Do you iron?
These days, busy people often avoid buying anything requiring an iron—such items get a trip to the dry cleaner, or they end up in a basket for eternity, waiting for an ironing hand. Back in the day, however, nearly everything got ironed: sheets, underwear, even socks.
At my house, ironing is a soothing, stress-relieving task. Table linens and some bed linens, handkerchiefs, dining napkins — I iron them myself. I like the grounding, meditative task of ironing and the tactile, aromatic experience of fibers: cotton, linen and blends. I like the sense of completion: when I press the hem of a pillowcase, I can finish the task in two minutes and it’s done! Done! Complete! Success! How often does a two-minute endeavor bring such reward?
To indulge this domestic therapy at home, I built a stationary 4’ x 8’ laundry and ironing table from framing lumber and plywood. I covered the plywood with carpet padding and then wrapped that with canvas,which I stretched and stapled around the perimeter. It was a $200 project. I centered a really big fluorescent light over the table and it could not be better lit. Above the laundry table, there’s an outlet in the ceiling. This keeps the ironing cord out of the way. Ironing happens here, at this dedicated spot.
In my design studio, where we often work with fabric, we have a serious ironing setup with a state-of-the-art German iron, made by Dofix, which operates on a trapeze-style system. This setup may not be possible at home–at the studio, it works.
Here’s a video of the Dofix ironing setup we have at the studio for big jobs.
I follow a few simple guidelines for ironing.
- Make sure the heat setting is appropriate for your fabric.
- Iron tablecloths and bed linens when slightly damp. Place an old clean sheet on the floor under your ironing board to prevent the dangling ends of the linens from picking up dust or dirt.
- Don’t you hate it when you unfold your nicely-ironed tablecloth and it’s perfect–except for those fold marks? After pressing, don’t fold–roll them on a cardboard tube, wrap in plastic, then unroll them on the table. They will be perfect.
- If you accidentally dried your linens bone dry in the dryer, mist them with distilled water and let them sit for a few minutes. Or, wet a cotton towel under the faucet, wring it out, and place it over your ironing item. Leave the steam setting on.
- Starch? For sure! Did you know that starch helps with stain prevention? If you use starch, iron in sections.
- How do I store my linens? Some are hung and some are stored in a well-ventilated shelving unit.
- Hanging large items to dry? Hang a clothesline that is covered with a round PVC tub, to avoid that sharp hanging wrinkle.
We can certainly be thankful for the general laundry amenities we have in our lives; much of the world has nothing like the laundry features we have. Here’s a brief history, peppered with my own recollections.
Once upon a time, the washing was done by hand, in cold water. Irons were used not just to press clothing but to disinfect as well.
I remember my grandmother’s house in Housatonic on High Street: no central heat, only a coal stove in the kitchen and a kerosene heater in the living room; buckets of coal were hauled up from the basement to fuel the stove. There was no heat on the second floor, only what warmth floated up through the floor grates. What was always heating up on the coal stove? An iron. An iron iron.
Nana’s washing machine, with its wringer attachment, was in the kitchen. The “dryer” was a clothesline in the backyard, just as it still is in most parts of the world. Even in parts of Europe, conditions for laundering are still quite rustic, with limited electric power and outdated plumbing.
This was 1975 — not so long ago.
Today’s modern home designs have entire rooms dedicated to laundry and its related activities — but even an older home can have a laundry upgrade. In re-thinking your laundry room design or re-do, consider how it can function to make the work less onerous. Organize your space and install good lighting. Try to avoid letting this workspace become a place for clutter or storage. If you give some time to your laundry situation, ergonomics and aesthetics, you won’t regret it — you might even come to enjoy it.
Happy ironing!
William Caligari is the owner of William Caligari Interior Design in Great Barrington.
