To not know how to iron at 32?

[Boymum1005]

Not due to any pretentiousness. Was bought up on a farm, very outdoorsy childhood with a lazy single mum. Was always the kid at school/events with the unironed uniform, did my own washing from year 6 onwards… didn’t do my washing? - going to school in dirty clothes, old enough to use the washing machine = old enough to do your own washing.

DH bought up totally differently. Mother did everything for him, was still changing his bed and putting his clothes away when I met him living at home at 25. And of course everything was ironed pristinely.

MIL has made a few comments about DH’s shirts clearly not being ironed (he’s a workman so doesn’t wear shirts for office, just for social events). I tend to reply with a sarcastic comment about how if he wants his clothes ironed he can do it himself. He won’t. He says he will, but never does. It used to irritate the s* out of me, but now I’m becoming more conscious about looking scruffy. And I definitely don’t want my DS’s to grow up feeling like the scruffy kids.

So I ask the Mumsnet community - how do YOU iron?
Do you iron ALL clothes or just work/school/formal?
Daily/weekly/as and when needed?
Do you have an “ironing pile” or just instinctively know what will need ironing?

We have a small house with 2 DC’s so we do about 2 loads of washing per day. Where do you find the time?!

Any and all tips appreciated

I haven't ironed since about 2014 but my kids are at the coming home from nursery covered in paint stage. I will iron their school uniforms when the time comes, probably in front of the telly after they've gone to bed, as that's the only time I'll have to do it I reckon!

YANBU, we don’t own an iron. I buy clothes that don’t need ironing and hang clothes straight to dry out the washer. They don’t get creased. I borrow DMs iron if we have a shirt or something formal

I rarely iron - I mostly wear jersey dresses that don’t need ironed. If I am going to wear something that needs ironed I just iron that one item. Once my daughter starts school I’ll obviously iron her uniform etc - probably do the whole lot at the weekend. As for my other half, if he wants to wear a shirt he knows where the iron is!

Hang up straight away - rarely iron. I do have one for formal occasions though

YANBU. I didn't grow up with an iron in the household so was also always the scruffy one. Taught myself to iron (badly) when I left home. Haven't ironed for years as I taught my sons (DS2 in cadets so learned 'properly' from YouTube) and they iron anything they want ironing. My uniform and DD's is non-iron and I buy clothes that don't need ironing.

You can get non-iron school shirts so you may get out of doing it until they go to secondary school and can learn to iron themselves.

I tend to iron more creases into things than I get out.

Surely you know hardly anyone on MN irons? I iron my clothes always have. I don't have many polyester or viscose clothes. I'm in the minority though.

MIL has made a few comments about DH’s shirts clearly not being ironed

What on earth has that got to do with YOU?! Let alone her... What a saddo.

Barely anyone irons anymore. Tell her to talk to DH if she has something to say. FFS.

I don't iron at all. If something is very creased, I chuck it in to the dryer on "relax creases" normally sorts out it out. I do own an iron though

How do you iron? i’ve never even thought about it. You just plug it in and test test temperature on fabric and iron? Irons must be one of the most user friendly gadgets😊, surely. Your DH should be doing his own ironing, unless you don’t work outside the home and you’ve agreed to do those kinds of chores.

I iron once in a blue moon and am rubbish at it.
If any adults want something ironed they should do it themselves. Tell your MIL she didn't bring her son up well and that is not your fault.
I wouldn't want my kids being the only ones with non ironed stuff in school though - can't you buy shirts that don't need ironing? I thought that was standard today.

I do ironing, but I'm not ironing all the clothes, only T-shirts, jumpers, jeans, tea towels and tablecloths.

Usually once a week? When there's a basket full of clothes to be iron. I'm not ironing school uniforms, as I bought those that don't require ironing, which is a big help.

I don't really mind as it takes only hour a week and I don't like my kids and hubby going in a creased clothes.

My mum made an art of ironing shirts. She was fast, too! She was taught by an (Italian) aunt that worked in a genuine "Chinese Laundry" in North America. She taught me the method, which I use for special occasions. Unfortunately it takes me ten times as long!

Oh yeah, and I iron the teatowels, just because they're so much nicer that way.

DH does his own, I do my own. Sometimes if one of us is ironing we'll do the others...that's more likely to be him picking up mine than the other way round - he's also better at ironing then I am. I tend to wear stuff for work that doesn't need ironed.

I probably spend a couple of hours ironing every couple of months, he is every 3 weeks or so. I'm more likely to iron something just as I need it....

When he was wearing shirts to the office every day he had a lady that picked up the shirts once a fortnight and delivered them back beautifully done.

My dislike of ironing comes from a mum who ironed everything and expected me to iron my brothers' school shirts. I wouldn't.

Abut MIL, the next time she comments on DH shirts, OP should say "Yes, it's disgraceful; I thought you raised him better than that". The old b*h!

Thank goodness for MN, it’s comforting hearing that I won’t have to lose several precious hours a week doing a chore that I won’t enjoy and (largely) isn’t necessary!

I’ve always found that nice crisp clothes end up scrunched up once you’ve got into the car and put the seatbelt on anyway, so is there really much point?

Perhaps I’ll suggest DH pop round MIL’s for an ironing lesson ahead of our next social event

Last time I ironed anything was the dress I wore to my Mum’s funeral 12 years ago, using her (and my Dad’s) iron. She would have noticed the creases in my linen dress. I keep our (doubtless very dusty) ironing board behind a bedroom door, but have no idea where the iron might be. Modern fabrics don’t really need ironing - I dry my wet clothes on clothes-hangers over the Aga. Didn’t even need to iron my nurses’ uniforms, and for the decades I had horses I didn’t wear anything I couldn’t muck out or ride in.

Buy a garment steamer. Best thing I ever did. I literally can't stand ironing. If it's supposed to be easy, I missed the memo because I'm one who ends up ironing more creases into things than I get out and I don't understand how to do sleeves at all!

I avoid ironing like the plague. Most fabrics are fine these days if you spin them out well in the wash, shake out thoroughly and hang up straight away. But if things need it I will give them a quick go with the steamer on a hanger. As needed, never in big batches.

I don't think my iron has been out of the cupboard for several years 🤔

I iron as little as possible only if they look very creased. I am tempted to buy a steamer are they any good?

I iron everything except towels, socks, underwear and joggers.

Once a week, takes about 2 hours in front of the TV. I do it because I prefer putting things away ironed and keeping the drawers tidy more than how the clothes look when worn.

Never iron. Blast everything in tumblr drier even for a few minutes to get creases off then hung straight up to dry. Always think ironing is a mugs game and such a waste of time.

I iron nothing. Stuff gets folded out of the tumble dryer or hung and put away.

I'm with you - if your dh wants his clothes ironing then he can do it himself.

I took dd to toddler group once and there was a play iron. She had no idea what it was or how to play with it.

DON'T!!

I hang or lay flat everything straight out the dryer/off the line/track and never iron anything!