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What To Do With an Iron
For the last 20 years, my iron has been gathering dust in the back of the hall closet. The few times I’ve taken it out was to spot press the top sheet on my bed. My mother used to iron every night. When she should’ve been kicking up her feet for a well-deserved rest after a day at the office, cleaning the house and feeding her family, she stood exhausted in the den steaming away the wrinkles on my father’s shirts. This image made a lasting impression. Once, I had a boyfriend who found it therapeutic to iron. That was a relationship made in heaven.
Shrink-wrapped iron by Chris Labrooy
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I’m not much of an iron-er (only when the shirt or top I want to wear has a lot of wrinkles–SOME wrinkles are fine). But I do understand the therapeutic-ness of it (and have heard of others who get that same sensation when ironing). I get that feeling when I do my dishes by hand.
My mom cleaned ALL the time, but she loved it (on the other hand, she disliked cooking, so that was only done to get a meal on the table and nothing more–no experimentation, no joy in creating flavor combinations, etc). She loved the feeling of having a clean house (so she didn’t do it just for her family). But the image of your exhausted mother–oh, dear. I’m glad times have changed, but that is probably still the scenario for many women.
Not the cleaning queen that my mom is, I still love cleaning up after a dinner party (and I do it right away, before bed).
I’m not a fan of ironing or cleaning, though I do the latter because I like a clean house. I also do the dishes right after a dinner party. I can’t bear the thought of waking up to a sink filled with them.
I don’t own many clothes I have to iron. Not sure if that’s intentional so I can avoid ironing but i don’t enjoy the cumbersome task. Anyway, I really do like this image. Shrink wrapped steam so original. It should be on display in a museum.
Most of my tops are knits. Definitely intentional.
I haven’t touched an iron in a decade. Most clothing is now made to be wrinkle free. What’s the point of making my clothes stiff and crisp when they’re going to crease and ruffle from activity during the day anyway?
Agreed! Although I love my one crisp white shirt. When it’s in need of ironing, I bring it to the Dry Cleaners.