Some of you have told me this is what you've been waiting for...
Our ironing talk.
Forgive me, but it's going to be more of a lecture.
I just cannot see how some of you think this is an optional task. Yes, yes we have a hundred things to do during the week and it sounds virtuous if we say we skip over this "to spend time on what really matters". But it matters! You must iron in order to present yourself as a civilized person. Before you dismiss me, let me unpack my bag.
A hundred years ago, and even only 50 years ago, laundry use to be an arduous task. Here's Jana's summary of depression era laundry day :
"As for the laundry process, everyone was involved. First they sorted and emptied pockets, then turned every thing inside out to brush out all the seeds and stickers and dirt, soak it in a cool tub, boil a big kettle of water - only rainwater collected in a cistern though, hard water was too hard on the clothes - grandpa would shred the soap the night before and warm it on the warm range all night. Put the clothes in the boiler with soap. Whites first and then men's work clothes last. Everyone took turns working the washing paddles until it was time for school, when the clothes were clean they lifted them out of the water, put them through a hand-turned wringer and then into a cool tub of rinse water, then wrung them out again... Then all that again for the next load of laundry. THEN you dipped all the freshly washed laundry into a starch bath and hung it out to dry. Which was a another perfected art in itself - hanging it just so, so it would wrinkle as little as possible. And finally, they'd sprinkle water on the clothes, roll them tightly and put them in a basket to be ironed the next day."
Do we have to do half as much work as that? We push a few buttons and it's done. They still went to the trouble of ironing their clothes after all that work! We not only have easy washing, but comparatively easy ironing too. No iron to stick in the coals. Not everything we own is in need of ironing.
I know many of you who do not iron. Usually, like the bald patches, unevenness, and awkward lines of those who cut their own hair, you do not need to brag that you skip this chore. Your "work" speaks for itself. Your collars have all the crispness of an ancient treasure map. Your dress shirts looks like they were in a fist fight and lost. I'd say your table linens look tired and sad, but you don't use table linens.
I have noticed three classes of non-ironers:
Class 1-You don't know how to iron because your housekeeper always did if for you. Or you take all your clothes to the dry cleaners to have them pressed. (Rich!)
Class 2- you are able to hide behind wrinkle free shirts and easy care fabrics. You have developed tricks to produce reasonably smooth clothing straight from the dryer. But eventually this catches up to you. Your wrinkle free shirt has lost it's body and needs a good press with starch. Your son's collar has lost it's shape.
Class 3- you don't iron, don't care, and either look sloppy or wear stretch-only clothing.
Here is my case for ironing:
-It makes your clothes look nicer, more expensive.
-Wrinkles make you look fatter and sloppy.
-Today's fabrics iron easier and stay smooth with a little encouragement
-It makes your clothes look nicer, more expensive.
-Wrinkles make you look fatter and sloppy.
-Today's fabrics iron easier and stay smooth with a little encouragement
-There is no replacement for real cotton table linens. Not so fast, polyester.
-Ironing can be short and pleasant. It takes an hour a week or less of my time. When I have a stack I put on a movie/reality tv show after the kids have gone to bed and press along to the entertainment.
A few details:
-Ironing napkins is the perfect beginner ironing project. They are fast, taking a minute each, easy, and satisfying to see stacked up.
-Expensive irons are nice, but cheap irons work well. Invest in a good ironing board that doesn't wobble, and a good cover that attaches underneath so that it doesn't come off when you are handling large pieces.
-I always use a spray bottle. Irons that you fill with water for steam always end up having problems and leaving rust spots eventually. I'll take a spray bottle with a nice, fine stream.
-My husband irons his own clothes and our boys' church clothes on Sunday mornings.
-Occasionally, when I'm feeling nice and remember, I scoop up my husbands dress shirts and take them to the cleaners. They wash and starch them for $2 each. This is money well spent as they come back looking perfect and the starch stays in the fabric for a couple of washes.
-I still buy and appreciate wrinkle free, easy care, knit, and stretchy fabrics. I don't iron because I love the task but rather I love the look of well cared for clothing and linens.
If you don't iron, why? Why??! And what class are you?
If you don't iron, why? Why??! And what class are you?
19 comments:
I iron dress clothes, button up shirts, and table cloths. I still don't feel like I do as much as I'd like to. It probably stems from the fact that my mom has always (yes, even in ridiculous Soviet Union time) ironed everything: t-shirts, underwear, bedding, trousers, and of course shirts, dresses, table cloths. I mean, everything other than socks. I love love LOVE the look and want to do it more. Even sleeping on ironed sheets feels nicer.
On another note, ironing also actually makes your clothing cleaner.
You know Alisha, you definitly get this trait from your Grandma Packard. If there is any thing she was obsesive compolsive about it was ironing!! She hated wrinkles with a passion!! I remember watching her (when I was real young) use the big roller presser for sheets, table cloths etc.
When I was in Fashion Design school we were seriously taught the importance of a good press. You could really loose points on a project because of lack of pressing!
I congratulate Justin on doing his and the boys shirts!! Your Uncle Vern was taught at age 12 to iron his own dress shirts. However when he was in college he got lasy and pulled his shirts out of the "clean basket" and put them on! Yuk! This habit quickly changed when we were dating. I hate to say I have gotten more lazy and have been doing the straight from the dryer to the closet too much so I will work on that. Thanks for the reminder!
The GUILT is eating away at me. My daughter once saw the ironing board in the garage and asked, "Mom, what is that?" Perhaps I'll just teach her how to iron for me...
i have almost stopped ironing completely ever since we got a steamer...this is the way to go in my opinion. it is so much faster and can be done quickly in the AM when you're in a hurry.
there are some cases when ironing is better...like if the collar is wimpy and won't get crisp from the steamer and also i found that napkins don't steam well either - the edges are still not quit flat. but 90% of the time the steamer does the trick and is so convenient and quick. just make sure to use distilled water.
oh, and when i was younger, my dad used to pay me $1 per 3 ironed shirts, i did the same - put on a movie and iron away.
Starch? Pray tell, what is this thing, starch?
My husband irons everything! He loves to iron. He says it feels like he's "smoothing away his problems" and is very meticulous about it. Not only does he iron slacks and collared shirts, but shorts, jeans, tee shirts etc! I on the other hand iron next to nothing. I do realize the value of ironing pillow cases, sheets (only the top thank you!), napkins as well as certain items of clothing like linen skirts etc but try to get away without doing so. I haven't the slightest idea how to iron collared shirts so what few I do own normally go to the cleaners for the $2 special. Otherwise I favor stretchy flowy fabrics.
After we got married he was shocked to see me carefully ironing the top of our sheet, pillowcases, and napkins. He has the ironing board out every morning but I might get it out on a Saturday afternoon.
Ladies, ironing is a must do - not want to do. It is what puts the pep back into your lazy flimsy collar's step, the crease in your slacks or jeans. I have both the steamer for laid back fabrics that need a little refresh and the iron for cotton delicacies. I may be a mama of four living a middle class life, but my clothes tell a different story of a mama with four kids who live a lavish life. IRON
Where do you get your shirts starched for $2?
Rachel D.
- Various dry cleaners around. Budget places. I wouldn't trust them with pieces that are important to me (formal dresses, heirloom table cloths etc) but they're great for basic shirts etc.
I am loving all these inspirational stories of ironing. Just heart warming.
Rachel D- that is the going price around here for a men's dress shirt. The cleaners on 185th, next to Great Harvest, charge that and do a good job. Everything else costs much more, the men's dress shirt is the bargain.
how did you happen to find that 1800's gem I wrote who knows when? I wouldn't know what month to start looking?
Jana, I remember it was about a year ago and I was right, it was last summer. It took me maybe 5 minutes to find.
More importantly, do you iron?
would you be surprised if I said Yes I do iron? I'm a class 2 ironer. I don't do it often because it's not needed.
Marge, (my elderly neighbor you know) has been known to go off on the deacons who come to church with unironed sloppy shirts and collars. not to their face, but to me. So that makes me think twice when looking at my own children - Are they presentable enough to pass a Marge inspection? Will she be going off about them to another about my kids?
Ironing is a must in my house. Although I've worked with cheap irons and $100 irons and it goes much faster with the expensive irons, MUCH faster. And where do you take your husbands clothes for $2?
I'm a class 1.5 ironer. I like clothing fabrics better that have to be ironed, so I set myself up, plus my husband has to wear an ironed shirt 6 days a week. I just found out how cheap it is to have them done and told him just in case I die suddenly....
I use to iron as infrequently as possible, but it's easier now without little children. That and it's a fabulous excuse to watch all the movies I want to.
After reading the classes of ironers again, I noticed that it is NON ironers that are classified, and I take myself off of any of the three. Do you have any Class 1-3 of true ironers?
Okay, so after reading this post a few weeks ago, it kind-of stuck in my head.
I tend to not iron much... a spray bottle of water or the steamer is about it. My husband irons his own shirts, and there is not a whole lot left after that.
But we recently went on vacation, and I took this one shirt that had a bit of a collar to it that after being in the suitcase was a bit worse for the wear.
I was getting ready to put it on, thinking to myself, "I'm on vacation, no one here knows me, I'm not ironing this!"
But this post was fresh on my mind. So I pulled the iron and board out of the hotel closet and went to press the collar and neck area.
Suddenly I noticed that there was little black spots all over my white collar!
Yes, that nasty hotel iron had gunk stuck on it that transfered to my shirt. Argh I was so mad.
So after reading this (and a few google searches) I wondered why anyone would iron more than just the top of their sheets, so last night after washing the sheets I was determined to not only iron the top of the flat sheet and all of our pillowcases, but ALL of the flat sheet.
But alas, my husband was tired and ready for bed (after hanging some curtains for me!) and appalled that I intended to iron the entire sheet. So I contented myself to just the edges. After all, that's where the big creases are anyways. My husband moan the whole time that you can't tell the difference but when I finished and we made the bed and crawled in... He was embarassed to admit he loved the feel of the ironed part! I guess I'll be ironing them more often!
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