Ironing Tips

Fredula

In an attempt to improve my families appearance, I've started ironing all of our clothes instead of just my work clothes. My little boy looks lovely and my husband is looking a bit better. I feel better in my clothes too - more acceptable, if that makes sense.

But it's the time it takes to do it! Yesterday, I spent two hours ironing. Is it going to take this long every time I do it? Admitedly, I did have 2 loads of washing to iron yesterday, but still, 2 hours! And last Saturday, aside from stopping to cook, eat, take kiddo to the park, I literally spent most of the day ironing. I don't mind doing it, because I can watch the TV, but last night I should have been at aquafit and I couldn't go because I was ironing.

Any tips on shortening the time?

bambos

Nope sorry. Mine takes 3 hours a week. I iron whilst watching tv, on the phone ( I spend half hour everyday on the phone to my mum) just try to do other things at the same time. I love summer when you can hang things on the line to dry and then very little needs ironing.

carlamarie_2

Because my kids have a lot of clothes, they get squashed in and creased in the wardrobe, so I iron as I go. Ie. every morning I will iron what we are wearing that day. It takes 15 minutes max.

Fredula

I get up at 5:50am every morning and am always 5 mins late out of the door. I couldn't imagine doing ironing in the morning too! Haha. Fair play to you though

splishsplash

My washing machine takes a 7kg load, and a load takes me approx 30 minutes to iron. I'm wondering why two loads took an hour each? Are they very large loads? What is it you're ironing?
My tips, for what they're worth:

• Fold everything as soon as it's dry
• Have a reflective cover on your ironing board - this means you iron through things like tshirts and bedding so it halves the time needed
• Sort the ironing as you do it - I put each piece into its own pile as I do it - my pile, a pile each for the kids, a pile for the airing cupboard, a pile for the kitchen, etc. When I'm done, each pile is cleared to its proper place in a couple of seconds.
• If you dry clothes fully in a dryer, don't iron for several hours after they come out. They're usually too dry and take ages to iron, so let them 're-hydrate' first
• For fitted sheets, fold them in half lengthways, iron the first side then fold in half again and again to iron the second side until it's done (double sheet takes maybe 3-4minutes). Same system with duvet covers and pillowcases.
• I keep the iron very hot with continuous steam . I usually blast with steam on the 'upswipe' and turn off steam for the 'downswipe', then move the item along the ironing board and repeat until finished.
• Iron anything that tends to turn shiny through a damp teatowel well wrung out

The biggest tip I have though, is do it regularly. If I had to face a huge mountain of ironing, I think I would cry. Doing a half hour at a time is fine - can be worked into most days quite painlessly. Also - big bonus - ironed items don't get as crumpled when they're washed again, so it takes less effort to iron them next time (as long as you don't overfill your machine or dryer).

PlymouthMaid

My tip is to try to buy clothes which wont need ironing. I iron for about 30 mins once every three weeks and that is pretty much just my work clothes. Can't stand ironing.

mrsscattercushion

no tips here as I don't iron anything :-)

happy35

i bought a really wide ironing board and it saves me loads of time as I can iron a mans t-shirt and only move it once. I know it sounds a bit stupid really but I cant believe how much time it takes me

I iron for about 2 or 3 hours a week but I have a lot of ironing. I dont iron bedding at the moment as we are using flannel winter sheets and duvet covers and they dont need it

I do a load of washing nearly every day and sometimes more than this, I find if you fold as soon as it is dry then it isnt really creased anyway so just needs a quick rub over.

meritaten

first of all - make sure your washing machine and tumble dryer (if you have one) are not 'crammed full'. this makes them crease more and makes ironing harder. and as you take things off the line or out of the dryer, give them a good shake and fold them neatly, don't just drop them in the basket. no sense in making more creases!
second, dry until 'nearly' dry - or use the steam or 'Mist' on your iron before running the iron over - this helps the iron 'glide' more easily and the fabric accepts the heat better. if you use a dry iron then purchase a cheap 'spray' bottle (or rummage through the cupboards for one).
third, get a 'reflective' cover for the ironing board, and before placing the garment down run the iron over it - you will then effectively 'iron' both surfaces at once.
its best if you can put the clean ironed clothes on an airer to finish drying and to allow them to cool down.
Sorry if you knew all this! not being patronising - just trying to be helpful with all the things I wish I had known to do when my kids were little!

Linda32

Little and often I find is the key.


Its just myself and OH here. So a bed change once a week which gives a fitted sheet, top sheets and pillow cases ( we have blankets so no duvet cover) I iron these but as they are part of the 'whites' was and I don't iron underwear its only these that need ironing.


OH wears 'workwear' for work which doesn't need ironing. I wear T shirt and trousers. Funnily enough now that the T shirts are hung on the line rather than tumble dried they need ironing. They never did when I tumble dried them through the winter. But it might mean a couple of pairs of trousers and two T shirts along with his workwear. So its pretty quick.


As I say I find little and often is the key. Also if you have room you could set up your ironing board and do a little bit through out the day rather than 2 hours at a time.

YORKSHIRELASS

Linda32 wrote: »

Little and often I find is the key.

I agree. I tend to line dry whenever I can but then finish things off in the tumbler, fold them or hang them up straight away so quite a lot of things dont need ironing.

I binned the basket I used to use for hanging out laundry because it was tempting to leave it full of things that needed ironing and let it mount up. I have a fold up bag now instead.