Okay, the AIBU thread got me ironing, and now I have questions for you Iron Everything types

[tortoiseonthehalfshell]

It was a glorious day in the Tortoise household yesterday; intrigued by the long AIBU thread about ironing kids' clothes, I decided to try it on for size. So I dragged out the iron and a basket of clothes, wrestled the remote control from my husband, and spent an hour watching Stephen Fry and ironing.

By bedtime, I had a nice little pile of clothes. Three work shirts for me, two t-shirts for my husband and 5 tops, 2 pairs of pants and a summer dress for my (14 mo)daughter. Oh, they did look all nice and neat, in their little pile.

But the thing is...it was an awfully little pile. I didn't do any bottom halves for the adults in the house. I certainly didn't do any of the invisible clothes (underwear, socks, etc). And my work shirts were all satin or polyester blends, so not difficult to iron at all.

I reckon that to iron three days' worth of outer clothes for three people would have taken two hours. If I'd added in things like sheets, teatowels, underclothes, etc., it'd have taken three. So that's an hour per day to keep up with the ironing.

I don't have an hour a day!

So here are my questions:

Am I just a really shit ironer? How long does it take you to iron a basket of clothes? If you're an Iron Everything person, how much time per day does it take? Are there good ways to make it go faster?

Because, I did so enjoy seeing my little one in an ironed frock for a change this morning.

I usually iron in the evening in front of the television. An hour would probably be a full load of washing. YOu need to know how to iron a shirt though: there is a method!

Who the fuck irons teatowels? Really???

Sorry, can't help with your question - I don't do an awful lot of ironing.

Three days of outer clothes for three people would take two hours???

Eh?

So, three shirts, three jumpers, three skirts / trousers?

Hmm.... Would take me about 20 minutes if that.

I do three loads of washing a day, cant imagine 3hrs of ironing too

NonVinagriette, no, it would be 3 shirts for me, 3 shirts for him, probably 5 (t-)shirts for our daughter, plus about 6 pairs of pants of varying sizes. Your calcs are assuming everyone's wearing their clothes for 3 days running.

Is this the secret? Wear shirts for three days?

I think maybe I am really inefficient. Is it a practise thing? Because seriously, I don't get an hour in front of the telly most evenings.

Tortoise - listen up.

You only iron things that need ironed.

Why would a teatowel need ironed? (I'm sure I'll be corrected).

I hang washing as soon as it's finished washing, fold it up and put in drawers. I only iron what needs ironed. Even ds' school shirts go straight on a hanger and in his wardrobe.

Iron shirts? he is buying the wrong types. Ironing is a boring chore, it has no merit, do as little as possible.

That thread got me thinking the other day too. I am an ironer, I hate it with a passion and have tried many times not to iron but always end up with that huge pile waiting for me! I do a lot of shaking, folding and hanging straight from the line/drier and my 12yo ds only seems to own sports wear which is wonderful as never requires an iron but there's the rest of the stuff that despite my best efforts to ignore really does need a quick iron!

I do 3-5 loads of washing a day and tend to iron infront of tv once or twice a week usually sunday mornings before dh and ds1 appear. I reckon it's about 3-4 hours a week.

And re the do you / don't you sheets and tea towels issue. I always used to scoff at my mother for ironing sheets but have been known to do them now- not every time but if they need it. The odd tea towel has crept in too. I would even go so far to say that once I get going I almost enjoy it, it's quite satisfying

It seems I'm becoming pretty anal as I mature get older

Monty, don't you sometimes get those scrunched-up tea towels after they've been washed that no amount of flattening or folding will help?

Although...You probably do but I suspect you are normal and you'd just fold and put away...

really? WTF am I doing ironing tea towels???

Tea towels get WET in their normal use!

Yes I wear clothes 2-3 times before washing, trousers more times.

I iron most things (not towels or fitted sheets but yes vests and jamas for some mad reason).

I reckon I spend about 5 hrs a week on it at least. Yesterday I got to the bottom of a basket that had been building up, had started attack on it Sunday I think. There are 5 people in my house tho and DS1 (10) is almost as big as a grown-up

An hour a day would more than see it off. Do you really not have an hour when you watch TV or chat to DH?

(not seen other thread btw but may look now!)

Ellie - pmsl, no, I don't, they get a shake before I hang them up. Then when they're dry I fold them up and put them in a drawer.

Oh bless you, that made me smile.

Don't lose any sleep over it.

Thanks Monty, think I my go off to bed now and dream about re-arranging my airing cupboard in colour order.......
Night

Sorry that was brief! I also think that you get quicker and more efficient at ironing with practice.

Okay, so if you can do all that ironing in 5 hours for 5 people, I should be able to do it (well, less, because I'm not starting on vests any time soon) in less than 3 for three people. Especially given that my husband is a student so wears t-shirts and jeans, not crisp business shirts.

So clearly I am a bit shit at it. That's actually good to know, means I can get better.

But no, I really don't have an hour most nights. I get up at 6am, am out of the house by 7, get home at 6.30pm. By the time I've cooked, eaten dinner with the family, given my daughter a bath, let her play for a bit, read her stories and put her to bed it's 8.30pm. Then there's other chores (running laundry, cleaning kitchen, etc) which we both muck in and do till 9. That leaves me an hour on an efficient night before I have to be in bed, and that hour includes my own shower and setting out clothes for the next day. If my daughter is in a particularly playful mood it might be closer to 9pm before she's even asleep.

So I can make an hour in the evenings if I try hard, but not every night and sometimes it's nice to just sit and read a book.

Monty, you're assuming I'm home to hang washing as soon as it's done! I tend to put a load on in the morning while I'm having coffee, come home and hang it in the evening.

Gosh, I'm very woe-is-me, aren't I? Don't mean to be, I have a great life. Just trying to work out how to run it more efficiently.

sunday afternoon used to be my ironing day.

1 weeks worth of washing, 7 people in the house, only ironed outer clothing, never ironed underwear, pj's, bedding, tea-towels, and it used to take me the best part of 4hrs!!

I used to save up my box sets for my ironing days......and watch 4 episodes, or if I was on a film stint, 2 films.

THEN, MN pointed out the error of my ways and informed me that if I shook everything as I hung it up to dry (which I already did), and then folded it as soon as I took it down (again, already did as part of my waching OCD), then it shouldn;t really need ironing, and that I might even be able to get away with never ironing again.

Soooooooooooooo

I tried it.

and damn me if it didn;t work

I do still need to iron the occasional item, especially if I am stoppid enough to buy linen clothing , but on the whole, most things, once on the body and warm, don;t ever look as tho they have never seen an iron in its life, and my children don;t ever look like urchins and as tho their mummy doesn;t care.

I am reborn

only problem is, I don;t get to do the fiml/box set stint anymore.

This is a brilliant thread.
I'm a couple of weeks from birth of DD4 and have been feverishly nesting - which includes ironing (don't normally do that !!). The problem is that the airing cupboard looks so LOVELY all neat and stacked up, that now I"m scared I"ll have to carry on.

BTW did anyone see the youtube clip about how to fold a fitted sheet so it looks neat in the cupboard ? - AMAZING - took a little practice, but it has changed my life

FourLittleDucks A youtube clip about how to fold a fitted sheet so it looks good? Now that sounds like my kind of youtube clip. I'm off!

-Runs swiftly from the room over to you tube to search for ocd clip library

Do those of you who put on 3 or 5 loads of washing per day have very large families? I struggle to imagine just how I could fill the washing machine 3 times (let alone 5 times!) a day?! Mind you, I do remember one poster saying she washes her bathmats every single day.... again!

For me bed linen & towels get washed once a week. All tops & underwear get washed once worn, but jeans, trousers, etc., get recycled and worn loads more than once!

I do occasionally iron, but only when it's really required. I actually don't mind it, but just find it a faff getting the board, etc., out.

FLD, I did see that YouTube clip & it is genius. Tis exactly how I fold my sheets now (although I don't make quite as good a job!).

Such a selection of clips on you tube,am going to settle down wit a cup of tea to watch them!

Rindercella I wash like you do - sheets & towels once a week tops and underwear washed when worn, trousers as long as they can last! But I still do 3-5 loads everyday, don't think my family's particularly big,

dh is a dirty builder with a change of clothes when he gets in but usually wears clothes more than once
ds1 12y has school uniform - 1 shirt a day, trousers every 2 or 3, plays football most afternoons - all for the wash, then clothes, usually all to be worn again + pj's 2 nights.

ds2 2.7 and dd1 7m 1 outfit a day all washed and 1x pj's each.

dh plays rugby saturdays and ds1 (in addition to going to the park during the week!) football trains saturdays and plays matches on sundays so have 3 lots of muddy sports stuff every weekend. Also have dog blankets and towels once a week.

Have to do min of 3 loads a day or you can't see my bathroom floor, although it is better since dss moved out last year, he stored his washing under bed/back of cupboards until he had no clothes left to wear

Any tips for reducing this lot would be gratefully received...........please

Tortoise - I'm not at home during the day either. But I won't put washing in unless I'm going to be there when it's finished, otherwise it'll be all crumpled and need ironing. This is not easy to achieve obviously when you're not there all day but I am a bit obsessed about opposed to having to iron everything.

I'll stick towels and underwear and such like in when I'm going out as they can get as wrinkled as they like.

yes I too am staggered that anyone does 3-5 loads a day!!

That's up to 35 loads a week. Really???

As I saaid, 5 people in my house including messy boys and football kit; I do about 8-9 loads a week. Have a big washer tho (well, 5-6kg). I can easily get a load of double bedding in it and have discovered on MN that this is not everybody's situation.

Still, 5 loads a day? If I did 5 loads in one day (heaven forbid, there would be nowhere to dry it all) not only would I have none to do for most of the week, but we would have nothing dry to wear .

tortoise I haven't timed my five hours but I will if you like. Starting yesterday then I shall see how much time I spend on it this week.

Your schedule sounds a bit busy I agree; I think I do it by a) not being home as late as you, agree I am lucky, so the kids are in bed/sorted a bit sooner and b) going to bed a lot later. I don't seem to need more than 6-7 hrs' sleep.

You lot are brilliant.

Clary, I consider myself lucky that my daughter goes to bed so late (it's her choice, not mine, she's a night owl) because it means I get to spend lots of time with her in the evenings even after a long day. But yes, an almost 12 hour work day (with commute) and a need for 8 hours sleep does cut down the available free time! I don't always get to bed on time, obviously, but that's because I think, oh, I'll just check mumsnet/finish this chapter/arrange some coughs adult time with my husband. It's not going to be because I think, I should iron that t-shirt better.

Don't know what a tripod thingy is, don't have an airing cupboard, or a drier, but I think those are just details right? Like the two baskets dark/lights concept. I do cloth nappies too so that adds to washing loads, but obviously don't iron those.

(...please, no-one tell me they iron those!)

Reckon I do about 8 loads a week with three people. 3 loads of nappies, 2 lights, 2 darks, 1 delicates. Without the nappies it'd be 5 loads. EllieAnne, are you doing maybe too many categories/small loads? I can't imagine how you get to 35.