News + Trends

Our most hated household chore: ironing

13.8.2018

Translation: Eva Francis

Some things in life are impossible to avoid – taxes and ironing are two of them. But I don’t want to wear wrinkly clothes either, so I have to bite the bullet. Luckily, I’ve found a few tricks to motivate myself and a couple of tools that make ironing that bit easier. If you too count ironing to one of your most hated household chores, read on to find out what to do.

As a representative survey (in German) has revealed, window cleaning and ironing are the most unpopular household chores in Switzerland. 19 percent of all Swiss people don't do any ironing at all. What about the remaining 81 percent of the population? I've set out to find out how to motivate myself to get my ironing done.

How to motivate yourself

Don’t wait until there’s a mountain of clothing
A huge pile full of clothing is definitely not going to help when you're trying to overcome your aversion towards ironing. The key: Little strokes fell big oaks. If the washing is done and ready to be ironed, do it. Ironing five pieces of clothing in a few minutes is much more satisfying than ironing half the wardrobe in hours.

Create a feel-good environment
Nobody enjoys spending more time than necessary in a cold and dark cellar. Take your ironing board into the living room and create an enjoyable environment.

Find a welcome distraction
Whether it's listening to music and singing along at the top of your voice or watching a film – take your mind off ironing by doing something more fun at the same time. Singing along to your favourite tunes is also a great trick to make cleaning more enjoyable. I'm not sure if my neighbours agree with this, but at least I've found a way to have fun and keep my bathroom tidy and clean.

Turn ironing and doing the washing into a workout session
Walking the stairs down to and up from the laundry room, hanging your washing up and ironing it – all these tasks consumes calories. It's not possible to prove exactly how many; there's a lot of information about how to count the calories you use during washing and ironing. As always, it depends on your living situation as well as the intensity and the time you spend ironing. However, there’s no doubt washing and ironing is a better workout regime than sitting on the sofa or watching TV.

Reward yourself
Think of a great way to reward yourself for getting the ironing done. How about a warm bath? A glass of wine and an episode of your favourite series? I'm sure you'll find a great way to treat yourself.

Change your attitude
This tip helps me a lot when it comes to doing sports, but it works just as well for ironing. Going to the gym after a long day at the office used to be torture for me. What helped me was thinking: «You only feel bad until you get there, but you'll feel a thousand times better afterwards». It's true – and the same goes for ironing. You're undoubtedly going to feel better once it's done. The more you hate it, the better you'll feel afterwards.

Plan wisely
If you plan an exact time slot for it, nothing can stop you from getting your ironing done. Don't find excuses! Schedule time for household chores – including ironing – and just do it.

You’re keen to get the ironing done and need some advice on how to?

You're inspired and want to get started right away? Great! Follow these tricks and your ironing experience will be a success:

Make sure you adjust the ironing board to waist level to prevent back pain.
Steam wool clothes from the right with a damp cloth.
Iron in the direction away from your body to make sure the items don't get wrinkly.
Double layers such as collars, cuffs or button plackets need to be ironed inside out first and on the outside afterwards. This way, the crease is on the correct side.
After double layers, iron small parts such as sleeves, ribbons or anything that's protruding. Finally, iron the large parts, such as the front and back of shirts.
From wide to narrow: For blouse or shirt sleeves, iron from shoulder to cuff.
Hang up ironed garments immediately. Flat linen can be folded, let anything else cool down on a coat hanger.
If the ironed laundry is not 100% dry, allow it to dry in an airy room before folding it or stowing away it in the cupboard.
Iron smaller items of laundry while sitting down. This will save energy.