Franklin

Ironing – sin … curse … purgatory? Do Americans actually do any ironing? They seem to fold a lot. Maybe this is why they use dry-cleaners a lot – just to get shirts starch crisp flat. :scared:

I used to iron everything … but I am slipping … Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy style … “probability is falling� ... like my ironing (quantitatively and qualitatively)!

honeymommy

None of my friends did. Thats what dry cleaners are for you know.. LOL
I didn't realise until we got back to the UK that I had slipped so much. Saw the cost of dry cleaning here and almost died. 4 items for £12.... So back to ironing. I forgot how much I hate that chore!!!!!

It is nice once it's all done though.......

sibsie

We don't even own an iron! But I do fold a lot.

rincewind

My wife thought I was crazy when I bought an iron from the store.

"What's that??"

"It's an iron dear."

"Oh........why do you want that?"

"To get the wrinkles out of my shirts."

"Oh.......but everything comes out of the dryer without wrinkles."

"But not everything should go in the dryer. That's why 90% of my nice new clothes are now 20% smaller. Either I'm putting on weight or my clothes are shrinking."

I hate the fact that everything is tumble dried. Especially when I'm paying the electric bill. In this weather, clothes would dry faster on an outside line but that's as taboo as buying alcohol on a Sunday in my neck of the woods.

For a country that bitches about the current price of petrol (IT'S NOT GAS...IT'S A LIQUID) they sure like running up the electric bill.

NC Penguin

I do the odd bit of ironing but I try to minimize the amount to be ironed by giving garments a good shake and shaping them before hanging items like shirts. That way, some don't need ironing.

Also, advances in technology has created fabrics that are said not to crease which means less ironing. I personally don't care about these kind of clothes.

What really bugs me about clothing in this country is the increasing percentage of garments that are handwash only, dry clean only and wash in cold. I put the blame on the consumer because they want cheap clothing and cheap means cheap quality. Quality fabrics (bar some wool and nearly all cashmere) and manufacture should mean you can toss the garment into a washing machine and wash it in at least warm.

You pay less for the garment but when you need to pay to dry clean the garment, the overall cost of the garment mounts up.

I even washed a couple of pillows in my (front loading) washing machine that were marked "handwash". There's a handwash cycle on the machine and one pillow came out perfect but the other one (whose quality was a bit iffy) was a bit mangled but I can fix it.

I'm not a big fan of tumble dryers either and I can count on one hand how many times I've used mine since I bought it three months ago. We air dry our laundry (inside 'cos the HOA would throw a fit if I tried it outside, I'm sure).




NC Penguin

Ray

The State put a stop to all that HOA nonsense in Florida ..with good old state law 163.04 Energy devices based on renewable resources.

(2) No deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources from being installed on buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements.

ironporer

So if you have a solar collecting USA flag, it would be legal to fly it now?

ElsieTheMaid

I only have a handful of items that I iron. Hubby's heavy cotton shirts go to the dry cleaners. Most everything else I put on hangers immediately out of the dryer.

I have 4 kids. The tumble dryer is my best friend!

Ray

Does not have to be solar powered.. Screw the HOAs ..

State law:720.304 Right of owners to peaceably assemble; display of flag;
(2) Any homeowner may display one portable, removable United States flag or official flag of the State of Florida in a respectful manner, and on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day may display in a respectful manner portable, removable official flags, not larger than 41/2 feet by 6 feet, which represent the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, regardless of any declaration rules or requirements dealing with flags or decorations.

(3) Any owner prevented from exercising rights guaranteed by subsection (1) or subsection (2) may bring an action in the appropriate court of the county in which the alleged infringement occurred, and, upon favorable adjudication, the court shall enjoin the enforcement of any provision contained in any homeowners' association document or rule that operates to deprive the owner of such rights.

mandpete

I was amazed when I first came over here at the amount of people I saw wearing crumpled and creased clothes. I still iron everything apart from underwear. Just bought a new iron last week after the one I bought 2 years ago finally gave up. My US friends don't own irons and can't believe the amount of ironing I do. I use my dryer all the time but still have to iron things. I hate ironing but I hate creased clothes more.

When we were looking for a house to buy a US friend told me to make sure that the house we bought was near a good dry cleaners. At the time I thought she was joking until later she told me she took most of her laundry to the cleaners and this was a woman who owned a brand new top of the range washer dryer set. In England I only ever sent suits and coats to the cleaners so being near a cleaners had never even entered my head (of course being within walking distance of a bar was top of hubby's list).

I have noticed that a lot of clothes over here are made of "crimplene" which makes me think of the 70's and being full of static constantly, so I prefer to buy cotton. In fact I tried to buy my daughter nighties over here but they are all made of brushed nylon or winceyette. Brentford Nylons springs to mind. My Mum sends nighties and Pyjamas over from M&S or Bhs.

Maybe after a couple more years here I may change but I doubt it. Well I think I've waffled enough now.

Yosser

I used to iron for my mum, when I was younger for pocket money, so I was used to it. Now all my clothes go in the tumble drier (no-one here in Texas has a clothes line, thats an absolute no-no). Then I hang them straight up, every morning before work though, both the missus and I iron just what we need for that day.

Another thing, because of the hot climes with Texas, I'm not sure hanging ones clothes on the line would be a good idea, they would fade in no time and be baked in the sun.

At the weekends, I'm one of those scruffy buggers with wrinkled t-shirts

honeymommy

4 kids and ironing do not fit in the same sentence.......!!!!!

Being back in the UK I actually ironed a pair of my daughters jeans the other day..... Learnt very quickly to give less time in the drier so no creases!!!!!

I plan on training my 4 kids how to iron everything so I never have to.....

jjmb

INCORRECT, we are the proud owners of a whirly line. Admittedly we are the only family with one in our particular subdivision.

Yosser

oh dear, you must get some percular stares then! . I tried once to rig up a washing line, her in doors went spazzo on me, saying the neighbors would call us "white trash"......ain't nothing white trash, when the lecky bill comes in :scared:

surfsbabe

After a lengthy search I bought a clothes horse to avoid putting some of my clothes in the tumble dryer. I am sure the sales assistant thought I was speaking a foreign language because it took so long to make her understand what I wanted.