Petty Vents

[Addie]

My mom said the worst thing to iron was our dresses when we were toddlers. Tiny, wrinkled 100% cotton dresses with lots of "nooks and crannies."

My favorite story about ironing has nothing to do with ironing actually. When I was a toddler my mom took in ironing to make a little money. When she went into labor with my sister, she was walking to the car, all doubled up in pain, when the neighbor woman ran over, demanding to know when her ironing would be finished! Sheesh!

I remember those days. But both my girls looked pretty even when they went out to play. I used to iron all their summer tops and shorts also. And the same for the boys. Shirts always got ironed. The hardest thing to iron though were the ruffles on the girls dresses and blouses.

 

[Claire]

Yeah, I grew up in the era when Mom had to iron yards and yards of ruffles and bows (a family of girls) in addition to Dad's uniforms. The first thing she did (sort of like my social security thing) when she gave up smoking was have someone iron for her with the extra money. Then as we were entering our teens and unbleached, 100% cotton muslin was in style. Mom said we could only buy it (actually, we were all pretty much sewing by then) if we ironed it, period.

 

[Claire]

My latest vent is that we had appointment around lunchtime with tax guy. Husband decides today is the day for finishing up the front porch; windows, shutters, screens. I have a hose end bottle I like for such jobs, although I wind up drenched when I use it.

Well I started in, and got to the first shutter and .... wham! I hit a nest, I think yellow jackets. Boy were they angry. Husband is very, very, very allergic to stings. I yelled at him to get in the house and found a couple of half-cans of hornet, etc., poison and started in. had to be over 200 of the darned (believe me, I'm being nice compared to what I was thinking). Managed to kill whatever they were and clean out the nest, get all the dead bodies removed, get the windows, screens and shutters cleaned. But bottom line is what should have been a small job left me drenched to the skin, head to toe, and of course, husband couldn't help me.

Then I had to clean up and go do taxes. Luckily, we're in a situation where that isn't a big deal, and we like and trust tax guy.

 

[vitauta]

the smell of mom's ironing is still one my most enduring/endearing memories....

 

[Barbara L]

the smell of mom's ironing is still one my most enduring/endearing memories....

I know what you mean. A lot of my good memories revolve somehow around my mom ironing.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Remember the thing you stuck in the soda bottle to sprinkle the clothes with.

I have not ironed in at least a year and the ironing board is long gone. Now when I need to iron I pull out a bath towel and do it on the dining room table or the floor like a starving college kid. Do they still have starving college kids?

 

[Barbara L]

Remember the thing you stuck in the soda bottle to sprinkle the clothes with.

I have not ironed in at least a year and the ironing board is long gone. Now when I need to iron I pull out a bath towel and do it on the dining room table or the floor like a starving college kid. Do they still have starving college kids?

My mom used one of those for years! Sprinkle a few pieces of clothing, roll them up, iron them, start over.

 

[bakechef]

I have a small ironing board that hangs behind the closet door and folds down when needed. Very handy!

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

Remember the thing you stuck in the soda bottle to sprinkle the clothes with.

I have not ironed in at least a year and the ironing board is long gone. Now when I need to iron I pull out a bath towel and do it on the dining room table or the floor like a starving college kid. Do they still have starving college kids?

Yes, in fact most of my university friends survived on ramen, mac and cheese, and if they were health concious, cans of generic brand vegetables.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I'm 51, I don't iron...had my fill and it's not a chore I enjoy. I would rather wash dishes and clean the bathroom.

 

[taxlady]

I'm 51, I don't iron...had my fill and it's not a chore I enjoy. I would rather wash dishes and clean the bathroom.

Wanna come wash my dishes (I have a dishwasher) and clean my bathroom? I'll be happy to do your ironing.

 

[vitauta]

dancing slow at his neck i remember still the burned smell of pressed shirt....

 

[Barbara L]

The main time I iron is if one of James's shirts needs a little touch-up. Why I bother, I don't know. I make sure it is nice and smooth, then I hand it to him and he puts it on the bed in a wad! I keep telling him that when a man goes out looking a mess, it isn't him people (ok, women) are looking at, but it is the wife. "What kind of woman lets her husband go out looking like that?!" One time he was wearing a horribly mismatched outfit (two different prints). Every time we passed someone I said, "He dressed himself!" He went to the barber to get his hair cut, and when he came out he was laughing (I had waited in the car). He said the barber asked him, "Doesn't your wife dress you better than that?!"

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

The main time I iron is if one of James's shirts needs a little touch-up. Why I bother, I don't know. I make sure it is nice and smooth, then I hand it to him and he puts it on the bed in a wad! I keep telling him that when a man goes out looking a mess, it isn't him people (ok, women) are looking at, but it is the wife. "What kind of woman lets her husband go out looking like that?!" One time he was wearing a horribly mismatched outfit (two different prints). Every time we passed someone I said, "He dressed himself!" He went to the barber to get his hair cut, and when he came out he was laughing (I had waited in the car). He said the barber asked him, "Doesn't your wife dress you better than that?!"

My hubby once got asked why I don't make him wear better shoes with the clothes that make him look nice. Baby steps. I've got him wearing dress clothes when appropriate instead of jeans and a t-shirt regardless of the circumstance and colors other than grey and black. I've made progress. But telling a guy he needs to wear better shoes with his dress clothes is just asking to have him pick apart the number and variety of shoes you own (blah blah blah too many). And for a girl, I don't really have that many.

 

[taxlady]

I ex DH (the self-proclaimed Scottish hooligan), was misbehaving in a restaurant. One of my friends said, "You can dress him up, but you can't take him any where." The waitress (also a friend) chimed in, "From what I hear, you can't dress him up."

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Wanna come wash my dishes (I have a dishwasher) and clean my bathroom? I'll be happy to do your ironing.

Let me see if I can rent a Boxcar for the ironing pile, I'll be right there.

 

[bakechef]

I don't enjoy ironing, but there are some of my cotton shirts that just need it, especially along the buttons and button holes, and since I ironed those, I just seem to keep going and do the whole thing.

Having a good iron helps somewhat. I have a EuroPro Shark and it is really great, you can push down on the steam button, and it will keep going until the tank is empty, one pass over the cloth is all it needs, it really is an easy one to use. When I'm in a hotel and need to iron, I realize just how bad a cheap iron can be!

 

[taxlady]

I can't remember the last time I used steam. I just spritz clothes with the plant sprayer. It takes out the wrinkles quicker and I don't have to clean the danged iron.

Remember when steam irons needed distilled water?

 

[bakechef]

I can't remember the last time I used steam. I just spritz clothes with the plant sprayer. It takes out the wrinkles quicker and I don't have to clean the danged iron.

Remember when steam irons needed distilled water?

You're supposed to clean an iron?

Mine is 10 years old and I've never cleaned it. Hasn't spit out any nasty stuff yet, so maybe I'm safe!

 

[Barbara L]

I don't enjoy ironing, but there are some of my cotton shirts that just need it, especially along the buttons and button holes, and since I ironed those, I just seem to keep going and do the whole thing.

Having a good iron helps somewhat. I have a EuroPro Shark and it is really great, you can push down on the steam button, and it will keep going until the tank is empty, one pass over the cloth is all it needs, it really is an easy one to use. When I'm in a hotel and need to iron, I realize just how bad a cheap iron can be!

I have a Shark as well. Even though I don't iron clothes a lot, I do sew, which means a lot of ironing as you go.