Ironing: A Pros and Cons List

I know that there are some people who just can’t spend enough time ironing. I’ve heard that it soothes them. But I am not one of those people.

For 25 years, I have tried my hardest to avoid ironing. In the past, when a piece of clothing has proven too wrinkly, I would throw it into the dryer for a few minutes and TADA... ironed!

But in February, my husband and I got a washer/dryer combo to save space in the laundry room/tool shed/mudroom/pantry. We love this new machine; it is pretty and shiny and only requires one set of button-pushing in order to wash and dry a load of laundry. Now, I can start a load of laundry on my way out the door without fear that they will sit cooped up in the wet remnants of the rinse cycle; no more musty clothing.

The only thing wrong with this machine is that the drying part of the process renders every single piece of clothing wrinkled. Did you know that cotton panties can wrinkle?

For the most part, we can still avoid ironing. But we do each have a handful of clothings (not a word, but I’m using it anyway) that always come out crumpled; they always require ironing.

So we broke down and bought an iron. And an ironing board. And we found out just how excruciating it is to spend $60 on things that we have never in our lives wanted to own.

I still try avoid off ironing, but truth is, my husband does not look very professional rolling up to the office in wrinkled pants.

So, the question arises weekly: to iron or not to iron. My Pros and Cons list follows…

Pro: Our clothes won’t be wrinkled.

Con: It is very hot to stand in a cloud of steam.

Pro: When we are rich, paying someone else to do it will be a much sweeter reward.

Con: We won’t look like hobos anymore. Should we ever want to take up begging, we would be out of luck in wrinkle-free clothes.

Pro: It’s one more thing I can do to make my husband happy.

Pro: It’s one more thing my husband can do for me, to brighten my day.

Pro: The Sister Hazel Pandora station is to ironing as a spoon full of sugar is to medicine. I still don’t like the medicine, but I sure do enjoy the chance to indulge in a guilty pleasure

Pro: It is quite a rewarding task to make a wrinkle-laden piece of clothing into a wrinkle-free one. That miracle makes me proud.

Con: I never get all of the wrinkles out.

Pro: I like the noise of steam shooting from the little holes on the iron’s face.

Pro: I like the feeling of the iron gliding along a piece of cloth.

Pro: If I write it on my to-do list, I can cross it off.

Sometimes the key to getting chores done is to convince yourself that they are not chores.