Ironing is a lost art I tell you.
My mom taught me how to iron at a very early age, grade school age. I've always liked ironing. I find it relaxing and it's the only time that I watch TV. I usually iron for a few hours straight, ironing 30+ pieces at a time.
I remember being in about 4th or 5th grade and doing my mom's ironing for her. She showed me how to dampen the clothes using a coke bottle filled with water. We had this little bottle stopper with holes in the top that fit on the coke bottle. I'd sprinkle the clothes with water, roll them up really tight, then stick them in the refrigerator. I'd take them out one by one and just iron away. I felt so grown up and I really was a good little ironer.
When I was in 6th grade, my uncle hired me to do his ironing for him. He was a single guy and he hated to iron. He wore large size dress shirts, which I starched and ironed. He paid me .25 cents for each shirt and let me tell you, I thought I was making alot of money. I was so disappointed when he got married because I lost my job!
As I got older and had kids, I continued to iron...and iron...and iron. Thinking back on it now, I was always ironing...but my kids sure looked great! I remember my good friend Carole telling me that her daughter said my son was one of the best dressed kids in their high school. I said, "yah, tell me about it. I'm the one buying and ironing all those clothes!"
And I still iron. I iron my shorts, pants, dresses, skirts,
t-shirts, tops, scrub tops, pants, and jackets. I even iron tablecloths and napkins.
I know what you're thinking...weird OCD menopausal woman here, and you're probably right.
But hey, if I should ever decide to abandon my nursing career, I could take up ironing for a living...but you better believe I'll be charging more than a quarter!
20 comments:
Nope. I don't do it. The hubs does the ironing in this house. And only when it's absolutely necessary.
My mom taught me to iron when I was probably 14 or 15. Oddly enough, I enjoy it! Doesn't bother me one bit...I find it relaxing. What's wrong with us?
my least favorite chore....my hubs is awesome at it though : ) Mostly, I confess, I send it out. In the UK I leave it by my front door on Wed. and it is delivered on Friday. I'm going to miss that!
I only iron when I have to. Mom taught me when I was 5 or 6. Did the same thing you did sprinkled and rolled and refrigerated. I get so up set with my DIL, she won't iron and my oldest GS thinks nothing of wearing a wrinkled shirt..says all the kids wear them wrinkled.....just drives me wild.
Just about the only thing I iron are my table linens, and I iron them on top of the granite countertop on my island. I can lay them out folded in half and iron them in just a few minutes. Nope ironing is not my favorite thing to do. What I love to do is fold towels right out of the dryer when they smell so fresh and clean and are still nice and warm!
haha, I had that view in my living room on Sunday! I don't like to iron, but I do, and I do as much at one time as I can. I know some that iron as they need it, that might be to many times behind the iron. NOW, my mom LIKES to iron too! She does not get how I don't like to.
Have a good day!!
I use to iron all weekend to get everyone ready for the week, until my 7th grader said, "Mom you are the only mom that irons, that I know" Well everyone suffered over that statement/ha Yep, I gave it up. Only iron when I have to now. My mom taught me when I was young and I got to iron all of the pillowcases. I still like the look of a freshly ironed pillowcase. Of course we had pretty embrodiery on ours then. I've been wanting to get a pattern and make some cases for the girls.
Linda, were we separated in early childhood, my mom had that same coke bottle with the stopper/shaker thing!!! My first ironing chores were my dad's handkerchiefs. I advanced to other clothing. My mom was a big ironer, laundry on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, all day if that is what it took.
Now I'm a daily ironer, if I'm going to wear it and it's wrinkly, yes tees and casual things too, I iron it. My hubby does his own dress shirts.
I iron and enjoy the instant gratification of ironing. I can't imagine wearing a wrinkled shirt or GASP letting my kids go out in wrinkled clothes.
It is a lost art! I remember my mom ironing a lot. I don't do it unless I have too. You even iron your scrubs? I'm impressed!
Love your post! It could have been my very own story except I ironed my daddy's shirts, and I didn't get paid :)
We are cut from the same cloth Linda! :o) I love to iron and yes, I iron just about anything! :o)
Sincerely ~ Tricia Anne
I don't own an iron or an ironing board.
But, my mom... she is just like you! In fact, I was at her house this afternoon and her ironing board was set up in the middle of the living room with the clothes hanging off the side.
I learned to iron at a very young age too! In fact, when I was in 6th grade, I used to iron for this wealthy family that my mom knew. I would iron their clothes each week and make about $20. I thought it was the best job ever!~lol! NOW.....I don't iron at all. Dirk (my sweet hubby) and I have a deal and he does ALL the ironing. It's a pretty sweet deal let me tell ya. lol!
I started out ironing my dad's ties for a penny a piece. I have loved it ever since.
Unfortunately I iron on an as needed basis, so I am always the last one ready when we are goin out because i am ironing. I wish I was tha organized. I also remembering wetting the clothes with a bottle only it was always pepsi in our house, lol. I have just read some of your past posts, makes me sad too, esp. since our daughter is now living in SLC, and we dont get to see her often. Having your kids grow up and live on their own is very hard for me, but I am getting better. Hope to come back to visit more often, I started working 2 days a week out side the home and my gosh I am just so behind on things, I am embarrassed to admit that, I know alot of woman manage with working 5 daYS a week, I just havent figured it out yet. Hope you are feeling better, Sue
I CAN iron- but I don't do a lot of it these days.
I have one of those awesome Rowenta irons (if you don't have one, you need one) with seriously powerful steam.
These days I mostly use the steam clean feature on my washing machine instead of ironing. It takes about 20 minutes to steam a load and then I just hang them up. I generally buy the wrinkle resistant shirts for the hubs so the steam clean feature usually does a good enough job for me.
I mostly iron when I'm sewing or if one of the hubs or kids has something cotton that just won't look decent if it isn't ironed.
I really enjoyed hearing about the way you ironed as a kid though- I've never heard of keeping the ironing in the fridge!
Oh Linda -- I hate hate hate ironing. I'd pay you whatever you want to do MINE!!!!!!!
yep...I iron!
i do iron... but only one outfit at a time as needed:P
love,
dani
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