Minimal Effort or Permant Press

One comment leads to a follow-up post. Unnecessary? Possibly. But my weirdness is multifaceted, so I’m going with it!

As a little girl I wanted to learn to iron so badly! Once I could  see over the board Mom and Sis were willing teachers. Spoiler alert – the fascination didn’t last. Even during my brief stint in the fashion industry I did not become a fan. The final discouraging blow came when my mother-in-law was taken aback (gasp!) when she heard I was not ironing for my husband (future in-laws beware!). Lucky for us all (we had kids) my own mother is a genius at housework and efficiency, and taught me things about wrinkle-reduction that will leave your iron cold. And now I will share this wisdom with you:

• Purchasing a shirt made from 100% cotton, look at the nature of its construction: wrinkle-ridden or a keeper?
• Avoid full immersion when all that is necessary is spot washing.
• Sort your piles correctly to avoid lint buildup and discoloration.
• Forgot to check pockets for tissues? Use the dryer.
• Stick around till the machine is done. Shake out each item immediately.
• I hang wash out year round, and if hung well (hee hee) it will dry well.
• Gravity is your friend: ex. trousers are folded with pleats and hung by the pant leg bottoms.
• Freezing temperatures: a short stint in the dryer (20min.) pulls out enough wrinkles for me to hang them out.
• No need to tell me, there are exceptions!

If I have assisted one person in some small way, I will know I wrote the right thing. By the way, I know that’s not my female self in the drawing, but like him I enjoy a cold one as much as a cold iron.