Today Life in a Pink Fibro asks us whether we are an ironing-basket disciple. I am, but it’s not what you think. I am more Judas than Peter.
If I need a sherpa to get over the washing basket, then I need to be helicoptered in to deal with the ironing. It sits in a corner of my dining room, growing ever more mountainous as yet another crumpled garmet is precariously loaded on top. I shudder when I remember the day we almost lost The Badoo in a landslide.
You might visit my home and feel that it is loved and cared for. Everything seems reasonably clean and fresh and organised. You might settle in and contentedly think, “Ah, nice people live here.”
But you would be wrong. Lurking beneath the scrubbed-face home, things rank and gross in nature possess it merely. And not just bad Shakespeare references. Short-cuts, blind-eyes, lazybones – they are all here.
So, no I don’t iron. LOML does his work stuff and the Tsunami’s school uniforms. The rest is ironed by body heat.
Except for an ocassional spritz with a bit of vinegar and a half-hearted swipe with the steel-wool, I haven’t cleaned the oven since we bought it 3 years ago.
The crumbs on the floor of my car would feed the entire San Marco pigeon population for a year with leftovers. Oh, I’ve heard about that technique where you imagine that the car is just another room in the home to vacuum regularly. Yeah, I heard about that.
[Image by squeakypeach4]
Toni says
Yep, I am.
I don’t iron at all, ever (unless it’s for scrapbooking) so at least that’s one less thing I have to deal with.
A Country Wife says
Bless your unironed socks Maxabella, for you have described my house to a tee. I don’t believe anyone that says they can keep a picture perfect house AND have time to enjoy the better things in life xx
Madmother says
Oh sweetie, we SO revolve in the same universe!
Sim says
I have an iron. It’s still in the box right at the back of the cupboard under the sink. I have trouble just putting the clean washing away. It builds up in the basket, I then fold it all neatly into piles on my bed only to forget about it till it’s time for bed so it ends up back in the basket. This goes on for days, weeks even!
Amie says
yes what sim said exactly.
yes to the whole thing actually. although i think you can tell the short cuts in my home from the very first second you arrive.
Mel says
I own an iron, but do not iron. For some insane reason I went to use it one day last year and it was broken. How is that possible when it NEVER gets used? A mystery.
LionessLady says
Oh yeah, exactly the same. I stopped ironing because every time I plugged it in it was short curciting the rest of the house. My MIL bought us a new one but it feels like it belongs to her so my ironing builds up behind the lounge until she arrives to do it for me!
ClaireyH says
At my recent dinner party some of the other ladies insisted on doing a few dishes, they found it hard to accept that my third drawer was also pretty much the fourth, feeling all confused that the fresh tea towels were hidden by junk.
Tas says
Oh I am the same 🙂 I live by the saying “Dull women have immaculate houses”
Lucy says
I am a Pollyanna ironer. But “down the side of the house” is my pigsty spot. And out rumpus room. If in doubt, i chuck it in the rumpus room and slam the door quick. And lets not even go there with Olivia’s walk in robe.
And I leave the vac by the front door. So that when people pop in unexpectedly I can always excuse the gritty crap all over the floors with “Oh! You’ve just caught me before I started cleaning”!
xx
Annie says
My iron gets a workout almost everyday…for sewing purposes, never to iron actual clothing!
1000 Homes of Happiness says
Our car is filled with crumbs and sultanas, you need to wade through the floor just to get to the seats. So much easier to simply close the door and walk away =)
Donna says
I remember a happy time when The Husband used to be chief ironer in our house – even towels and pillows weren’t safe from the steamer! And before we had bub he proclaimed he’d iron all his clothes “otherwise how else would he know he was loved??”
But alas those days are gone and I’m now in charge. Needless to say I’m not quite so anal about it all…
DanielleQ says
Same. Pretty much. Hubby gets his work shirts ironed so that he doesn’t have to iron them himself 😉
Suz says
Tee hee…fab dress! Is it what you wear whilst ironing?
Wanderlust says
You mean there are people who iron? I keep up with the washing and that’s about it. My car always needs a good vacuuming too. I imagine you’re in good company!
Anna Bartlett says
My mother in law was coming to visit so I found a wonderful ironing lady to help me find the bottom of the laundry. Love love love her. I try to save money and not use her too often though, but I also love little girls in sweet little ironed dresses. It’s a personal dilemma.
I usually iron very late at night because it’s just worn me down. “Letterman” late. Sad but true.
On the other hand, I love visiting friends who have a big pile of ironing, because I know I am truly welcome in their home. Love that too. Don’t hide it, we should all just admit it. And send photos to my mother so she knows I’m not abnormal in my inability to keep up with it all.
Miss Pink says
I hate gardening. Oh well, i wish i were good at it, i try to pretend i am but i have a black thumb which makes me just awful at it thus taking away and of the joy, and well most of the “over grown” problems, as i kill everything. Lol.
Ironing? Doesn’t happen. I don’t own a car to worry about it, that’s Mr Black’s job, as he’s the one driving it. Junk drawers? Got those galore, hey i even have a box bigger than me full of junk…although we refer to that as the “toybox” lol.
Simoney says
The same! the same!!
We have a collection under our back deck. One day, when we get around to resurfacing it, we will have to deal with What Lurks Beneath. Until then, it’s a great place to push sweepings.
And the ironing??
I don’t even have an ironing pile. My husband takes his work shirts to the drycleaner. Has done for years.
My kids did not know what an iron was until their English Grandmother came to stay. They saw her ironing her t-shirts and pajamas and enquired innocently: “Oh grandma what is that you are doing???”
So trust me.
We are the same.
♥
Mama of 2 boys says
Hahaha, ditto! As I commented on Life In a Pink Fibro’s post, iron as you go is my motto and I might add, only if it’s a last resort… I’ll wear something else if it means avoiding the iron ;o)
As for the rest of the house, it’s a kind of organised chaos, that to the naked eye, appears neat and clean. But there are definitely short cuts aplenty going on behind the scenes!
Simone says
Had a giggle when I read that post! We iron on an as we need it basis. I also have a tidy and clean home but if you look closely you will find dusty skirting boards and a few other guilty secrets!xx
Cate says
you read my post over at planningwithkids all about my love affair with the hiding power of the ginormous blue ikea bags…yes I am just like you (it’s all an illusion…don’t check the cupboards!!)
xxxCate
Karen Wilson says
Ironing with body heat is the ecologically responsible option!
I’ve only ever cleaned an oven when I moved out of a rental (we’ve only owned for just over 12 months so I supposed I’ll have to break that pattern eventually)
There are so many more fun things to think about than cleaning a house!
74 Lime Lane says
Well I have already confessed to Al that I don’t have ironing basket, although I long for that organised feeling that comes with it.
Fortunately, my car gets vaccummed when it is serviced. Sadly, apparently it doesn’t need servicing now for another 12 months.
I haven’t cleaned my oven either.
And my third drawer down, is actually the second is stuffed full of the plastic forks that come with 2-minute noodles! Classy!
Cat from Raspberry Rainbow says
Hubsand irons his own shirts, as I am so bad at it (on purpose, shhhh, dont tell him!)
I only iron when sewing, and when it is completely necessary, otherwise, I am one happy crinkly person.
My life was revolutionised around 12 months ago when I bought many more washing baskets – we have no less than 8 in our house, for 4 people. We each one one in our bedrooms with clean clothes in, waiting to be put away and you just “pick and mix” from the clean basket if it has not been put away.
As for the rest of the house, not much cleaning happens unless it is necessary. I can safely say my floors have not been mopped all year!
mamaj'adore says
I LOVE the picture! You’ve got style hun :). I too, have an iron, and yep, its in its box. It was a recent purchase, mainly for sewing – but I have to admit that in the 6 years I have been with LOML, I think I’ve ironed 5 shirts? You are in good company, and it made me smile broadly to read your post today x
Katie says
Oh no, I never iron (except if I’m sewing something). I find if I take extra care when hanging clothes on the line, then nothing needs to be ironed. That’s what I tell myself anyway.
Infact my daughter was given a toy iron when she turned 3 and had no idea what it was! 🙂 Never seen mummy using that!
Naturally Carol says
I am so like you…I used to have a huge Everest of an ironing pile..now I put it away even if it needs ironing and whoever wants to wear it may iron it if it needs it. I am partially blind to my piles of mess. Then every so often the scales lift and I am a mad cleaner for a fleeting window in time..then it’s back to ignorance is bliss. Loved your post!
melissa says
I love finding someone who honestly describes a cleaning philosophy similar to mine!
My Mr does his own ironing – I only buy clothes that don’t need ironing. I find a good shake goes a long way!
I like Cat’s idea.. perhaps I need more washing baskets!
oh – and for the really lazy: put the kids to work. I just posted about it. 😀
Life In A Pink Fibro says
LOL. You know my new Zen position on ironing. Everything else is business as usual. But the car is vaccumed, oh yes it is. Comes under ‘outdoor chores’ and we know who takes responsibility for those. Not me.
Penny says
I, too, NEVER iron. Hubby irons all his own stuff…and he’s a little bit wierd…he won’t go out unless he’s ironed his clothes, even t-shirts. LOL
And I don’t who could have a perfect house when you’ve got kids unless you never ever sit down and don’t spend much time enjoying your kids!
Sarah says
Yes I iron.
I iron fabric for sewing.
And between sewing adventures the ironing board is a fantastic cat scratching board.
Yes our house has many things that lurk in the darker spots and usually in the easily seen spots too.
But that is life
ange_moore says
I detest ironing. I don’t even have a basket for it – it all gets put away. I have been known to sweat out a day with an ironed collar (and unironed shirt) underneath an jumper or fastened cardi!
And do not look under our couches! The lost toys and socks get dragged out about twice a year. It’s always a surprise!
Alice Becomes says
i never iron. Never.
Btw, I just love the way you can write a brilliant post on the most trivial of things
Gill xo
Frog, Goose and Bear says
I don’t mind ironing, but I just don’t seem to get around to it. Only things that get ironed are Mr FGB’s work shirts and pants and one or two other items belonging to the rest of us. I have a pile which just sits there getting bigger and bigger until it is dealt with in one foul swoop out of necessity. Generally by Mr FGB or my mother in law or on the odd occasion even me.
moppysgirl says
A discussion on ironing neatly divided our bookclub into those who iron their tea towels, and those who do not because that would be utterly ridiculous. The ironing board comes out in our house when my husband irons his shirts, or when I am doing some sewing (in which case it then stays out for weeks!).
Our front room is supposed to be the ‘grown up’ (ie toy free) room and is actually the repository for anything we cannot find an immediate home for. It’s a mess. We’ve got some nice furniture etc in there but keep the door shut because it’s really just a dump!
adriel, from the mommyhood memos says
I iron for weddings and… well, just weddings.
Anything else that needs “ironing” gets sprayed down with a water bottle, shaken out, and left hanging to dry again. That’s as pressed as we get around here.
Life In A Pink Fibro says
I remember this. I still iron on Sunday nights. But the folding? Well, now, that’s another story.
Cath says
Rewinding… your timing is perfect. I have a whole heap of guests coming next week who have never seen my house before. Some are sure to fit the “Immaculate” category with their own homes. I’m hoping they won’t notice the filthy pantry, that there are 18 month old leftovers in the fridge or that everything that I can’t find a home for is hidden in the shed.
At least I don’t have an ironing pile. If it requires ironing, I don’t buy it!
Kirsty@MummytoFive says
I hardly ever iron, I will hang all the shirts that I know need to be ironed and just pray they iron them themselves!!
Mrs Catch says
I rarely iron either. I had a long rail put up in the laundry where wet clothes can be hung on hangers to dry. You could call it de facto ironing. Not to mention a de facto wardrobe, as it doesn’t take long for everyone’s clothes to be hanging there,rather than their bedrooms. Ergonomic efficiency, right?.
Charis says
Oh I am exactly the same! I only ever iron my work shirt, that is it. And my bedroom looks like someone is actually moving out!
Photographer Mum says
I iron only when necessary. Clothes take up permanent residence on the couch or living room floor. Mostly the floor because washing baskets make AWESOME boats. Apparently.
I like to clean and tidy before people come over but I need advanced warning if people are going to drop in. Like at least 24hrs! Kids I tell you. They’ll mess up a tidy room in 2 seconds flat
MultipleMum says
I note that I did not comment on this post in March. It is probably best, since I will incriminate myself. Let’s put it like this, you do a lot better job of hiding the dreaded lazybones that I! Thanks for joining the Weekend Rewind x
Jodi @ The Scribble Den says
Yep! I’m the same. On the outside looks great, behind those drawers, cupboard and laundry – Look Out!
Kim H says
I’m with you – I hate ironing. Actually, I hate it so much that in our move I threw out the ironing board. Kept the iron but the only ironing I’ll be doing will be very, very wrinkly stuff that needs to be worn to a wedding (next weekend!). I spose I’ll use the bed to iron on??