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’m only a couple of years older than you and I iron most things (clothing - I don’t do sheets, tea towels etc) but I’m definitely in the minority. A lot of my friends don’t iron anything.

I usually iron my own clothes, DH irons his and we share the ironing for the kids.

I'm in the "buy clothes that don't need ironing" camp and mostly hang dry to get rid of creases, but can anyone recommend a good steamer for those occasions when I need it?

Been meaning to buy one for aaaages but then start looking and get in an endless spiral of reviews...

I'm 32 and I do iron. I do a household linens session once a week because it makes things easier to store. We add the occasional bit of clothing off the line in to that batch if it needs doing. Will do it there & then if it can't wait though. Not that many of mine or dps things do these days; we just have less stuff that needs ironing atm but a few things always look better with a press. I iron before stuff goes away and DP does his v smart shirts and trousers again before he wears them to be sure they're at their best.

When I worked in retail and was expected to wear the stock, it all got ironed. I used to do an ironing basket every couple of days then! Nowadays I usually wake up quite early on a Saturday so I put tv on and knock off my basket. I don't mind ironing & swap with DP for him doing a couple of more physical chores that I don't like. Unless they're retail style big ones - and who has the room for one? - I also don't rate steamers. They're good for a few v delicate items and that's it. My handheld does silks and that's it.

Tips for ironing:
Pick a tv series you like to watch or do it when you'd be watching tv anyway.

If you have lots, do it as you go.

Stretch a fabric out & run the iron along it - YouTube will help to guide you.

Practice on a couple of tea towels or something til you feel more confident. You don't have to keep doing all your tea towels, just do this until you're confident and unlikely to wreck/sacrifice your clothes!

Tell your MiL that if she wanted her adult sons clothes to be ironed, she should have taught him to iron. I know plenty of men who iron- after retail I worked alongside the military and they nearly all ironed beautifully. My dad learnt in the army in the 50s and does most of his own to this day.

I iron clothes, tea towels, pillowcases, handkerchiefs etc., but I enjoy ironing and would far rather do it than actual housework - which only gets done when the place starts looking like a tip! Also, I wear natural fabrics, which do tend to need ironing - I would rather spend every day ironing my clothes than wearing some ghastly fabric just because it doesn't need ironing.

I have a steam generator iron.

I iron all clothing, including PJs. I will run over tea towels as they look a scruffy mess otherwise.

bedding is washed and ironed by the dry cleaners.

I do around 2 hours of it a week. I just couldn’t wear something that hadn’t been ironed.

I don’t tumble dry anything and the washer is 1600 spin so we just couldn’t get away with not ironing

We use crease release spray instead of ironing. DH's work uniform shirts are a horrible polyester blend but it does mean they don't crease badly in the wash.

We have a steam generator iron but I couldn't tell you the last time I used it, but I have chronic pain and fatigue so I have other things I would rather spend my little energy on instead. DH does iron some things at times but he prefers to use the spray too.

I iron most things as I don’t like wearing/sleeping in polyester or the like.
I iron pillowcases and quilt covers, tea towels, shirts, polo shirts, pyjamas..
DH can iron and would do ot if I didn’t, but he has his chores and I quite enjoy ironing.
As for how to do it, maybe watch a video. It’s not difficult.

I very rarely iron.
I get things out of the washing machine and hang them up straight away so the creases fall out.
I do iron our DS (5years old) school uniform and he always polishes his shoes. I iron the crease in the front of his trousers and his shirts if needed.

The last time I tried to iron a duvet cover noidea what possessed me, my cats decided to sit in it. I hadn't even started, I was just getting it organised on the board. That was, something like, 20 years ago.

Ironed sheets are lovely to lie on also...

I don't iron.
School uniform is hung up in the airing cupboard. Anything else is straightened out on the dryer or goes on the washing line, on hangers if necessary.

I don't iron, I just don't care if my clothes have some creases in them. The only thing I will iron is perler bead art and I'm pretty shit at that, they always bend can never get them flat.

@Pottedpalm what has polyester got to do with it? Our sheets are always 100% cotton and we wouldn't even consider ironing them!

@Nannyfannybanny 😂 I don't iron, but I hang up or fold immediately after drying and things just aren't creasy. I wouldn't wear, or get my kids to wear, clothes that are dirty or smelly! Totally different.

I never used to iron until I had kids, then I took a huge amount of pride in them being well turned out, at least at the start of the school day.

then I started doing a few of my own stuff, so I bought a big steam generator which made it easier and I got better at it.

I never iron bedding, towels or underwear.

WT* is an Iron?

I don’t iron. DH works in an office and our cleaner irons his shirts. Life is waaay to short for ironing.

I was in my local art shop (the one featured in Troubled Blood if there are any Strike fans reading) on Friday and they have a sign up that says 'Blow the ironing, I'm going to paint'. I thought of this thread.

If you find ironing mindful/relaxing or get genuine pleasure from being neatly pressed - fine. If it is a chore and you'd much rather be doing something else then it's a complete waste of time.

Same!

Iron pillowcases, tea towels, dusters, tablecloths, shirts, skirts, thin cotton trousers, dresses, nightdresses made from WOVEN cotton.

Do not iron jeans, knitted cotton tops and tee shirts, towels, joggers, underwear and socks, sheets and duvet covers.

Save it up and do it once a fortnight. When you iron a shirt, do it in the following order: collar, yoke or shoulders, cuffs, sleeves, button band, front, back. Easier to iron stuff that’s slightly damp. Buy yourself a steam generator iron, it’s a LOT easier!

How disrespectful, calling your mother who brought you up all alone 'lazy'. She sounds like she taught you self-reliance, whereas your MiL babies your husband.

Ironing is a pointless exercise designed to keep housewives busy! It's also bad for the environment.

Seriously tell MIL to button it and throw the iron out.

I enjoy ironing - quiet room, podcast, or sometimes I’ll FaceTime a friend while I’m doing it. Housework you can do sitting down!

Most of our clothes are cotton, as is bedding and tea towels, but I get through it all quite fast - one afternoon a week, usually. I don’t iron underwear or synthetic fabrics, apart from I do press school trousers.

I enjoy reducing a chaotic jumble to neat little ironed piles. And I love getting into a bed with freshly ironed sheets.

I iron things while still damp, so it’s easier - either I grab them of the line early, or use the “iron dry” setting on the tumble dryer.

I do the whole family’s washing and ironing, DH does all the washing up/loading unloading the dishwasher, and sorting recycling. We both feel we have the best deal, so it’s perfect!

I iron everything. I hate crumpled clothes and despite what the MN hive insists, you can tell when something hasn't been ironed.

With the cost of heating the house it's become my favourite job to do. Telly on and lots of lovely warm towels, sheets and clothes to handle.

I iron most clothes but I hate ironing shirts so my DH and adult DS iron there own shirts. I don't iron bedding (except the duvet cover and pillowcases for the guest bedroom). I was brought up in a household where my DF mostly did the family ironing and he ironed everything - socks, pants, tea towels, bedding as well as clothes for a family of 5.

I iron a few bits a week if I'm going to wear them for work.

Wouldn't dream of doing DH's - unless he's literally cleaning my shoes for me