Do you pay someone to do your ironing?

[Peckarollover]

If so, how much do you pay and what do they offer?

seriously considering doing this.

BUMP

Hi peckarollover! I have ironing done weekly and I deliver and pick up. It works out about £12-14 for a very full basket, which includes 6-8 shirts. I supply hangers (people usually have loads so its no hardship) and the shirts are hung and covered in plastic. Everything else is folded.
There is a (very busy) service near here which is £11 per hour, not sure how much they'd get through in an hour. Hope this helps. I think its a great idea!!

Im having trouble locating the plastic covers - anyone have any ideas?

aha! found some

Our nanny does quite a lot of it (I pay her extra tho she does it in her normal hours when dd is napping). I give her £5 an hour on top. When it gets out of control I either send it to the ironing service or get my mum to do it and pay her. I just can't be arsed with ironing, sorry.

oh sorry pecka just realised that you didn't want to give it out but to receive (you are INSANE btw!!)

Our ironing service does it by weight but I couldn't tell you the amounts, I give them a vast pile, say 2 black bin bags full, and they charge about £45 usually

btw I have a billion metal coathangers that you are so welcome to, wonder if it would be economical to post them to you?

Metal hangers would be fab - but like you say I wonder what the logistics of sending them would be.

I probably am very crazy but Im getting very accustomed to SAHMdom that ironing in my pjs to earn a crust is quite attractive - probably wont be saying that in a week!

I have a message on my answermachine enquiring about my prices and Im scared to ring him back!!!

Peckarollover, oince you've started to make a bit of money, consider ghetting an Elna press. it is so much quicker for everything, including shirts, (once you lesarn the knack, wwith shirts) my regular ironong lady was supplied with one by the company she worked for and she found it cut the ironingtime in half.

Lok out for one on ebay or your local paper. I have one and they are brilliant. I send my shirts out because I get them washed and ironed on hangers in plastic for £1.20 each and I can' t be bothered with them costing so little. But I love dping my bedlinene on the press, it looks sooo good and smooth.

Good luck

Peck - I used an ironing service a couple of years ago and stuff was picked up in a black bag. Shirts / trousers returned on wire hangers - bundled together in groups of 5 or so secured by cable ties and plastic over each bundle. For other stuff she had one of these folding plastic crates and would hand it to me at the door - I would unpack it and hand it back. Now my cleaner does it - picks it up in a clothes basket and returns some back on hangers (provided by me) and the rest folded in the clothes basket.
The ironing service cost about £ 5.50 per hour & delivery charge approx. 4 years ago. The cleaner charges £ 6 per hour.

I love ironing becaue it is housework that can be done watching tv without the noise of something without hoovering or having to do much movemement say like mopping or dusting. When dp and I do a blitz on a friday afternoon I always opt for the ironing.

and it can be done sitting down did I mention that bit?

I use ironing service they charge about the same as you pecka. if it's bed linen then put it in plastic covers, shirts etc are on hangers and then covered by plastic. I hate ironing and willing pay someone to do it.

Have to admit I am tempted to pays someone to iton my bedlinen as I have to stand up to iron that. I tned to iron mine once it is on the bed, quicker and easier!

Hi Pecka, you could manage without plastic covers I reckon, you could say they're environmentally unfriendly (which they are!) and that if stuff is going straight from you to your customer to their wardrobe then plastic covers shouldn't be needed. I'd agree with that if I were your customer. No-one questions The Body Shop when they ask you not to take a carrier unless you really need one do they? It'll cut your costs slightly too. When you call back with prices tonight, state the prices and then WAIT. Don't be tempted to drop them or say 'is that OK?' or anything, just state them confidently and let there be silence, wait for a response. You need to be confident imo and e, don't offer to drop them or sound uncertain, call them back, smile and state your prices as if you've been doing it for years. Don't let on they're your first customer either! If someone can afford to pay you to iron then the odd few quid really isn't going to make a difference. Ooh, good luck!

WWW! Wish I had read this before I rang him back - I panicked when he asked me the prices and waffled on and took 10p off each price LOL

He seemed pretty interested and said he had piles to be done and would give me a call back. FINGERS CROSSED!!

Have also put a few flyers up in shops today.l

Oh, never mind! Good luck, I reckon you'll get some calls if you put posters up. If this bloke doesn't call back don't call him, wait for someone who will pay your prices (I feel sure they're not extortionate). They're calling you because they DON'T want to do their own ironing, they really want to use you, you just have to close the sale!

Where would you look if you wanted to get an ironing lady?

yes I do. I use the drop off ironing company which I found in yellow pages. you ring, they come that evening and drop it all back the next evening. I noticed my local lauderette offers the same service as well. As to how much it costs me, it varies. I tend to do myself the childrens things and my tops etc. But all dh's shirts and all bedding goes to the company. Costs around £15 a time and I send it every 2 weeks. But can be well over that if I have loads like after a holiday.

Just thought that I would post a little update here

I now have 5 regular customers and have invested in a steam generator iron.

This week I made myself a little website too

Well Impressed

I am actually well impressed - sorry very poor I know. Are you happy with that number of customers atm or are you still looking for more?

I'm still looking for more - got a new one this week (my 5th), he saw a card in the post office. So far I have only put cards up in shops etc - not done any "real" advertising yet.

I wonder if I could take in some ironing thus allowing me to hire a cleaner? Hmmm would much prefer doing somebody else's ironing than my own cleaning. But then its a commitment - can't just not do their ironing like I could my cleaning.

Peckarollover, have you got a netmums website for your area? Ours is fab, you can advertise for free, may be worth a go...