Sunday, December 7, 2008

Does anybody else iron out there?

So, I have lived in USA for 13 years and I still iron much to the amazement of my unironed American friends.

When my family visit they cannot believe that I do not iron the bedding, t-shirts, shorts and boxers and tell me "standards are dropping!"

My local friends laugh at me and say "use the dryer for goodness sakes you're in America."

I feel that I fall in between the two ...just like a slice of ham on a butty.

I iron shirts and pants and pillow cases..is there anyone else out there who still irons the English way?

I have to admit that when I speak to my sister in England and she is moaning about the stack of ironing that she has to plough through I really do see & understand the American way. It can be considered a waste of time but there is something that feels good about the smell and the satisfaction of looking at a pile of freshly ironed laundry....too bad it takes forever to do!

5 comments:

Janice (aka HRH, Mme. L) said...

Dearest, Maureen does my ironing the majority of the time...I cannot be bothered... ;)

Madame L

Expat mum said...

I have to resist the urge to iron everything (lack of time) and if you get the dryer as soon as it stops, there's a lot of stuff that can go without. I did however, purchase an iron press a few years back and I'm a new woman. Once you learn how not to burn your knuckles on the top pad, it's marvellous!

Almost American said...

I iron as little as possible - just like my mum in the UK when we were growing up. I iron my work clothes, and other than that only things that look really wrinkled. I admit I did iron the new duvet cover and pillow cases I put on our bed last weekend - they're 100% cotton and definitely look better if they're at least somewhat ironed.

Once we all left the house and mum had retired I did once find her ironing her undies - she must have been bored! She got one of those iron presses that Expatmum mentioned, but I didn't see it in evidence last time I was home.

Lindsay-ann said...

I just came across your blog and thought I would say "Hi" from your homeland.
Is ironing just some weird english thing we do? I have to admit that just recently I have stopped ironing bedding. My daughter (age 12) has to wear a jumper at school (at all times) so I cheat by only ironing the collar. Isn't that naughty?
Best Wishes from the north.
Lindsay

Janet said...

I kept doing the ironing for several years after moving to the States. But I soon learnt the error of my ways. Now I only iron work clothes, when I'm going out to do an interview. The rest of the time I just hang it straight from the drier and that works well enough for me.

Funnily enough, it was my Aussie sister-in-law who pointed me in the right diredtion.