What Do You Have To Iron?

I’m going to get a little controversial here. I’m ready to take on the hard hitting topics. I’m prepared for any backlash.

I want to talk about ironing.

Growing-up my mum ironed everything. Shirts, trousers, bed sheets, tea towels. You name it, she ironed it. So as a result I learnt to iron everything, and continue to do so now.

I have so many better things I could be doing with my time. Seriously. I could be spending time with the kids, cooking dinner, sitting down for 5 minutes. Time has taken a serious hit since Zee arrived and that means the ironing pile can fairly mount up before I can tackle it.

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Can’t You Just Stop Ironing?

So many people don’t do ironing but I just don’t understand how! Sure I could skip the ironing of my bedsheets, I’ll admit thats probably not strictly necessary. But the reality is I like the feel of clean, crisp, ironed sheets when I get into bed.

I know plenty people who fold their clothes straight out of the drier, but I’ve never been that kind of person. I try to use the tumble drier as little as possible, and folding happens as and when I have time – and that is rarely while clothes are still warm.

Do You Need To Iron Shirts?

JHogg works in an office, so it is expected of him that he will wear a shirt. Naturally they need ironed, whether it is by him or by me. I hate seeing someone in a shirt that clearly hasn’t been ironed. It is scruffy and unprofessional looking.

I do have a confession though – I cut corners when ironing JHogg’s shirts and rarely iron shirts properly these days. He rolls his sleeves up immediately so usually I don’t bother ironing around the cuffs. Shock. Horror. I know.

What about our every day clothes? I’ve tried folding them straight from the clothes line, but there are peg marks, or they’re still crumpled. If I simply put them in the drawer they’d still be the same when I pulled them out to wear. I hate the way crumpled clothing looks, and I would hate to think that other people were looking at my family and thought we looked scruffy.

Shirts aren’t the only items I insist on ironing. Even with 2 little kids at my feet I always feel better for it – so it’s worth investing a bit of time each week to get the ironing done. If you’re only going to iron a few items then make sure you know what you need to iron, and what can be skipped.

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5 Items You Should Always Iron

Shirts

Like I said above, shirts always need ironed. It always makes me cringe when I see someone in a crumpled shirt, especially in a corporate situation. Even now, when I work from home and rarely have a need for formal shirts, I still iron my casual shirts and blouses. It makes me feel more put together, even if I haven’t had a chance to wash my hair and am screeching at the kids.

Pillow Cases

If you can’t be bothered to iron the whole bedding setting – trust me when I say it is worth ironing the pillow cases. It’s not for the aesthetics, but more for the feel. Lying your head on a crisp pillow case at the end of the day feels so good.

Dresses

Some of my dresses don’t need ironing – and I probably wouldn’t be lying if I said they were my favourite. But of the rest of them, I always make sure I iron them. The way a dress lies can be really affected by creases and the way it has dried. Ironing a dress and hanging it up straight after will keep it fresh for when you want to wear it.

Chinos

I always find that jeans don’t really need ironed if you fold them before wearing them, but chinos definitely do. The are really easy to iron but it is totally worth the effort. Spend a few moments taking out the creases for a smarter look in the office or socially.

Uniforms

As with shirts, any kind of uniform should always be ironed. When you wear a uniform you are representing someone, whether it is the business you work for or a club you are part of. Put your best foot forward and iron your uniform.