Minimise Your Ironing

I don’t know anyone who enjoys ironing. I do know people who iron for others as a way to make extra money but they don’t enjoy the task one bit. I used to be one of those people who always had a huge ironing pile waiting for me to find the motivation to get to it. I would move it from the kitchen table to the couch to the bed and back again. But in an effort to simplify my life I went on a quest to eliminate the need for ironing all together.

The first step was to decide that any future clothing I bought would have to pass the ‘scrunch’ test. I had several items of clothing that, although I really liked them, I hardly ever wore because they wrinkled so easily and needed so much ironing.


I found that the quicker I took the clothes from the washing machine to the clothesline the less they would wrinkle. I shake each item out before hanging and smooth them down once hung. Each item is pegged in a way that hides the peg marks as follows:

- All shirts, t-shirts and dresses are pegged under the arms.

- All pants are pegged inside the back of the waistband.

- Pillow cases are pegged by the inside flap (the bit that tucks in so you can’t see the peg-marks.)

- All sheets, towels, t-towels, etc are hung exactly along the middle to make folding easy.

- If I know that the clothes will be hanging there for a while, I’ll turn the coloured ones inside-out to prevent fading.


When removing the dry washing from the line I usually do it in this order:

- Dresses and shirts – I take them straight inside and either put them onto hangers or drape them over a chair until I can get to them.

Then into the basket go:

- Sheets.

- Towels, tea-towels, pillow cases, face cloths, etc.

- Socks and underwear – If I can pair up the socks on the spot, I do.

- Then with the remaining clothes I take off each family member’s in order, bottoms then tops, folding them as I go.

- I then carry the basket with me, transferring the items straight into the cupboards and drawers.

If an item needs to be ironed I will do it on the day I need to wear it. I haven’t owned an ironing board for many years but instead use a large towel on a table or bench top. The good thing about ironing on demand is that because I’m basically lazy, I will often prefer to choose a non-iron option instead, which has led me to gradually eliminate most of my ironable clothes and stick with simpler items.


If you have work uniforms or shirts that you cannot get away without ironing, you can at least make the task easier by hanging them first then ironing on demand.

There is no need to have clothes sitting in a basket getting more and more wrinkled every time someone rummages through to find something they need. Hang them anyway and chances are most of the wrinkles will drop out over time. If your closet is too crowded and your clothes are crushed together, then it’s probably time for a clean-out.


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