Howdy Y’all,
Happy Hump Day. Now I did say on my Virgin Vlog that I welcomed any feedback or suggestions for topics to be covered in this blog. True to my word I will not disappoint. So here is my blog post on ironing. I enjoy ironing; I do not love it but find it very therapeutic. No I am not a sad case, but I do like the feel of freshly pressed clothes, bed linen and kitchen cloths. I used to iron more frequently than I do now, in fact I used to have an iron “setup” in a spare room but my iron kept blowing the house electrics so we had to move it back downstairs. When I build my dream Casa Lifestyle I will have my own ironing/repair room, OK now I am sounding sad and a gal has to get her kicks somewhere. I come from an ironing household; Mummy L always ironed everything in fact when I Skype her she is quite often at the ironing board. So I think, maybe, you get used to certain standards.
I really get that most people do not have time or can not be bothered to spend their lives ironing. There are a million other things I would prefer to be doing but I have a theory. I believe that most people do not iron because they do not have the right equipment. I can get my head around sending yours or your beloveds shirts out to be laundered. I will confess that when I have visitors or life gets hectic I am the same way, but generally I iron them. Of course when I am ironing I consider I could have this done for $1.25, but when you calculate that Mr L will wear on average 6-7 shirts/week and I will wear at least 2 that is roughly $500-$600/ year. That money sends you well on your way to some lovely leather goods or a hotel stay whatever your thing is. If Mr L is reading this blog he will be secretly proud of me, thinking of saving (not a LL strength.) He doesn’t mind what I do with his shirts but he claims he prefers the way I do them (love him.) It is not really about the money but I believe if people actually had the right tools, the task of ironing would be easier, more efficient and therefore more attractive. So here is my must list for Ironing (hope you not asleep yet?)
A typical ironing pile for TLL
Rowenta DG5030 Pro Iron Steam Station with Stainless Steel Soleplate 1750-Watt. Now this is hands down the greatest iron I have ever owned. It breezes through piles of ironing like a dream. A good friend of mine, an Italian Mama, introduced me to these and you do not get a better recommendation than that. These mama’s know how to run a household. They are an investment there is no denying that, but it cuts back on hours and makes ironing pleasurable. I have owned mine for three years and it gets regular use and shows little signs of wear. So if I calculated how often I have used it, it becomes very economical. They do take approximately 5-10 mins to heat up, but that is dependent on how much you fill the tank. I find a healthy basket can be easily completed with one tank. I cannot tell you what a difference it has made to ironing bed sheets. If you do not believe this Lifestyle Lady just look at the reviews on the Amazon link.
My beloved iron
Brabantia 321962 124 by 45-Inch Ironing Board with 25mm Ivory Frame and Ice Water Cover Solid Steam Unit Holder. This is another essential item. The ironing board. Most people get bad backs being hunched over an incorrect board, it is positioned to the incorrect height or it does not go high enough. This board has those bases covered. The other beauty of this is its width. This is a wide board, at least twice as wide as an ordinary board. This is essential when pressing shirts or duvet covers. It opens and closes efficiently.
Brown stain is proof of use
Brabantia Ironing Board Cover, Another one of my essentials is having a really thick ironing board cover, this helps get a smoother neater finish. Mine is not this one but I bought mine in the UK. Any cover that fits should be fine. Also the softer padding stops you pressing down too hard.
Pretty design of my cover
Plastic Bottle Sprayer, again this is not the same as mine, I purchased mine from the Home Depot but these are essential to damp shirts down before ironing. If they are damp it makes them easier to iron and gives a more professional finish. You can also use them to water indoor plants – dual use.
So many uses, good for spraying cheeky toddlers!
Ultra Thin Velvet Hangers. These hangers are first class. They are ultra thin, which means you can store more in your closet (yay.) We also color code them Mr L has blue and I am pink. So you can see from the photo how many of Mr L’s shirts I was about to iron.
Ipad. I love my Ipad when I iron, it gives me access to many entertainment features depending on my mood. Whether it is Netflix, podcast or radio these are imperative to a good ironing session. It certainly makes the time go quicker if you are watching some “trash tv.”
Strategically positioned Ipad
A pile of ironing, yes self-explanatory, you will see in my pictures if you have a diligent eye that there are two baskets (one inside each other.) I do this so that I can carry the iron folded clothes upstairs efficiently and the other contains items which may need rewashing due to staining or mended, button on etc.
All in a days work
When I had my ironing setup in a spare room I had a clothing rack up permanently so I could hang the freshly pressed clothes instantly. I could also allow them to cool before returning to the closet.
Lifestyle Lady Top Tips
- Don’t press too hard with your iron.
- Use boiled then cooled water, it removes some of the impurities which can clog up the iron.
- Never iron the transfer on t-shirts. This applies to kids shirts mainly; similar to if you put them in a too hot tumble the transfer melts and sticks.
- Don’t wear cloths that have been freshly pressed, give the garments time to set.
- Keep the iron plate clean using a mixture of water and baking soda. Who has ever had that brown stain squirted out of the steam holes. Use Q tips to clean those.
Hope you’re not asleep, but ironing is not that bad. Unpacking groceries is worse – am I right?
Ta ta for now
TLLx