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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Never Iron Again

I do not iron my clothes. I think clothing that needs care is silly. I don't have time to iron just like I don't have time to sew my sleeves on after every washing like ladies did back in 1742.

Me in my work clothes. Not. Image from here.

Here is how I never iron.
1. Buy wrinkle-resistant dress shirts. Obviously. Yet when I married hubby he had plenty wrinkle-producing button downs that were so hopelessly wrinkled after washing that they required dry cleaning. FYI I also do not dry clean. I'm cheap, remember? We slowly phased these burdensome dress shirts out (Yes, he received dress shirts for just about every holiday for a few years).
2. Do not use the permanent press settings on your washer and dryer. They are too gentle and will not shake the wrinkles out.
3. If your clothes can take warm water, wash in warm to release wrinkles. Rinse in cold.
4. After washing, remove clothes from the washer and vigorously shake each item out, "snapping" them like you're about to fold a beach towel. Toss in dryer.
5. Use a timed dry or auto dry for 15 to 20 minutes; take out at once and immediately shake clothes out. They might already be dry. If some items are still damp return to the dryer for 15 minutes. Do not over-dry clothes: it just bakes wrinkles in.
6. Like I said, as soon as clothes come out of the dryer, shake them out - then smooth slacks out on your bed. Basically I "iron" with my hand for a second before folding. Shirts I hang as soon as I can.
7. If you take something out of your closet or dresser and it has re-wrinkled, hang it from the shower curtain so it can steam. If it requires tumbling, tumble in the dryer with a wet towel or washcloth.

7 comments:

  1. I feel like I just fell into a 50s time warp and landed in a home ec class. There's no place like home, there's no place like home.

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  2. If it was the 50's I'd be telling little wives how to make their husbands love them by ironing a perfect shirt, not encouraging them to shirk their wifely duties.

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  3. LOVE THIS!!! I HATE ironing and I needed those tips big time:) K, I was the weird roommate too.....we should have been roomies:)

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  4. I NEVER IRON EVER EVER EVER! Haatteee!

    My little trick is my hair straightener! I usually have it turned on in the morning anyways to do my hair so sometimes I will use it to fix a crease or two on my blouse or pants if they need it but for the most part I do like you said and fold immediately after coming out of the dryer or buy wrinkle-free shirts.

    I also sometimes go to work in really wrinkly clothes. Meh. It happens!

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  5. I am one of the weird people that actually enjoys ironing... It's soothing for me... I realize that i am in the minority, big time!

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  6. Oh my gosh I'm so with you - I like the idea of ironing in theory (I think it could be relaxing), but once you actually do it - SUCH a pain, and I would rather re-wash clothes than iron - ha!

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  7. I'm with you. I do anything to avoid ironing. Occasionally I do it if there's a really important meeting and I just HAVE To wear a certain shirt or skirt, but otherwise no way JOSE!

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