So, I get this question a lot. "Why do you iron your sheets?!"
Hopefully, my answer is sufficient, lol....
Basically, the easiest way I can say it is this: I want to take care of my things. Plain and simple.
To dig a little bit deeper, though, it's more about making a home for my husband and myself, and being a good steward of what we have. I want to take care of our things because of the lesson I learned in college about it.
I didn't always iron my sheets, though. In college, when I started at the Art Institute of Seattle (7 years ago - wow!), my dad did not want me living on campus, period. Not only was it ridiculously expensive, but when we took a tour of the dorms, he pretty much just said, "I don't think this is the best time for independence. You have your whole life for that. You're going to live at home with me until we can figure something else out." I wasn't disappointed; I knew why he made the decision, and I was fine with it.
The cool part about that was that he went out of his way to take me shopping for everything I would have purchased for a dorm, and let me re-decorate my childhood room at his house to make it more like a college student's dorm, and less like a 10-year-old's. That was totally awesome, and we had a lot of fun! Dad learned that in the world of linens and wall hangings, there is no place for dads to sit and wait for daughters to make hours upon hours of grueling decisions, and I learned that there is a limit to Dad's patience.
So, we ended up at Macy's, and got nearly everything I needed and could have ever wanted. Among our purchases were Tommy Hilfiger sheets for my twin bed (it was actually Dad who insisted on a higher-quality brand than the ones I was looking at), and then I got to pick out a new duvet cover for my down comforter. Those sheets got washed every week (yes, I have always washed my sheets every week - they can get mites and other grossness if you don't!), mostly because of my struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and allergies - but I never ironed them. The short story is that they are essentially ruined. The wrinkles that won't come out have caused discoloration in the wash, and they are not soft at all.
Within a year, we had to buy a second set of sheets. I begged and begged for Roxy sheets (remember, I was 19!), and Dad finally gave in. He just reminded me that I'd have to live with them for years, and I didn't care (I still don't; sheets are sheets). Now those I ironed every time I washed them, and I still have them - and they still look great! We don't actually have a purpose for them, as they are on the guest bed, and we've only really ever had guys stay in there, hahahaha! But I have them just in case, and it's so nice that I have them to fall back on when the others are being washed!
Another question I get about ironing is, "How often do you iron clothes, and how do you find time to do it?"
Well, that question is pretty easy to answer.
My husband's job requires neatly pressed slacks. Mine does not. (In fact, if I'm wearing anything other than jeans to work, I obviously have meetings or some presentation to make!) I know my husband knows how to iron, and I also know that he does not enjoy it. He can do it when he has to, and there have been days that he's had to do it, but he much prefers me to take care of it, and I don't mind - so long as I have time.
What I've found is that it's best to iron immediately after the clothes come out of the dryer (or are line-dried), because that's the most efficient and time-saving. Let them sit and cool, and you'll have to iron out more wrinkles, use more water, and take more time. Which is a total waste.
Therefore, all the ironing in our house happens on Sundays or Mondays (whichever laundry day falls on that week), because that's when everything gets cleaned. There are two exceptions to that cycle, as we have two sets of sheets that I can iron just as well after they've cooled and sat on the bed in the guest room in a pile as I can when they come out of the dryer. With Robert's pants, I just make sure he has at least one pair ready to go each week, and a backup at least clean, just in case he spills something on them (which is rare, but it does happen).
An uncommon question I've been asked is, "What products do you use when you iron?" Water, my iron, and my ironing board. Period. Anything that requires more takes too much effort, so I've effectively cleaned out our closet of most of the dress shirts of ours that are not "wrinkle-resistant." I keep Niagra on hand, just in case, but maybe use it once a year. Using the spray/ steam functions on my awesome iron work perfectly well for me. However, I could really use a new ironing board, as the one I have is really wobbly and has already caused an epic failure of a burn on my arm (see blog post here on this), and hardly has any cover worth speaking of on it. :)
So! That's pretty much my take on ironing. Any other questions I can answer?
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