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Housekeeping

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Original poster

For those who don't iron

100 replies

bigfatgypsy · 02/10/2011 22:17

Do you really not iron 'anything'? What about shirts and blouses that crease?

I'd love to stop ironing but I don't see how I can. I have work blouses that I just can't wear wrinkled, and things like dd's school shirts just look messy if I don't iron them.

If I put everything in the dryer and then get them out in time I can just about get away with it, but I'm often at work all day so if I put them in first thing its ages before I can get them out and by then they're creased. And if I put them on the line the wrinkles just seem to set in.

How do you do it?

OP posts:

PacificDogwood · 03/10/2011 09:38

As lifelong non-ironer by conviction, I do concede that if I were in some kind of corporate job and if I felt I needed/wanted to wear cotton blouses, there would have to be some ironing. By whoever.... probably not me .

I really truly don't get the ironing of teatowels/pants/socks . Why? To what end??

BedHog · 03/10/2011 09:52

I don't iron. There is no need for me to wear woven cotton blouses or linen trousers, in fact the thought of dressing in such garments makes me feel a bit nauseous. There are plenty of smart clothes available which are made from lycra mixes and various other textile technologies which mean ironing is unnecessary. Most school shirts are stretchy polo shirts which don't need ironing, and if secondary schools insist on woven shirts, then 11 is plenty old enough for a child to do their own ironing (I ironed my dad's hankies when I was younger than that - what a waste of time).

I did use my iron a few weeks ago when customising some baby clothes with iron on transfers. Having not used it for well over 10 years, I first had to chip off some chalky residue from the plate, and prop up one of the legs from the circa 1960 ironing board on a couple of books!!

Bramshott · 03/10/2011 09:56

DH irons his work shirts. The only time I iron is if we're going to a wedding!

Today I am wearing linen trousers I have not ironed - I guarantee that by 8.30am they look exactly the same as if I'd spend ages ironing them. The trick I think is to shake everything out very well before line-drying it.

HerdOfTinyElephants · 03/10/2011 10:09

DH used to iron his work shirts. But the laundrette over the road washes and irons five shirts for £6 so we do that at the moment. I don't normally iron DS's school shirts as with careful laundering and hanging up they are fine, but I will occasionally if one has slipped through the net. When I was at work I tended not to wear shirts as, as notcitrus has said, they didn't really work over the bust.

I iron when I'm sewing things, but that's pressing rather than ironing really.

ArmageddonOuttahere · 03/10/2011 10:49

I only iron items I'm trying to flog on Ebay

Otherwise it's line-drying and a few crumples for me.

Anyone who judges my creases in really not worth giving a shiny shit about I'm looking at you, MIL

pigsinmud · 03/10/2011 11:06

I do not iron. Dh and dc wear cotton shirts. You wash, hang on line and fold neatly immediately and put in airing cupboard. The only things that look scruffy are my girls cotton summer school dresses. Even if you ironed those they would be creased by break time.

I admit you would need to iron linen, but it looks awful after you've worn it for 10 minutes anyway!

No problems with school shirts. Dc4 asked what the iron was for - it has now been moved to the loft.

Original poster

bigfatgypsy · 03/10/2011 11:47

Ok so my problem, it seems, is that I don't hang things on the line neatly (don't really understand this, how many ways can you hang something up?) or get them out of the dryer quickly enough to fold them smoothly - they tend to sit there for a few hours until I get home from work.

If I didn't work it would be easier as I have smart trousers and some blouses that really look bad creased. I'll be buggered if I'm only going to buy clothes that look like they don't need ironing though. I suppose I do what fits my lifestyle and many of those who don't iron also don't need to be smart so just don't have the same clothes I do.

I'm going to def try it with school uniform and non-work stuff though.

OP posts:

cat64 · 03/10/2011 11:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

madrush · 03/10/2011 11:58

I don't iron anything for me or dcs unless by the 20th wash a school shirt/polo shirt really looks awful.

I don't buy clothes for normal/work wear that would need ironing.

I do take care with washing - quickly from machine onto line and quickly from line onto hangers/folded neatly, to reduce creases.

Our cleaner irons work shirts for dh.

Bramshott · 03/10/2011 15:32

bfg - you want to give the things a really good shake when you take them out of the basket (a 'crack' is good!) and then peg them on the line so they stretched taut. Works for me!

But I'm sure you're right, if you have work shirts which crease, and need to look smart, you may never be able to free yourself from ironing completely. Luckily for me I am a slob work in the arts . . .

GetOrfMo1Land · 03/10/2011 15:35

I don't know how you can not iron - if tumbled or dried on a line, clothes still don't look 'finished' if they are not ironed.

What do you do about jeans and trousers? Do you not need to iron them? Mine always look creased despite removing them from machine immediately, and pulling the legs straight.

mistlethrush · 03/10/2011 15:37

I iron only the odd thing - like trousers or skirts when just washed. T shirts - don't iron. Ds has non-iron shirts for school. Dh can iron his if he wants to (he doesn't) but we hang on hangers from washing machine - no tumble drier. You can sometimes get crinkle cotton which I like because you screw creases into it when its damp....

KatieMiddleton · 03/10/2011 15:39

You iron your jeans getorf?

Dh does the ironing in our house. Only shirts mind. Nothing else.

My mother irons her sheets... she is bonkers

Paschaelina · 03/10/2011 15:41

I iron teatowels .

PetiteRaleuse · 03/10/2011 15:42

I iron five shirts a week for my husband to wear to work. I never iron anything else.

I get stuff out of the dryer when they are still hot so can kind of fold them into being neat looking.

I hate my iron.

Thumbwitch · 03/10/2011 15:42

I hang ALL DH's shirts on hangers to dry. Even on the line (hang the shirt on the hanger, the hanger on the line). That helps to minimise creasing - then he gets to decide whether or not they really need ironing before he wears them (and irons or not accordingly).

I hang everything up to dry, on an airer indoors after the line outdoors - then everything gets folded and put away. If when i get it out I really really truly believe it needs ironing, I will iron it - otherwise, sod it. DS is still only 3 so only has a couple of shirts that could need ironing but they also go on hangers to dry. Not sure how I'll deal with it when he has school uniform - probably iron the shirts if they need it - I ironed my own school shirts from 11 to 15 so I can do it (I just don't like to).

Jeans/trousers and heavy stuff all gets a good shake (hold by the waistband and whack 'em once or twice off my legs).

I mostly don't buy stuff that needs ironing anyway.

GooseyLoosey · 03/10/2011 15:42

I never used to iron anything at all. The dcs referred to an iron as something in grandma's house.

Then... one day I read a thread here which said that all those non-ironers who thought that the wrinkles in their clothes were not really that noticeable were living in a fool's paradise.

I went home and looked at what I regarded as slightly wrinkled but acceptable and saw the light.

I bought an ironing board that sits on the table and I sit down with the family on Sun and iron selected items. It still does not amount to much, but I suspect as a family we look a lot less crumpled!

Paschaelina · 03/10/2011 15:43

And DH's pants. And jeans. And bedding. All clothes bar socks and my underwear. DHs thermals get a going over in the winter too.

GetOrfMo1Land · 03/10/2011 15:46

Yes I iron my jeans - not with a great big crease down the front though, I am not a dweeb

I iron jeans inside out< otherwise they go shiney.

Am I abnirmal to iron jeans then?

KatieMiddleton · 03/10/2011 16:00

Yes

Surely your jeans just get uncreased when you put them on? Or maybe yours aren't as tight as mine!

ledkr · 03/10/2011 16:00

I dont iron much,i tumble dry when nearly dry then give it a good shake,however there are a few things i cant avoid ironing such as cotton baby dresses and school skirts.My dh does his own shirts but the copper uniform has recently changed to a kind of nylon black top thing which is non iron so he no longer has to bother.
Stuff like bedding joggers and underwear,dont need ironing imho.

ledkr · 03/10/2011 16:02

My jeans are well filled so i dont need to iron them,maybe a good way of avoiding extra ironing is to eat more cake and less salad.

PastGrace · 03/10/2011 16:11

But non-ironers...does that mean you never sleep in a bed with lovely crispy new sheets?

The one thing I absolutely will not compromise on is unironed bedding. I'll wear a dress that's been hung up to dry and then steamed in the bathroom when I shower, but bedding...bedding NEEDS ironing, surely?

Thumbwitch · 03/10/2011 16:14

Can't stand crispy sheets, personally...

PetiteRaleuse · 03/10/2011 16:15

I do sleep in a bed with lovely crispy new sheets... when I go to my mum's, or to my MIL or to a hotel.

The other 50 weeks of the year I cope with rumpled sheets.

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