I’m told you can tell a lot about someone by the state and quality of their shoes, but I suspect you can also tell a lot about someone by what, if anything, makes it into their ironing pile. Look at my shoes and you will find something comfortable, low-heeled and possibly needing re-soling. Look at my ironing pile and you will find a minimum of shirts and jeans - and tea towels - but no sheets.
Ironing is possibly my least-liked household task after folding the washing. I save up all the ironing for one day a week and iron in front of the TV. Others who feel this way make do with folding clothes straight from the line, tumble drying or simply ignoring the wrinkles but I like the feeling of ironed clothes, I just don’t like the actual ironing.
Even in our world crammed as it is with activities to distract us from the realm of housework there are still those who love the transformation of dirty clothes to a washed, mended and ironed pile of clean clothes.
It would seem, however, that those that love ironing are in a minority. How many of us iron our sheets anymore? Why would you iron something that is largely hidden from view? Ironed sheets are in fact lovely as those who have stayed in fancy hotels can attest but it may surprise you that there is, in fact, good reason to iron your sheets – at least your best quality ones.
Items that are never ironed develop permanent wrinkles which, over time, develop weak spots in the fabric and eventually develop holes. This most often happens at the selvages and hems. So perhaps if you have particularly expensive sheets with a particularly high thread count you might be well advised to run your iron over them every now and again.
Your grandma probably knew that; and your grandma probably came from a time when good quality bedlinen was purchased and expected to last a lifetime. In straightened times perhaps more of us should be heeding this advice.
Despite knowing that I should iron my sheet hems and selvages I don’t. I do, however, iron my tea towels. Unlike sheets they are small and easy to fold; I press them while waiting for the iron to heat up. My sheets may get holes, but my tea towels will last forever. I wonder what that says about me?
What does your ironing say about you? Anyone want to out themselves as a sheet ironer?
Ironing is possibly my least-liked household task after folding the washing. I save up all the ironing for one day a week and iron in front of the TV. Others who feel this way make do with folding clothes straight from the line, tumble drying or simply ignoring the wrinkles but I like the feeling of ironed clothes, I just don’t like the actual ironing.
Even in our world crammed as it is with activities to distract us from the realm of housework there are still those who love the transformation of dirty clothes to a washed, mended and ironed pile of clean clothes.
“Ironing gratifies the senses. The transformation of wrinkled, shapeless cloth into the smooth and gleaming folds of a familiar garment pleases the eye. The good scent of ironing is the most comfortable smell in the world”. C. Mendelson Home Comforts The Art and Science of Keeping House. Cassel & Co UK 2001.
It would seem, however, that those that love ironing are in a minority. How many of us iron our sheets anymore? Why would you iron something that is largely hidden from view? Ironed sheets are in fact lovely as those who have stayed in fancy hotels can attest but it may surprise you that there is, in fact, good reason to iron your sheets – at least your best quality ones.
Items that are never ironed develop permanent wrinkles which, over time, develop weak spots in the fabric and eventually develop holes. This most often happens at the selvages and hems. So perhaps if you have particularly expensive sheets with a particularly high thread count you might be well advised to run your iron over them every now and again.
Your grandma probably knew that; and your grandma probably came from a time when good quality bedlinen was purchased and expected to last a lifetime. In straightened times perhaps more of us should be heeding this advice.
Despite knowing that I should iron my sheet hems and selvages I don’t. I do, however, iron my tea towels. Unlike sheets they are small and easy to fold; I press them while waiting for the iron to heat up. My sheets may get holes, but my tea towels will last forever. I wonder what that says about me?
What does your ironing say about you? Anyone want to out themselves as a sheet ironer?
21 comments:
Hmmm... The only things that I iron are fabric before sewing, my linen "work" shirts and my boys' "smart" button-up shirts. Everything else gets folded and put away.
Out of sight, out of mind!
And I only own a tiny iron and table-top ironing board. I don't know what it says about me, but I'm guessing it's that I'm time and space-poor.
I like everything ironed, but I don't much like doing it myself.
I remember reading once that one of the benefits of ironing sheets is that it sanitises them - the heat kills any bacteria (and, one would assume, house dust mites etc). There's nothing like the feeling of sleeping in freshly ironed sheets!
OMG. I iron only what needs it and then I'll do it just as I need to wear it.
My husband irons his own shirts.
I'm sorry, but I don't care if my teatowels last me a lifetime or a couple of years. I could think of nothing more likely to induce a fit of rage than ironing teatowels.
My 100 per cent cotton 600-thread count sheets' laundering instructions say DO NOT iron. In fact they are spectacularly wrinkle-free after washing and drying.
I love every other aspect of doing the washing, from getting it all together to hanging it out to dry.
I take it off the line, shake it out with a 'snap', fold it and put it away.
I am not alone. My best friend had it written into her pre-nup that she does not iron, just in case her bloke started getting any ideas.
I love the feeling of sheets freshly dried on the line. I'm sure that fresh air would kill germs, no ironing necessary!
I am absolutely fastidious about how things go onto and come off hte clothelseine....little or no ironing for me....only the stuff (like business attire) that REALLY needs ironing gets the flattening treatment in my house....unless of course my mother is visiting then EVERYTHING gets a steaming!
I iron all my work shirts, which are all high quality, pure cotton beasts to iron. They look good, feel great and are a nest of wrinkles after the first wash.
We bought some fabulous 1000 thread cotton sheets after Monkey moved out of a cot and into his own room. They require ironing after every wash ( something I refuse to do). However, once he developed the ability to walk, he also developed the habit of wandering into our room in the middle of the night and vomiting in our bed. They are now ruined from being washed so often. We have returned to using our old sheets until the good economic times return and we once again go shopping for the good Egyptian stuff.
I can't remember the last time I ironed anything, and in fact, I don't even own an iron. But then again, I don't have a professional job and the library books don't care if my shirt is wrinkled. I plan to enjoy an iron-free existence for as long as possible, because I've seen the future, and it's not pretty: my mother ironed school uniforms for me and my two siblings for about seventeen years as we all went through school. One day that will be me, and I will iron my children's uniforms in penance for not appreciating my mother's work when I was young.
What does not ironing anything say about someone? Whatever it says, that's me! I don't iron anything, I buy all wash and wear with a label that says no ironing necessary. If it has to be ironed I don't buy it. I however do have an iron and an ironing board for company.
Well, I iron just about everything and always have. No sheets though. I feel I did this because my own Mother was almost obsessed with ironing and even when we had raggedy old hand me down clothes as kids, she would iron them and make them look half way decent to go to school in. She also did ironing for others to try and make a little money. Your blog posts always make me remember things about my past that I don't normally think about.
I have always liked ironing and get a great sense of satisfaction from seeing piles of newly ironed clothes etc. I used to iron all the sheets but now only iron the top border once they are neatly folded. Still do tea towels.
I always ironed my husbands work shirts and even although he is now retired I still cannot bear the thought of him going out in an unironed shirt!
I think perhaps why I iron so much is that I mainly wear cotton and it usually needs to be ironed.
A lot of the new fabrics coming out are designed to be crinkly and therefore don't need to be ironed and strangely I don't seem to mind that!!
I had a friend who even ironed undies and the ends of her bath towels
There is nothing like standing at the ironing board to think things through and do lots of planning.
My ironing says I hate to iron! I always believe in doing things 100%... except when it comes to ironing! I'm with Gramma Ann. Wash and Wear.
My grandmother always iron underwear and sheets. They are more comfortable ironed. I also imagine that in a time before permanent press, they would have been horribly rough to sleep on without ironing!
I raise my hand here and declare myself an ironer and proud of it.
I don't resort to undies, but most other things, including sheets get ironed.
It gives me an excuse to watch Dr Phil and other day time television that I would otherwise never admit to watching.
I wonder is the real issue not time but that the hands-on nature of ironing, like hand-washing the dishes, symbolises being bound to the housework. How many would love to walk around in beautifully ironed clothes if someone else did the ironing?
I certainly would. If someone else did the ironing I'd have my sheets ironed too!
Okay, I'm an ironer too, what the heck. Especially sheets are a must. Last year in Greece I made my husband buy me an iron and ironing board. He thought I was nuts. All clothes are dried on a line or rack and because of the heat everything is stiff. Ironing softens things up a bit
I don't especially hate ironing, but I don't feel the need for it in my life. Most of my lcothes are wash and wear and do just fine being folded straight from the line. The iron really only comes out if we're going somewhere posh or to a wedding or funeral.
Having said that, my son had to borrow a t-shirt and shorts from his best friend. I have washed and folded them but I feel this mad urge to iron them before handing them back. I would NEVER iron t-shirts and shorts for my own children. So I think ironing might be a class issue at some level. Interesting that you think you can tell something about what a person does or doesn't iron....
Yes, I am an ironer. In the past most clothes needed ironing so I got into the habit. Now it is just my clothes, though, and the odd shirt for Dr P - who wanders around in singlets as a rule - although I do iron tea towels so they fit in the drawer. I like natural fabrics and they tend to need ironing. The ironing does not take all that long and I do it once a week, usually in the morning before I go downstairs for breakfast. When the children were little ironing WAS a chore.
One close relation leaves the washing strewn around the lounge instead of putting it all away immediately. It drives me nuts, and whenever I am there I fold it and put it away.
By the time you are my age you can indulge in the odd piece of obsessive behaviour. Like ironing.
Years ago I worked with a man who insisted that his new young wife iron his underwear. I was horrified. The poor wife had a nervous breakdown and the marriage broke up. When I see him now I wonder is his underwear still ironed?
I LOVE ironed clothes and I love to iron, including sheets. My mother taught me how to iron dress shirts without am arm crease, I think I must be the only person remaining that does it this way. Weird I know. Oh well.
LAC I need to see a tutorial on ironing a dress shirt without an arm crease!
I received my beautiful scarf in the mail today! Thank you - I love it x Don't get me started on ironing ... I don't mind it, but I just don't seem to do it...
Wow here we are complaining about ironing when once upon a time irons were those big, heavy cast iron things, heated on stoves and used to iron great big dresses and the like. Yuk.
I take things off the line, fold or hang them and iron things as I need them.
I think it's such a waste of time. Five minutes after wearing something it's wrinkled again anyway. Does anyone still use starch?
I just don't do ironing unless I am sewing something!! Everything is washed and hung on the line so as not to need ironing!! Of course there is the occasional time something may need to have a quick look at the iron but that's it!!!
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