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?

PCs at work are likely to be down for the day so I am tempted to go home and get on top of this. But I don't want to get into a flexi time deficit that I'll struggle to work back. Managers have all vanished for the morning so I can't ask to move my annual leave day. But I can just leave on flexi.

I'm currently hiding in the toilet because this thread made me cry. No idea why, nobody has been cruel.

We do try to have a uniform a day but it doesn't last long. He put on a pair of trousers this morning and they were suddenly far too short. I swear they fitted before the holidays! He had a melt down when I asked him to change them so he's gone to school in them. This is absolutely a one off though. I will top the unifirm up. But then it's like it's more clothes when I'm already struggling with what we have.

I don't own a tumble drier and have no where to put one, plus environmental concerns.

Laundry for 3 only. I know that's nothing. I worked out last night that it is less than a load a day because we do try to re-wear and we reuse towels etc.

Drying is part of the issue I think. We live in a very wet part of the world where even if it's dry the air is damp, so outside drying is rare. We have airers and use the radiators. It's unpredictable how long the drying will take though so I can't plan. And if I get behind with the laundry, it's hard to dry it.

Then the putting away... which son will help with once it's all sorted. It's unfair to ask him at the moment. I have no idea how to get husband on board with it. I'll admit I've been lazy with it too because I've been overwhelmed.

Husband is an issue. For one, he is incapable of putting his dirty clothes in the hamper despite repeatedly asking him, moving the hamper to his side of the room etc. I refuse to pick up after him so his clothes don't get washed. Then he suddenly dumps a fortnight worth of washing in the basket when he runs out of clothes. If I refuse to do it, he'll hog the machine and then will hang them up in really stupid places like on the backs of chairs or will use all our drying spaces so I can't do anything and it all gets backed up. He just leaves the stuff there so I end up collecting it all up just to be able to use the space. I'll leave it on his side of the bed so he'll just dump it on the dresser or wherever. I went out yesterday and asked him to hang the sheets up when the machine had finished. He sort of did but not in a way they'd actually dry and he completely ignored the pile of towels in front of the machine clearly waiting to go in. He said "you never asked me to do them".

I need to sort him out, even if he just puts his washing in the basket each day and does nothing else. He refuses to acknowledge that it is grim and lazy and it makes a big difference. I don't know what to do. He has stopped leaving dirty socks everywhere after I started throwing them out (after lots of warnings and tbh they needed throwing anyway) but I can't do that with his clothes.

Right... I'm going home. I'll sort the flexi out somehow.

Floordrobe is the priority. I'll get some washing done too.

Putting a load on each morning (or every other morning) is a good idea, then I can empty it when I get home.

Any tips for drying or a routine for drying?

I'm not even going to think about ironing right now.

I'm not even going to think about ironing right now

Good.

Right now it's just an extra unnecessary layer of stress. Your situation sounds awful op your husband is an arsehole. Sorry. You deserve so much better. I hope you manage ri get done today what you want to get done.

I don’t own an iron. I do have a tumble dryer though so I find laundry fairly easy to keep on top of, it was more difficult before I bought the dryer. I also find things come out less creased than they did when I air dried.

Teachers aren’t concerned about a creased school shirt, they’re more worried about the children who smell bad, have greasy hair and unwashed clothing.

@howmanyleftfeet - I don't think so but my meds definately give me brain fog. I used to be so organised and be able to keep evetrything in my head but I have to write every single thing down now. I had to leave a course I was taking because I couldn't do it. It wasn't hard, I just couldn't keep stuff in and the stress and upset it was causing me wasn't worth it. That was so tough having to admit I am incapable of re-training to be a nurse. I'm not stupid, or at least never used to be but it's beyond me now.

Even with brain fog I should be able to put socks away though.

I don't iron. I wash, dry and put uniform on hangers and ant creases there are drop out.

I also divorced my similar sounding husband which reduced the amount of laundry I needed to do by 50%. Win-win in my eyes!

Jeez crying again. Right I'm going home. Wish me luck and I'll report back later.

Thanks for all your support and not calling me lazy.

From what you're saying, a sick day is in order. Have a rest, and tell your husband he's an adult and lives in your house too and is the father to your DS so has responsibility not only for his clothes but for your DS' clothes too.

- s'fine - they usually survive

oh lovely things sound tough - is there any chance that your meds could be changed ? Have you explained about the brain fog ?

Honestly heated airer changed my life. I got mine in Aldi!
It’s massive but it all goes on it in one area and costs a few pence a day to run

Re the plan
You need to wash the heavy stuff early on at the weekend because it will take so much longer to dry, so plan what you will put in a load, not just by colours

I also wash like for like so School uniform always gets priority in the machine to make sure it gets dry

Hang as much as you can on hangers it does dry better and hang from door frames if you have no space or in the airing cupboard

My plan tends to be to assess the washing every couple of days To see how much there is

Not in the basket = doesn’t get washed

Fold and put away ALL OF YOU together

Your problem isn't laundry or housework . It's a lazy , inconsiderate , selfish , husband ! He doesn't do things properly so that you don't ask him to do it again . Your priority is your child not your adult husband . Do your laundry and your 7 year old's laundry and let your husband do his own . Then you'll have time to iron your 7 year old child's shirt . Later tell your hubby you'll do his laundry if he irons your son's shirts ! Why should you be solely responsible for your son looking presentable ? My dad used to iron my school uniform not my mum !

Do you have a launderette nearby?
When my washing piled up once to uncontrollable levels, I washed stuff and took them to the launderette to dry. Very useful for bed linen and towels.

I don’t iron anything. Last time my DS1 spotted the ironing board in the crap pile that is my utility room, he thought it was a bladdy surfboard, IDK why I still have it!

Yeah, I do think a lot of people just go with the flow on here and post things that they thinks will get a rection out of others.

E.g. I don't own an iron / Why have I still got an ironing board / My kids laugh when they see one and wonder what it is!

Really? I do not believe most of these posts to be honest 🤔

Putting a load on each morning (or every other morning) is a good idea, then I can empty it when I get home.

That's not such a good idea if you don't intend to iron. To have uncreased clothes, it is best to take them out of the machine as soon as it stops then put shirts on hangers and other clothes on washing line or airer. I also live in a damp place but still manage to dry outside most of the year. Wind certainly helps and seems to blow out any residual creases as well.

I am going to go against the grain and say I do own an iron and an ironing board. I use it to iron my silk or linen blouses or dresses. As far as I am aware, school uniforms are made from neither silk nor linen!

I don't own an iron / Why have I still got an ironing board / My kids laugh when they see one and wonder what it is!

Really? I do not believe most of these posts to be honest

But why would people lie?

Why do you have such a problem grasping that other people do things differently to you?

I never iron my DDs Nursery uniform...I never iron anything.

As long as she's clean and presentable I don't mind.

Big tip I learnt. If you take the uniform jumpers and polos out of the washer as soon as it's finished and hang them on a a hanger to dry, they look like they've been ironed.

I hate ironing and what I do is give clothes a proper shake to get out creases before hanging straight then a quick once over with a hand held steamer. Steamer cost me £8 from Wilkos and is the best thing I’ve ever bought. Saves a TON of time and gets creases out just as good (if not better) than an iron in a fraction of the time.

Ironing will dry damp clothes more quickly than a hairdryer in my experience. But that's the only circumstance in which I would do it.

In answer to the question originally asked- do I look down on someone who does not iron? No- there are things I do look down upon, such as persistent lateness.

Sorry to read that your husband has some attitudes that were left behind my most men at least 30 years ago.

Wash everything at home then take it all tp the laundrette to go in a big drier. I can get 4 loads in one drier it costs 4 to dry it all. I go and have a quiet coffee in the 40 mins it takes then go and fold it all out of the machine and sort into bags - one for each person. All washing done and dry in half a day. I also hate wet washing indoors and have a husband who hoards dirty washing in his floordrobe.

Believe me, I don't 😅

However the sneering at those in here that do like to iron is quite annoying 🙄

I am a bit of a stickler for ironing but I absolutely hate it and only iron things before they need to be worn. I would judge you though. To be honest when the kids get home from school they look like they’ve been dragged through a hedge anyway! If it bothers you, you could try hanging them up on the bathroom when you shower and the steam will help any creases drop out.

Sorry I mean I WOULDN’T judge you 🤦‍♀️

Why not try a washer dryer all in one? Don't worry about the creases OP. It does not matter one little bit.