One of my least enjoyable household tasks involves ironing.  As I have mentioned in other posts, I’d rather be spending my time blogging then doing household chores. It is a time-consuming and often sweaty endeavor.  You run the risk of burning yourself if you try to iron while watching TV or you may trip yourself up on the cord during the process.  Not to mention the sore shoulder you end up having if you have spent more than an hour performing this chore.  Then, it is a task in itself to get all the freshly ironed items hung up in a closet without re-wrinkling it. And, no matter how much time you spend ironing, it seems like the pile never gets any smaller. Of course, if I wouldn’t wait till there is a mountain of ironing before I start, perhaps the pile would disappear faster.

Yeah, all I’ve done is mention the reason why ironing should not be done.  In my case, I often end up causing weather disturbances because I do whatever is needed to get out of this task.(well, not exactly true, but all my friends joke with me that when it snows, it is because I am doing the ironing.  Hardy har har.) I have also accidentally, and on purpose, killed a few irons to get out of it.  The upside is, I finally found an iron that I like using.  This article was a great help when I did my search.

Now that I have gotten that out of my system, I do have some good reasons for actually spending the time ironing. I figured, if I have to do this, I might as well have some good reasons for doing it.  Hopefully you will be able to add some to this post when I am finished. One of the most important reasons for me to do the ironing is for my husband. He works in a professional job, and it is important that he looks his best.  I am ashamed to admit that I *may* have sent him to work on more than one occasion looking a bit frumpy.  Didn’t really notice until I started ironing on a weekly basis, and you could see the difference in how nice the clothing looked when it is ironed.

Second, spending time ironing each week allows you to see the condition of the clothing.  A few set in stains or a loose button can easy be seen while ironing, and can by fixed in a timely manner.  Finding out that the last clean pair of pants is missing a button can be pretty frustrating, especially if you are running late in the morning.  By take time to iron, you can easily avoid those last-minute problems. And finding rips and tears before you leave the house wearing those pants is also a positive aspect.

Lastly, there are times when ironing can be therapeutic.  Life is often hectic, busy, and demands all your time and attention.  During ironing, I can wind down a bit, and turn my mind off(while trying not to burn myself). I don’t have to think about all the stuff that needs to be done, or feel guilty about the things that weren’t accomplished.  Instead, I can focus on the bit of my life that I am succeeding in.  And the satisfaction that I am doing something to make my husband’s life easier.  That reason alone is more than enough motivation to get it done. I have found that with the right mindset, the proper tools(a good iron, ironing board, and a water bottle are 3 things that I must have when I tackle this chore)

So, what are your thoughts about ironing?  Do you like it, love it, or loathe it?  What are your best tips to make it easier?  Do you have a favorite iron that you use?  Ironing really doesn’t have to be a chore, especially when you are doing it for good reasons.  Of course, I will have to remember to re-read this blog post before I have my next ironing session in case I have the urge to start grumbling about doing this important task.

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This post is linked to the following: What I Learned This Week