Great Debate of the Age

[ukscone]

I just had to go and buy a new ironing board & steam iron as George knocked the old steam iron off the counter last month and used the ironing board as a scratching post and I have some important ironing to do on tuesday and my wife said if I didn't get too complicated an iron she'd be up for some ironing every now and again (like hell, i'm not 100% sure she knows where the kitchen is let alone my ironing area) and we are currently having a heated email debate over whether you iron underwear and socks? I say yes because that was the way I was brought up, she says no why would you bother?????

so i am wondering what is the current thinking on that matter by the forum members?

[liz]

You iron...what?



I iron things *people can see*.

[piglet]

Ironing? Is that what is done with the hot steamy metal wedge thing our wonderful au-pair uses?

Definitely to be used on things you can see, unless you live in countries where its primary usage is to kill unwanted bugs/eggs of things that might otherwise bite you.

[Ravenous]

Only if you're - EXTREME IRONING.

Be wild, make your own rules. Anything counts.

[ukscone]

have you never experienced the wonderful toasty warm feeling when putting on freshly ironed socks & undies at 4am on a cold winters morning? sets you up right for the day. I like ironing too as it's a great activity for mentally shutting off and just vegging out so anything to make it last longer

[Ravenous]

I used to like the feeling of a freshly ironed, warm shirt. It used to be nice to iron that before putting it on. I wouldn't stand around in the buff while ironing my trolleys though.

(Possible risk of bizarre injury too .)

[meltwater]

"The ironing I do, is with solder on circuit boards."
New bumper sticker.

[Ravenous]

Why would anyone iron a flat circuit board?

[piglet]

Why would anyone iron a flat circuit board?

How do you think they get them flat? You must be buying pre-ironed ones.

[Ravenous]

Sorry to drift off this vital topic, but I have been getting a lot of warped stripboard recently... it's cheap stuff, not "vero" - maybe this is my big chance to invent a board ironer... it could do them in batches and I could feed in socks too...

[gritz]

Iron = heating device for press and peel pcb manufacture. Beyond that I haven't found a use for one!

[Burngate]

Many years ago my mother taught me to iron everything. She however got upset when I ironed my trousers after cycling - the oil on the chain picked up muck and threw it on my trouser-leg, and thence to the ironing board.
At that point, I worked out that everything doesn't actually mean what it seems to mean, but excludes an undefined set.
As years have rolled by, I have been investigating the extent of that undefined set.
So far it includes:
Underwear
Socks
Handkerchiefs
Pyjamas
Bed sheets
Pillow cases
Pillows
Drip-dry items
Tea-towels
Hand-towels
Shirts
Jeans
Trousers
Curtains
Wallpaper

The only thing I've found that really needs ironing is the newspaper, so long as it's not too wet

[Burngate]

I've just found that Umbrellas belong to the Do Not Iron set

[johnbeetem]

Q: Why are prunes wrinkled?
A: Ever tried to iron one?

From my Henny Youngman record:
A guy has bandages over both ears. His friend asks him: "What happened to you?" He says: "I was ironing and the phone rang." "So what happened to your other ear?" "I had to call the doctor."

[morphy_richards]

I've found if you give trousers and shirts a vigorous flap and then hang them very carefully just after washing while still wet then NO IRONING IS NECESSARY! Ever!
(Please note, this is not irony)

[clive]

I've never understood this social obsession with making clothes 2D. It's akin to Flatlanders pressing a heated line on something until it becomes a dot -- perverse, pointless and a complete waste of time.

[ukscone]

I've never understood this social obsession with making clothes 2D. It's akin to Flatlanders pressing a heated line on something until it becomes a dot -- perverse, pointless and a complete waste of time.

so you don't bother making your bed either? what's the point you are only going to unmake it again in 16 hours

[MrBunsy]

I've never understood this social obsession with making clothes 2D. It's akin to Flatlanders pressing a heated line on something until it becomes a dot -- perverse, pointless and a complete waste of time.

so you don't bother making your bed either? what's the point you are only going to unmake it again in 16 hours

While on this topic, I never understood that obsession either. The bed is there for sleeping in, not looking pretty!

[clive]

so you don't bother making your bed either? ...

No, I don't! (Like you say -- what's the point? )

[ukscone]

so you don't bother making your bed either? ...

No, I don't! (Like you say -- what's the point? )

don't bother doing any washing up then either, the plates will only get dirty again.

[note we use paper plates and plastic cutlery a lot as well it's so much easier ]

[mahjongg]

Actually not making up your bed is good for your health, as airing the bed is very bad for the millions of house dust mites that tend to live in any typical bed. However if you do like fruit flies you can do no better than not wash your dishes!

[aTao]

so you don't bother making your bed either? ...

No, I don't! (Like you say -- what's the point? )

don't bother doing any washing up then either, the plates will only get dirty again.

[note we use paper plates and plastic cutlery a lot as well it's so much easier ]

http://taliskimberley.bandcamp.com/track/spoon

[toxibunny]

You should iron *in* underwear and socks.

[Oskar]

http://taliskimberley.bandcamp.com/track/spoon

It's a straw man. It ignores where metal spoons come from; it ignores that plastic spoons are often used again (and again); it ignores that plastic spoons may be made from recycled materials; it ignores that in certain circumstances it might be more environmentally friendly to use plastic spoons.

But mainly it is ignorant of the fact that people really don't use plastic spoons just because they are too lazy to wash them. (Does anyone really think that's why you use a plastic spoons? Really?)

"This spoon is dirty, oh what shall I do?
(You could wash the damn spoon!) "

But I guess that ignorance makes for a nice song and a tasty soundbite

[gritz]

Spoons? Luxury! I used to stir my workplace tea with a 10mm spanner (sad but true).

On a hygene note, I just cleaned the biscuit crumbs out of my keyboard. It's making for "a much richer web experience" and it'll probably help keep the mice down too.