To send my 7 year old to school in unironed uniform?

[Floosey]

I really struggle with laundry. I struggle so, so much and I don't know why. I end up just not having the time or being organised enough to put away or iron so my son often goes to primary school in a creased t-shirt. We're not talking slept in creases, just dried crinkled and needs a quick going over creases.

Apart from the creases, my son always goes to school in the correct and washed uniform (I once got up at 5 to hair drier his trousers because I'd forgotton to put a wash on until the night before and that was the only way they'd be dry in time) but ironing always gets the better of me.

We have very few things that need ironing but his school t-shirts do. I bought more expensive iron-free ones but they had the school logo on and got nicked. Strangely his supermarket own brand stuff always finds it's way home.

He's clean, looked after and engaged. We always go to parents evening etc.

Do you look down on parents like me?

[Idonotlikeyoudonaldtrump]

I’ve never ironed a uniform and don’t own an iron. I literally couldn’t give the tiniest shit if you can tell the difference.

[Ansumpasty]

I do it only if I have the time. I used to put them in fresh uniform every day and stand and iron it every morning.

Then I started working in a school and realised that I had been wasting so much of the precious morning time.

Now I only iron the really creased things and wet wipe the snot trails on the sleeves so they can wear it the following day

[peridito]

Ah Floosey my DP is the same .

Used masking tape when I asked him to wrap Xmas presents .
Mashed the potatoes in the colander .
Put the oil in the car via the dip stick holder .

You sound exhausted ,and that makes everything seem impossible .Could you be anemic ?

As for creased shirts - hanging in a steamy environment helps - bath /shower .Or if desperate and can be v v careful ,over a kettle .

Look after yourself +

[NancyJoan]

I iron the things that need it. One basket a week, give or take, in front of the TV.

OP, how much uniform do you have? It might make life easier if you buy a couple of extra pairs of trousers and another packet of polos. I wash just about every day, but I've got enough for both kids, so if I left it 2 or even 3 days we wouldn't run out. Takes the stress off.

[MrsJBaptiste]

Your all trying to say you have never ever ironed your DC uniform?

Yeah Avengers it's a badge of honour not to own an iron on MN.

Back to the real world... everyone irons clothes - especially school uniform.

[Ferii]

I've given up asking my husband. He couldn't care less and I don't have the energy to deal with him as well. If he does sonething he'll do things half heartedly which makes more work for me.

Don't iron, life is too short. I know ppl that iron their underwear, have they not got better things to do with their life?! Don't worry about what other ppl think. The real problem here as I see it is that you're running an entire household with no support from your DH. He's just dead weight that you're carrying if he isn't able, willing or adult enough to see there are chores which need doing and doing right.

[KaterinaPetrova]

I iron no uniforms at all. Not even the high schooler's.

By the time they've had their breakfasts, brushed their hair and teeth etc the creases have dropped out.

[RabbityMcRabbit]

I never iron. If you hang it up asap after washing things don't need it anyway. My mum used to iron everything including underwear. As a PP said, life's too short!

[Obviouspretzel]

Creases don't drop out. They do look different to the creases that come from wear. When you wear a shirt it gets creased in places your body moves. When you don't iron a shirt, it's just generally rumpled and scruffy.

[Aldicheckoutworkout]

We have a tumble dryer but i use as little as poss to try and be more eco. For primary uniform the kids had polo shirts and school skirts/trousers which are normally quick dry/synthetic and ok to wear without ironing. Now at senior school its proper shirts and a bastard pleated skirt both of which IMO look better ironed...so i do sometimes 5 min before leaving the house however i don't even notice the state of others school uniform unless I'm wondering how some the girls get away with rolling up their skirt to mini skirt length!! (They're meant to have knee length skirts)

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

To the pp who said they iron and use the time to catch up on their crap tv watching - what if you have zero interest in watching crap tv?

I iron a couple of garments a week and that never includes school uniform. Dh irons his shirts and always has done since the first day we moved in together approx 28 years ago (I made it clear I was not like his mother and had no interest whatsoever in doing everyone's ironing).

OP, sorry if I've missed this but how many people are you doing laundry for? As others have said, if you can get into a routine with that and take a bit of time shaking out when hanging up washed clothes then you'll hardly ever need to iron a thing.

I don't know how old they are but you can get your children to help - they can put their dirty clothes in a laundry basket and bring down the things you say you are going to wash that day. They can pair socks. They can help shake and hang up washing. Simply don't do your partner's if he's not going to get involved with any part of the process.

[DappledThings]

To the pp who said they iron and use the time to catch up on their crap tv watching - what if you have zero interest in watching crap tv?

It doesn't have to be crap TV! I use it to watch good TV.

[PookieDo]

I don’t iron but I am fucking excellent at laundry
I do a lot of laundry but carefully time it so I don’t have too much and will have what I need when I need it
I also hang all tops on hangers in the airing cupboard and i invested in a heated Airer to speed drying up. I try to get up early on nice weekend days to wash things to hang out or do washing the evening before then hang it outside
DC are expected to hand over all washing by Friday evening
Then everything dry gets folded and away on a Sunday evening

[LindsayDentonsWineBottle]

Don’t worry! I’ve never ironed my kids uniforms, and I had a lot of mums from the school gates as friends, so I don’t think they judged me.

Actually I really can’t remember when I last ironed something, my husband does his own work shirts and the kids now wear stuff that definitely doesn’t need it, and I live in jeggings and tunics.

[LaurieMarlow]

Back to the real world... everyone irons clothes - especially school uniform.

Not in my world. I don’t know anyone who would consider this a priority.

[RedSheep73]

I don't iron anything. Don't stress! if it's clean, that's good enough. If it really needs to be not creased, dry it on a coat hanger.

[Pinkblanket]

I iron, I like doing it, but why would I judge someone that doesn't? That's madness. Don't stress about it!

[Roomba]

I'm real, and my 6yo went to school in an unironed shirt. I hang stuff up so there really aren't many wrinkles by the time stuff is dry and then put on. It looked no different at all to an ironed shirt. I suspect his trousers were ironed, but that's because my mother insisted on wasting several hours last week ironing for me. It makes her feel useful but it's not needed. I don't buy anything that looks like it will crease up when washed!

My 13yo was unironed head to toe today, as usual. His blazer covers all but his collar and his trousers are those which don't crease at all. I asked his mates once if their parents/they ironed their uniform - only one said yes. Modern fabrics are amazing (if stinky in hot weather if not washed in bio powder!)

[howmanyleftfeet]

I struggle so, so much and I don't know why

You sound a lot like me. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, in my mid-40s. Have you ever considered it? I only did because my DS has SEN and I came across descriptions of ADHD in adults and realised it described me to a T!

ADHD is badly named - not everyone with is is hyperactive - if you have Inattentive ADHD (like me) then hyperactivity is not a symptom. (It used to be called ADD).

Does any of this sound like you?

• often late
• always losing things
• often leaving things to the last minute
• struggle with deadlines
• being generally disorganised
• forgetting appointments
• delaying starting tasks
• difficulty completing tasks
• easily distracted
• impulsive and/or risk taking behaviour
• great in a crisis - level headed under pressure
• creative thinking / problem solving

There's a test here if you want to explore further: totallyadd.com/do-i-have-add/

[PookieDo]

OP you need a laundry plan
Don’t laugh it really helps

You need to work out what you need and when and make a point of planning when it will get washed and not winging it x

[adaline]

Back to the real world... everyone irons clothes - especially school uniform.

@MrsJBaptiste - do you think everyone who says they don't iron is lying, then? Or are we all figments of your imagination and don't actually exist in real life?

I don't iron - never have, and at the age of 30, I have no intention of starting now! People can judge me all they like, I really don't give one shiny un-ironed shite

[SarahTancredi]

What shirts are people buying that are so obviously creased to buggery enough to notice?

If a shirt looks in that state after being washed I'd not buy that make again.

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Sorry to burst your bubble non-ironers but you can tell the difference and you / your dc do look scruffy

I disagree, you really can't tell. Or you might be able to tell when the clothes are fresh on, but not once someone has actually got out of the house and to work/school etc.

But I don't think you need to use a dryer either to not iron. 90% of our washing either goes on the line outside or the airer. I find that tumble dried clothes are more creased not less, so while we have a drier, it's not used that often, in winter I will stick all the socks, pants and towels etc in there, maybe DP might dry his t shirts, but I won't put any of my clothes in there because they end up creased or shrunk.

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Agree about not buying clothes that will need ironing. Why would you? I don't buy anything light and especially not white. I also don't buy things that I think will need ironing. Makes dealing with washing a lot easier.

[drspouse]

I'm sure that other school parents CAN tell that neither of my DCs' clothes are ironed, that my DD's hair if done in any kind of style is a mess, that my DS has not brushed his hair in weeks, but frankly I do not care. I have bigger fish to fry.

Barbara lucky you that has no white shirts in your DCs' school uniform.