Time to get the wrinkles out... let's talk ironing

Just want to extend a special thanks to all who dropped-by to share their stories thus far! Lots of fun!

So much fun reading everyone's take on the matter and experiences! Thanks everybody! :)
 

Marg I can manage to sew on a button but that's the extent of my domestic skill. I can cook and clean because I was taught the cleaning by mom. The Home Economics teacher got to get me started on the cooking.
 
MarciKS said:
Marg I can manage to sew on a button but that's the extent of my domestic skill. I can cook and clean because I was taught the cleaning by mom. The Home Economics teacher got to get me started on the cooking.
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And what a skill that is! Can't help but give thought to the vast numbers who wouldn't have a clue as to how to stitch a button back on.

Boy, Home Ec, how I remember it so well! By far my favourite class ever! We had a ball!
 

We had a couple guys in our class that for some reason they couldn't do anything else right. But they made the best cherry and blueberry cheesecake I'd ever had in my life. LOL!
 
MarciKS said:
We had a couple guys in our class that for some reason they couldn't do anything else right. But they made the best cherry and blueberry cheesecake I'd ever had in my life. LOL!
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I absolutely love hearing stories like that!

I took Foods & Nutrition in high-school, and we had a table of guys in our class, and what fun they were. We made tea every day, and once a week, baking powder biscuits, and that table of guys excelled at cracking jokes, laughing, having fun, and turning out biscuits every bit as good as ours (the girls). :)
 
I just looked it up on Amazon - i bought a two-pack of silicone ironing board covers in 2010. I’m well into #2 now lol but have lately been thinking of blowing some dough and getting a new one....which type shall i get?!?!?
 
When I was young, my mother did a lot of ironing, even sheets as I recall. She taught me how to iron shirts and things like that, but I've never been one for ironing much on my own. I do have an iron, maybe once a year I take down all the curtains,valances, drapes, wash and iron them. If there's an odd piece during the year that needs a quick ironing, I will drag it out and do it. I don't have a board, I fold a large bath towel on my kitchen table and use that as my board. I don't enjoy ironing or any housework, but I do what I have to.
 
Lizzie00 said:
I just looked it up on Amazon - i bought a two-pack of silicone ironing board covers in 2010. I’m well into #2 now lol but have lately been thinking of blowing some dough and getting a new one....which type shall i get?!?!?
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I personally love the Teflon/Silicone covers!

Aside from lasting and lasting, they just feel good under the iron.
 
SeaBreeze said:
When I was young, my mother did a lot of ironing, even sheets as I recall. She taught me how to iron shirts and things like that, but I've never been one for ironing much on my own. I do have an iron, maybe once a year I take down all the curtains,valances, drapes, wash and iron them. If there's an odd piece during the year that needs a quick ironing, I will drag it out and do it. I don't have a board, I fold a large bath towel on my kitchen table and use that as my board. I don't enjoy ironing or any housework, but I do what I have to.
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Your post reminded me of the old fold-down ironing board my grandma used to have. It was built into the wall and had a cover door to conceal, but there was no security feature for the board, so when you opened the cover door, down came the ironing board, and I still remember getting walloped by it one day!

Just needed the one time to learn and remember... didn't do that again. :)

Absolutely, draped, curtains, valances, just love all the above pressed neat and proper. A must.
 
My mom washed on Monday and ironed on Tuesday. It was an all day affair.
I don't iron much at all. I usually have enough everyday blouses to last a week or more then I wash them all and zip over them with the iron.
For pants I really cheat. I generally wear long blouses that can be worn over the pants. Due to bulges I'd rather not talk about, I haven't worn a tucked in blouse since I was 20 and because of this I only iron the pant legs.

The iron in the photo was my grandmas. I'm sure it is one of the last ones she owned but it is still many years old andiron (800x600).jpg still going strong. The steam feature doesn't work anymore but an old Windex bottle filled with water works fine for me..
It weighs a ton but I enjoy using her iron.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
My mom washed on Monday and ironed on Tuesday. It was an all day affair.
I don't iron much at all. I usually have enough everyday blouses to last a week or more then I wash them all and zip over them with the iron.
For pants I really cheat. I generally wear long blouses that can be worn over the pants. Due to bulges I'd rather not talk about, I haven't worn a tucked in blouse since I was 20 and because of this I only iron the pant legs.

The iron in the photo was my grandmas. I'm sure it is one of the last ones she owned but it is still many years old andView attachment 104503 still going strong. The steam feature doesn't work anymore but an old Windex bottle filled with water works fine for me..
It weighs a ton but I enjoy using her iron.
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Boy, does that iron ever bring back memories for me!

My mom had a really old one, heavily built like yours, bulky, and weighty, but it lasted and lasted, and my old iron (seeing a picture of yours), I wish I still had it so I could post a picture of it, too. Just seeing that old woven electrical cord, amazing! Everything was built so well back in the day.

I can't believe your iron once had a working steam feature. I've always thought the steam feature was a milestone invention that came out in the 90's (or later).

I do the same, spray bottle filled with a little water, spritz where/when needed.

Thanks for the memories, Ruth. :)
 
What a coincidence! I left my very ancient but loved ironing board with my DD when I downsized 3 yrs ago, & the iron was donated somewhere. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to iron standing again, but am doing lots of things I didn’t think would be possible at first. I asked her to bring it back a few weeks ago as I had a couple of light summer blouses that would have just looked sloppy unironed. Got a $10 B&D iron from WM that I’m really happy with. I don’t use steam, use a spray bottle. Our tap water is very hard & I don’t want to be bothered with distilled. Actually I think it’s good for improving my balance because while ironing I’m easily shifting position without thinking about it. Coincidence, I’ve been looking for one of those sprinkler bottle tops too! And I can remember way way back when I was shorter than an ironing board, my GM keeping a little saucer of water handy & sprinkling with her fingers.
 
Geezerette said:
What a coincidence! I left my very ancient but loved ironing board with my DD when I downsized 3 yrs ago, & the iron was donated somewhere. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to iron standing again, but am doing lots of things I didn’t think would be possible at first. I asked her to bring it back a few weeks ago as I had a couple of light summer blouses that would have just looked sloppy unironed. Got a $10 B&D iron from WM that I’m really happy with. I don’t use steam, use a spray bottle. Our tap water is very hard & I don’t want to be bothered with distilled. Actually I think it’s good for improving my balance because while ironing I’m easily shifting position without thinking about it.
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Happy to hear you've been able to remain on your own two feet and busy yourself with things!

I, too, find a spray bottle works best.
 
Aunt Marg said:
My original iron had no steam feature, just a plain old-fashioned iron which served me well for the better part of 35 years, however, when it moved on to iron heaven, I replaced with an iron with a steam feature, and all sort of hear settings, and so far so good, I've been thrilled with it.

Camper. What part about your steam irons are you unhappy with?
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Spitting. Our water is hard on metals and they eventually corrode the inside and then it starts spitting out rust particles.
I should only use distilled water. I found that out too late. They are still ok for non steaming ironing.
 
Geezerette said:
What a coincidence! I left my very ancient but loved ironing board with my DD when I downsized 3 yrs ago, & the iron was donated somewhere. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to iron standing again, but am doing lots of things I didn’t think would be possible at first. I asked her to bring it back a few weeks ago as I had a couple of light summer blouses that would have just looked sloppy unironed. Got a $10 B&D iron from WM that I’m really happy with. I don’t use steam, use a spray bottle. Our tap water is very hard & I don’t want to be bothered with distilled. Actually I think it’s good for improving my balance because while ironing I’m easily shifting position without thinking about it. Coincidence, I’ve been looking for one of those sprinkler bottle tops too! And I can remember way way back when I was shorter than an ironing board, my GM keeping a little saucer of water handy & sprinkling with her fingers.
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Those sprinkle bottle tops with the cork liner were standard equipment in the good old days.
Now it's simple to get a spray bottle at the dollar store and use that instead. You can regulate the spray just right. I remember my sister sprinkling a whole load of clothes and rolling them up and letting them dampen for ironing.
 
jujube said:
Outside of a little bit of ironing I had to do as a kid, my first *serious* ironing was done on my late husband's fatigues and khakis. With a can of spray starch (I went through that stuff faster than hairspray) and an old non-steam iron in the other, I attacked those things like the First Army heading into battle. It wasn't just getting them ironed nicely, it was also that the crease had to be EXACTLY in the right place and I do mean EXACTLY. The pants crease had to line up exactly with the center of the boot or low-quarter laces and could go no further than one inch into the pocket. Creases on sleeves had to go through patches at EXACTLY the right place (i.e., the third feather on the eagle's wing and just to the right of the arrowhead and just skimming the …………..)

After that, I vowed NEVER AGAIN and the polyester-wrinkle-free era began when all you had to do was get the darn things out of the dryer promptly and besides, we were all free spirits and a little wrinkles never hurt anyone....right?

Now that I'm an old lady, I figure that any wrinkles on my clothes draw attention from the wrinkles on my face. Win-win!
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I could never get those fatigues stiff enough to pass muster with spray starch, so I had to use the liquid stuff. What a monumental pain! And all those creases -- I remember those, too. Another monumental pain. Khakis weren't as bad as fatigues, but still . . . .
 

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