15 shirts a week

[theonlygirl]

DS2 starts big school in September, meaning there will be 15 shirts in the laundry each week. DH 5, DS1 5, DS2 5.
no issue washing and drying them but it will be a cold day in hell before I stand ironing their shirts. I don't use a tumbledryer so they all definitely need ironing.

Option 1 - make them iron their own.
Option 2 - drycleaners

Curious to know what others do

Teaching someone how to make a sandwich (absolutely a must) is very bloody indifferent than making them responsible for doing it every single day, because you can’t be bothered to.

That’s my point!

I iron them. My kids, I look after them!

Have you tried the febreeze ironing spray. I haven't used it yet but have some. Supposedly hang and spray and let it dry. But not sure if it works! Or how

My dc are 14 and 16. I've never ironed their school shirts. I also don't wash them every day. They don't smell. Some people seem to enjoy making life difficult for themselves! Dh wears non-iron shirts, but would iron his own (and does, on the occasion that one actually looks like it needs it).

DH irons his own.
DSs’ won’t need changing every day. Plus - won’t they wear a jumper on top so no-one will see them?

Secondary school aged kids are perfectly capable of ironing shirts. One of mine enjoyed doing his, the other hated it so he got £1 extra pocket money for doing his brother's too (was 10 years ago so inflation may need to be taken into account!)

Alternatively, if you buy non-iron shirts and hang them on the line to dry then put them all on hangers and hang them in a line on say a curtain pole, a good steam generator iron will let you steam them hanging up really quickly to an almost perfect state too.

Actually might be lenor

I used to do 15 a week every sun night
Didn't take long
No way would I have spent money on an ironing service or dry cleaners!

When I first went onto maternity leave 15 years ago I explained to DH that I would happily look after the house, but would NEVER be ironing this shirts. He went out and bought a load of Charles Tyrwhitt ones. Teen's shirts all seem to have been non-iron for her school career.

Admittedly we time a shirt wash so that we are around to whip them out and put them on hangers, but they seem fine. If not, we hang them up in the bathroom after a shower.

School shirts don't need ironing. Men can do their own ironing. Why would you be ironing any shirts?

It wasnt because I didnt want to but because they did!
Mine were Guides/ Scouts-they had to do their own uniforms.
It was part of teaching them life skills.

Stop with all the neglectful nonsense.
They loved it, I taught them, it was part of family life to learn this stuff.
I didnt lie in bed while they ran the household fgs!
Sat mornings they took in turns to do uniform washing, hang it out and then iron .
hardly difficult.
Yes we cooked meals together, they didnt have to forage for scraps
All now fully functioning adults.

Dry on a hanger, outside if possible.

Buy easy care shirts.

Teach children to iron their own. Adults should know already.

I'd still be in charge of washing to make sure that all got done and stains removed.

Is @theonlygirl coming back, do you think?

Sounds like you’re doing 10 shirts a week now, and I hope there’s a good reason for that. If there is, then it probably extends to you being responsible for 15 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve got 2 teens and never ironed a school shirt for them in my life:

• buy non iron


• hang up to dry


• remember that the act of wearing to school will take out small creases


• jumpers and blazers hide a multitude of sins for 2 terms a year anyway (but honestly, points 1 to 3 mean they don’t have to)

I have 2 sons and for a while my then DH had a job where he had to wear a shirt every day. I never once ironed any shirts. They were polycotton and I hung them on hangers and honestly they weren't creased at all. The only difference I could see was there wasn't that crease along the sleeve that you iron in - but as they were wearing jackets or blazers, that didn't show.

I told them they could have creased shirts (although they weren't) or a creased mum (well I am a bit creased now I guess) or they could iron them themselves (ha - fat chance !). We chose the hanger option.

For many years I had a hanger which would take 5 shirts which was brilliant. I could never find another at the time, but they do have them now at Amazon.

www.amazon.co.uk/Multi-Blouse-Shirt-Hanger-W40cm/dp/B006VWQF64

They're old enough to iron their own shirts. Honestly, I didn't do this with my kids, all the laundry, housework, cooking stuff and I really wish I had, I'm regretting it now that they're adults, they find it very difficult and resent me suddenly expecting them to step up in the house. Normalise it now then they'll not think about it as they age, it will just be what they do. Learn from my mistakes.

I'm always curious as to how clothes hung on hangers never have creases in for other mumsnetters. This has never worked for me, even when I tweak and pull them into shape. Even "non-iron" shirts look creased after washing.

Maybe I am fussy and prefer my clothes to be ironed (a job I don't mind at all because I watch TV while doing it)

My kids (12 and 15) make their own breakfast and 15 year old makes their own lunch. I normally do laundry, I occassionally ask someone else to hang the washing out but no other family member (including DH) seems to have any concept of hanging stuff properly to dry - it always looks like it's been thrown on the line or clothes airer from several metres away 🙄

My daughters ironed from the age of 11.

Make the shirts as crease-free as possible - line or hanger dry. Don't screw them up in the wash basket.

Your DH does his own (and other ironing too.)

My DH has done all the ironing (including mine!) for years

I Have not ironed for years. Straight out of washing machine ( do not overload) , smooth out and hang to dry. If DH needs something ironed for a face to face meeting he does it himself. Ironing definitely over rated. Life is too short.

Forgot - my son was a bit older (I hadn't seen the light then) but was certainly doing his own by 13

We hang shirts while still wet. They end up mostly un-creased. School shirts will be under a jumper or blazer anyway so scarcely seen
The rule in our household is that if you want your shirt ironed you do it yourself. This means that DH does sometimes and the DC never do.
I was doing all the ironing in the house from age 9, so sounds like (from some of the posts) that I was definitely exploited.

I'd consider big school to be Reception, but it's unusual for Reception children to wear shirts, and they surely won't need a fresh one every day, so I assumed the OP meant secondary school. I wouldn't expect a Reception age child to iron, but would train them to be starting supervised from around age 7/8.

I can’t imagine making 11yo be responsible for their laundry, wouldn’t have enough to make full loads either if everyone did their own. But I was either SAHM or part-time so had time to do the laundry for everyone.

DH would chip in if I had had a particularly busy week, and is probably better at ironing than me.

DS was either busy with homework or activities. Also had long commute at secondary school so wouldn’t get home much before 6, couldn’t imagine showing him the laundry basket when he got home. He is responsible for putting things in the laundry basket and putting his clothes away

Our cleaner does them.

Yea, I bet they loved it 😆 You keep telling yourself that. Am no, they so don’t have to do uniforms every day being in guides/scouts - that’s not true at all. What you are prepared to do in your house for your kids, is your business, not that of guides or scouts.

I have two fully functioning adult (near adult) children too. I still met their basic needs as a parent though. They can cook clean, garden etc … all very well. But their day to day, week to week, year to year needs were met by me and their dad. As is the role of a parent for a child.

One of the DC is question is 11.

11 years old!

And paying a child to do this, is a completely different scenario entirely.