A wonderful thing happened when my iron quit on me. I found a whole new community of iron women who wanted to tell their iron stories and share their experiences and advice (and even emailed pictures of their irons, which I loved to see). There were women who loved the irons which they had for 20 years or more, women who can’t seem to find the right iron and everything in between.
So I learned a lot. But even with all the advice, there is no consensus and I still have to draw from my own experience and knowledge and intuition and make decisions based on all the information.
Before my iron died, I had no idea you could use an iron without water. I had this idea that the iron would fry without water. (I don’t know where this idea came from, it just seemed logical to me. So much for my logic) Now knowing that an iron works without steam (and some people say even better) I’ve decided to use my iron dry and to use a spray bottle for the tough wrinkles. I’ll see how this works and if I like it, the next time I’m in the market for an iron, I’ll get one of the irons from the Vermont Country Store that are not steam irons. I’ve heard they last forever. (I’ve also decided if I do choose to use my iron as a steam iron, I’ll use distilled water not tap water) The other think I’ll do is return my Shark iron (I saved all the receipts and warranties) and buy an inexpensive iron as a back up.
So, it’s simple, but that’s my latest plan, thanks to all of you for your help and advice. And if you stick around long enough, I’m sure you’ll see, as I will, what works and what doesn’t.
Does anyone remember (I’ll be surprised if not) when your mom took the clothes off the clothesline, laid them on a towel and sprayed them with water individually, and then rolled them up in the towel and put them in the refrigerator to iron later? I think that must have been before steam irons ….anyway, just a memory that came to be when you were talking about non-steam irons …. And I still have my mother’s …..
I’ve never seen that Elaine. But I find all those domestic rituals so interesting.
Whenever I block knitting or iron my linen dresses, skirts, blouses, I use the iron dry and spritz with lavander scented water in a spray bottle. Much better than the water-in-the-iron reservoir and the bottom of the iron stays gunk-free.
Oh I like the lavender idea Sue.
I just finished reading The Second Chance Dog: A Love Story. I feel as though you are a friend now (or at least an acquaintance – or a neighbor). 😉 So I had to come take a look at your quilt projects. I, too, own a Black and Decker iron, so your post caught my eye. My ironing is relatively easy compared to what women used to do. I remember watching my mother’s cousin remove clothes from the line that she had rinsed in starch and then hung to dry. She would spread them out on the table and then sprinkle them with water, roll them up, place them in a container and then put them in the refrigerator. She did that because she said they would mildew in the summer heat if she didn’t get to them right away. This way, she could take her time ironing them all. I’m so glad things have changed – at least where laundry day is concerned!
Thanks for reading my blog and Jon’s Book Stella. And thanks for sharing your ironing story. So many women have ironing stories, One of them wrote her mother rolled up the clothes and put them on top of the refrigerator. But I haven’t heard about putting them in the refrigerator. As much as I dislike doing laundry, I do appreciate that I don’t have to scrub them on rocks in the river and spend all day Monday doing it!