Ironing

Who would have thought that the topic of ironing clothes would have brought so much response?  It was so nice to see that the majority of the responses were positive.  It seems that a lot of us remember the good feeling and calming effect that ironing brought/brings to us. 

I also ironed the hankies and the pillowcases.  And the kitchen towels.  But one of the strangest things my Mom had me ironing was my Dad's white cotton boxer shorts.  They're tough, at least the way she wanted them done!  And, looking back, if my Dad had realized I was ironing his underwear, he would have been so embarrassed.  He was such a modest man, that the idea of his 10 year old daughter ironing his "drawers" would have mortified him!

Thank you all for sharing your memories.

Candy

Candy, you're right, so many memories for us from such a simple thing. I still only buy white sheets, and they must  be washed with bleach to give them that wonderful clean smell. I don't go as far as ironing pillow cases anymore, but that's what I learned to iron on.
Thankfully, Mom didn't iron undies, not even tee shirts, so I can't imagine ironing Dad's boxers. Actually, he was a Jocky guy, so I wouldn't have been put through that humiliation!!  LOL

Do you remember the stopper we put in the top of a glass bottle that would be a sprinkler? God, I feel old.

i remember the stopper in the pop bottle!!! lol and guess what?! you can STILL buy that in the hardware stores!!! ACE or TRUE VALUE  has them....omg the memories of ironing....

I love going through old fashioned hardware stores. The things you can find that you didn't know you neded. Most of them are things from days gone by, replaced by "new and better" that aren't always better at all!

Yup.  The stopper got put in the top of a Coke bottle.  I actually found one of theose in a catalog one day, almost bought it for old times' sake.  Then decided I had enough stuff hanging around. 

Now, if it would have been my Mom's stopper, that I would have treasured.  But I didn't need to buy a new one to have the memories.....

Gosh Candy, I can remember ironing the sheets, pillow cases, table cloths, "hankies" and just about anything I washed in the ringer type washing machine when I was first married.  I didn't think a thing of it.  Nowadays, younger people don't even own an ironing board and it sure shows by their clothes that are all wrinkled and messy.  My *****esn't even own an iron anymore and it drives me crazy....haha...guess I'm showing my age.  My DH loves to iron and sets up the ironing board in front of the Televison set and irons away....usually on a cold rainy Sunday afternoon.  I don't iron sheets anymore due to making sure any news ones I buy are wrinkle free or of such material not needing ironing.  I love doing laundry but have been lucky to have a laundry room right on the main floor so I don't have to go up and down stairs anymore.  I love hanging laundry outdoors on the clothes line.  There's nothing better or comforting as crawling into a bed that has just been made up with sheets dried on the line.   I guess I've NEVER ironed underwear, male or female but I have heard of others , like you that have in their life time.  This was an interesing subject . 
Hoping every one is doing well and offering prayers or thoughts to those in need.
Love,
Sandy

Sandy, I always say that if I ever win the lottery I want someone to change my bed every day. Wouldn't that be wonderful, to slip into a fresh bed every night? That's my idea of luxury!

I, too, remember ironing as a kid.  My mom sometimes would set a standard like 3 pieces a day, and I couldn't go out until my pieces were done. I'd rifle through the clean laundry to be pressed basket until I found the easiest pieces - hopefully something without or with few buttons. 
  We used the sprinkler system, too.  No steam irons in those days!

I remember using a mangle to iron flat stuff.  I got to be pretty good on one.  My mom used it quite often.  Do you know what one is?  It was actually fun to use.

It was a machine with a roller and you used your knees to operate it.  Press down the roller and pu**** through the roller.  Fun.

It was great for pillow cases..lol

Mary G

When I was using the mangle I pulled my hand halfway thru it.  Didn't use it much after that.  Sure made short work of doing the sheets and pillowcases tho.
We always had a brown beer bottle with the stopper in it, until my mom got high tech and bought a plastic squeeze bottle with a sprinkler head on it.  You just had to squeeze it rather than shake it, less work that way!
Jan