Do you iron your clothes as you use them or do bulk ironing of washing baskets?

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

My DH and brother have ganged up on me. They believe that I am the only woman attempting to iron baskets of clothes. I have gotten into an unfortunate situation where I am behind with 7 baskets to do. It looks dismal. We've had a hard time the last few weeks as my SIL is in intensive care and she is terminally ill We had just gotten back from holidays when she took a turn for the worst. Now I'm behind in nearly everything, not that it matters. But I am curious as to how people manage it? I know people that have told me that they don't iron at all. How do their clothes not look wrinkled? Unless they use the dryer full time? Thanks ladies!

I might add that I do worry about saftey with an iron on every day, though saying that my DH irons his work shirt everyday. Would love your input

[butterfly_warrior]

I generally don't iron!

DH does his own work shirts, as he wears them. When I was working - I would iron as I was getting ready for work.

But generally, I try to buy clothing that won't wrinkle too much. Lots of denim (I couldn't wear blue jeans to work, but I could get away with coloured denim), lots of knit fabrics for tops, or fabrics that are meant to have a crinkled appearance.

I do find though, that using the dryer doesn't result in wrinkle-free clothing. Sometimes makes it worse. Getting things off the line and hanging or folding straight away does help. Leaving things in baskets results in LOTS of wrinkles. For fabrics that DO need ironing - I find that putting them on a clothes hanger to dry usually results in an acceptable finish - after you've been wearing it for an hour or two, nobody would really know the difference!

I'm not helping your argument much, am I?!

BW

[Hoody]

I do not iron unless we have a wedding/funeral or major event. It's all in the way you hang and fold clothes. Mind you my DH doesn't wear business shirts and my clothes don't really need it. If I have something that really needs it then I will do as I need it. I have no idea how I would fit ironing into my shedule.

[Amaunet]

I iron as I wear. I usually only iron for work though and not everything will need to be ironed because like bw I try to buy clothes that don't need ironing. I never iron casual clothes like T-shirts etc and don't think I've ever ironed anything of ds's. My DH irons his own work shirts, usually 2 or 3 at a time in the evening before he needs them. 7 baskets is a scary prospect, I don't think I'd have that much in my house that would ever require ironing. Perhaps you could put away all the casual stuff and just iron what you might need in the next week or so?

[CrazyLady]

I only iron for formal events. If i'm wearing a cotton dress I will hang it in the bathroom while I shower and it drops the creases out. most of my clothes are iron free or iron themselves

[JaCaMaDy]

I used to just iron as I went. When DP and I got together, he did all his own ironing, and then started doing all mine too this has been for the last 6 years! Now that I'm a SAHM, I feel obliged to do it as he wears a shirt & trousers each day, though he did offer to continue. He's anal about everything being ironed, even...and I'm not kidding - his >lycra< boxers! WTH?? So, I do it every week, gosh I detest it though...that horrible basket full staring at me...I often think if everyone just decided to NOT iron anything, we'd all be wrinkly together, and nobody would look out of place...

[UsPlus2]

hmmm an iron... I'm sure I have one of them around here somewhere....surely..

I just hang up shirts and dresses (DS's included) as they come out of the washing machine, so they dry straight. maybe if you are so behind you could just hang up this lot and deal with it on as needed basis. Not every day calls for a ironed shirt.

So sorry to hear about your SIL, I hope her passage through this world is peaceful one

[Catastrophic]

Hmmm, I think its been a few years since i Ironed...

Sorry to hear about your SIL

[~Kim~]

FIrstly I'm sorry to hear about your SIL.

back to the question though

ooooh 7 baskets...that is disheartening.....

I am a bulk ironer. We've been a 2 policeman family until just recently, and I do not like ironing at weird hours. Sometimes I do get behind and we iron as we go until i catch up. I get cross with DH though because if I need something ironed I do a couple of other things to lessen the pile a bit, but DH never ever thinks to do that.
I'd much rather have clothes in wardrobe looking lovely and ready to wear than a basket full of ironing staring at me.

[RainbowBrite]

So sorry to hear about your SIL
I iron as I go.
I hate ironing and only do it if necessary.

[Laranna]

I iron 5 shirts for DH on a Sunday night for the working week. The rest of it is iron as we need it. I avoid wrinkles by hanging the washing up in the wardrobes as soon as it comes off the line.

[Gigi]

i hang anything that you MIGHT iron, straight on hangers, when it's straight out of the washing machine. i let GRAVITY do the ironing for me.

have only ironed when sewing, since having bilby (four years ago).

but when i ironed heaps, i couldn't stand getting the ironing board out for ONE item. i thought, if i drag out the ironing board, might as well make it worth my while - do a bulk lot at one time (whilst watching telly)

[Taurean]

I only iron clothes if they need it when we choose to wear it. I hang our clothes on the line so they dry as straight as possible and then put them away, as is, once dry. DH and I iron them, if need, when we are getting ready in the morning. I NEVER do bulk ironing. Each to their own but IMO it's such a waste of time and so stressful! My mum has always been the type to do baskets of ironing and she still does. Maybe that's why I detest it so much - it's always been a big stress for mum. I've just got too much other fun stuff to do than ironing clothes! LOL!

PS we have our ironing board setup full time in our laundry so it's easy for us to iron

[Gigi]

i have never lived anywhere where there was space to have an ironing board set up all the time. i think if i had, i would have a different opinion. cos the PUTTING IT UP AND DOWN is my main dislike.

[Taurean]

i have never lived anywhere where there was space to have an ironing board set up all the time. i think if i had, i would have a different opinion. cos the PUTTING IT UP AND DOWN is my main dislike

It's a pre-requisite for me

We are currently living in a very random setup living in two duplexes as one house so we have two laundrys - hence being able to have my ironing board setup full-time. When we knock down and build our new place, I'll be getting a flip-out ironing board in the laundry so it's easy again

[Phteven]

I went looking for my iron last week and I couldn't find it.

Sorry about your SIL

[CharlieBrownGirl]

I only iron when it's required. Most of our clothes I fold after getting them off the line and that does the trick.

My doggie went over to my MILs when she was ironing and freaked out cause she has never seen it before.

I'm sorry to hear about your SIL

[Mum2Romone]

haven't ironed in about 6 years. Well once did that time....
I Ironed DH's wedding shirt.... And my silly old iron marked it.

I have some sort of trauma with washing too... My mum used to pay me $5 to do a basket for her. About four a week from the time I was about ten..... And It was because the Ironing lady she used to pay went up to $20 a basket... Lol

So she enslaved me until i moved out of home.... I was the iron wench