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I iron mine... do you iron yours?

Yeps

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,456
Location
Philly
My wife claims to enjoy ironing. I don't have the patience for it. I usually just iron the wrinkles in and have nice crisp crease like wrinkles and she has to fix it anyway.

That was one of the nice parts of living back with my parents over the summer (probably the last time doing that). My grandmother just moved in with us a while ago, and nothing can escape her ironing. So, I had crisp shirts all summer. Now I do my own. It is a nice Sunday afternoon activity, along with polishing shoes. They are extremely relaxing.
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I actually enjoy ironing on the rare occasions that I do it. Something about that perfectly smooth flat surface gliding along wrinkled material, leaving an unmarred, flat surface behind it. Very satisfying.
 

JimWagner

Practically Family
Messages
946
Location
Durham, NC
I iron everything that needs it. Linens, handkerchiefs, towels, table cloths and curtains. I also iron and press all my husbands clothing, and my own. I only starch the items that need starching, and I never send anything to the dry cleaners. I have found that there is nothing in my house that can not be washed either by hand or by machine.

For those that would like to drop the softener when machine-washing: use a litle white vinegar mixed with water instead. It will do the exact same thing as any softener. Also dip a piece of cloth in a white vinegar solution and toss it in the dryer.

If you would like to line-dry you clothes but hate getting that stiff feeling and you have a dryer: toss it in for a few minutes and then hang it on the line. Works wonders.

With regards
Mrs. Krogsæter

Does the vinegar leave an odor on the clothes?
 

The Good

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,361
Location
California, USA
It may not be the most stylish way to go about it, but I'm tolerant of some wrinkling in my clothing. Usually, I don't iron unless for a few, nicer occasions or before church. After my clothes come out of the dryer, whether 100% cotton or polyester/cotton blend, I just hang them back up. The 100% cotton shirts and pants I have don't look bad either, although they mostly have the "non-iron" feature. I can easily get by without having to iron anything with polyester in it, however.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,113
Location
London, UK
I have som machine washable, poly cotton trousers that don't need ironed. Otherwise, i iron everything thst i launder, short of underwear. Would never think of sending anything out when i can do it myself, just seems wasteful. I'm not a fan of tumbledrying. It's hard on clothes, and it shrinks them. I'm currently between tumbledryers, and not in a massive hurry to buy a new one. Only miss it for bedsheets and towells.
 

Mrs Krogsæter

New in Town
Messages
6
Location
Tromsø, Norway
Does the vinegar leave an odor on the clothes?

Yes. It leaves them smelling fresh. I use an old softener bottle and fill in about a cup of vinegar and top it of with water. The dryer cloth I dip in the same solution and hang to dry. I usually make 4-5 dryer cloths at a time, and they can be used about 5 times each before I need to dip them again. If you use too much vinegar they will smell like vinegar, but if you use just a little it will just leave the wash smelling fresh.
You also don't need as much vinegar-solution as you would softener in your wash.

With regards
Mrs. Krogsæter
 

ginfizz

One of the Regulars
Messages
137
Location
Philadelphia
Yes. It leaves them smelling fresh. I use an old softener bottle and fill in about a cup of vinegar and top it of with water. The dryer cloth I dip in the same solution and hang to dry. I usually make 4-5 dryer cloths at a time, and they can be used about 5 times each before I need to dip them again. If you use too much vinegar they will smell like vinegar, but if you use just a little it will just leave the wash smelling fresh.
You also don't need as much vinegar-solution as you would softener in your wash.

With regards
Mrs. Krogsæter

I'm going to try this. Do you just use white vinegar?
 

Undertow

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,126
Location
Des Moines, IA, US
I used to think I was really pretty efficient at ironing, but I was shown the door this weekend when my MissHawthorne came into town. She had 8 shirts done (4 w/starch) in about 30 minutes. That would have taken me hours. lol

Believe me - a woman's hard work and finesse is much appreciated in the eyes of this former bachelor!

I absolutely iron everything cotton or cotton blend. If I wear an outfit one day and somehow avoid getting them dirty, I will hang them up and steam the wrinkles for at least one more wearing.

Dress shirts are heavy starched at front, cuff and collar. Work shirts (typically with button collars) aren't starched, but cotton work trousers are starched with creases.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,113
Location
London, UK
Oh, I'd never attempt to get more than one day out of most shirts.... that's the main reason I've never bothered with a separate collar shirt, actually. Don't much fancy the chances of the rest of it being pleasant to wear after a day when the collar is grimy (thinking especially of the cuffs, which are very vulnerable to city dirt).
 

LoveMyHats2

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
5,196
Location
Michigan
I iron all my shirts, both dress shirts and casual ones, pants, etc., and I never use starch, a good steam iron has always been enough to do the job.

I also iron some of my dress socks, and stack them in the dresser after they are matched up, and the same with boxer shorts, pajama's, and hankies.
 
Ironing is fine ... but I've never understood the American executive's obsession with having his button-down shirts laundered with HEAVY starch. I mean, it's the least dressy of all business shirts. The oxford cloth button-down was adopted by preppies for its unstudied ease and comfort. What's the point of making it stiff as a board?


Then again, I've known servicemen who have their boxer shorts heavily starched. Go figure ...

Extra heavy starch. Yes, stiff as a board. :D
 

samtemporary

One of the Regulars
Messages
176
Location
Fort Lauderdale, FL
I'm a drycleaning kind of man. I can iron if I have to (while on active duty I'll iron my uniforms), but if I'm home and have easy access to the cleaners, that's where my threads are going...
 

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