Tuesday 4 - Housekeeping

 

1. My mother  ironed sheets and pillowcases. I iron the cases but not the sheets.  I feel that the cases feel better after ironing and I like the fancy ruffles etc  to look better.   What do you do?  Is  ironing a waste of time for you?
   
   I hardly iron things. Mainly because I have bought mainly no-iron stuff or items that won't show they're not ironed. (Like not a straight cotton blouse, but one of wrinkled cotton.)
   And the wind outside helps a lot too!!
   
   I stopped ironing when I found myself ironing every evening.. when the children were small. I just didn't want that anymore.
   
   So I started to hang a lot of clothes on hangers, stretching them to remove the wrinkles when they were still damp.
   Then folding them very carefully, and pile them up, so the weight would "iron" them.
   I am still the queen of folding blouses.
   
   
2. A few friends really enjoy ironing.  Are there any articles of clothing you iron ?  And do you send clothing to the dry cleaner?
   
   Noop. We never use the dry cleaner. What for?
   Even when there is a label saying it needs dry cleaning I just do it myself. With care. (see yesterday's meme)
   
   
3. Home is enhanced by good cooking, clean rooms, freshly made beds, quilt and the lovely touches women bring to things.
   What special touches do you put on your home to make it special, cozy and warm?
   
   I try to keep it clean, but it's difficult with my physical issues, and a daughter who makes more mess than gets rid of it. Mainly medical stuff, I have to say, as she is chronically ill. So I do understand, but I can't always deal with it.
   
   
4. Do you recall Mom or Grandma sprinkling and ironing clothing?  Was there a laundry day set aside and an ironing day?   What is washday like at your house?
   
   My gram still cooked the laundry on the stove in the kitchen. So monday I helped her with that. Ironing was done depending on the laundry being dry, so in summer and very cold winter on tuesday, and the times in between on wednesday. Yes, we needed to sprinkle the laundry, and we needed to heat the iron on the stove.
   
   It all changed in time: washing machine, centrifuge, electric iron...
   
   My mother did things during schooltime, so I didn't see her doing that regularly. She had a full automatic washing machine... so no need to put the laundry from the machine in the seperate centrifuge. And she had the first steam iron that could be bought. Later she had a dryer.
   
   I have no washing day. Just do the laundry when I am upstairs and the pile is high enough, or when I need something.
   
   
   

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About *Syl

Syl: "Life is a chain of challenges. Sometimes the largest challenges are we ourselves. Facing life, facing others and facing yourself requires either a worryless attitude or plain courage. Most of the time it is dealing with judgement. Maybe life is about getting rid of it."