This is either a post giving you the okay to be lazy OR it is a post about saving time, electricity and helping you be self sufficient, you decide.
I have never liked to iron or press my laundry but I did always do it. Until that is, we ended up without any electricity for six months when we first arrived here. It turns out you can get perfectly smooth clothes and linen without the need to burn huge amounts of fossil fuel or giving over whole days to the task. Simply follow these steps to a crease-free future:
- never leave damp washing in the machine
- as you remove washing from the machine roughly fold it as you add it to your basket
- dry washing tidily – by this I mean fold large items properly and hang clothes by their centres to prevent peg marks (eg fold t-shirts over the line centrally and peg at the armpit)
- when you take your dry washing down fold it neatly into your basket
- hang as much clothing on hangers as you can
- keep drawers tidy – if you have a rummage make sure stuff is still folded neatly when you finish
Thats it! No hidden secret formula just keep your washing folded neatly at all times once it is clean and you’ll find the only creases are those fold marks that you’d still get if you’d spent hours ironing everything. Most of the creases we spend hours removing from our clothes and linen are just creases put there by leaving damp washing in untidy heaps to become crinkled and unwearable.
Alright you may have the odd silk blouse or pair of linen slacks that need to be pressed but most things will not. Jeans which seem to keep a slightly creased appearance after drying are smooth as silk after five minutes of wearing.
No idea why this is not done by everyone. In the last four years I have ironed one outfit, and I’m pretty smart when I’m out and about honestly!
Give it a try, just remember a few minutes spent keeping wet clothes folded smartly will save you hours in the laundry room pressing creases out of them later.
For a more self sufficient future