shirt on everyday.

They really don't. Not - as I said before - unless there is something wrong with them (like a skin disease, or chronic B.O.)

I really do suggest a visit to the doctors, for anyone who has a son that is a stinky as you and steppemum describe!