h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Someone will invent clothes that don't need to be ironed at all. It can't be that difficult can it?

That was done in the 1960's with those awful nylon sheets and drip-dry shirts (which used to become horribly yellowed) but I expect a young lass like yourself wouldn't remember that far back. My father used to wear the shirts and we all had to sleep on slippery, static sheets which my mother then swapped for brushed nylon sheets which snagged everything (especially toe nails) and were just as static. It gives me the creeps just remembering it! In fact, we still have the odd nylon shirt appear amongst the donations in the British Red Cross charity shop where I work as a volunteer.

Still, I sympathise with solving the ironing problem (she says glancing over her shoulder at the pile which is growing arms and legs)!

Sorry i have no sympathy at all, ironing is a needles, fashion, driven, elitist, lookist (see elsewhere) totally pointless waste of time and energy. there is no need. The energy equvalent to the annual demand of Switzerland is used every year world wide just by irons. Think of the global warming potential of all that C02.

I say wear creased clothes as a statement of your caring for the environment. If anyone comments remind them of the fact when the North Atlantic Drift is switched off (this weeks New Scientist) and North West Europe drops to the same temp as Moscow.

Chris

You've been talking to my husband, haven't you. That's just what he says when I drop not so subtle hints that he have a bash at the ironing!

No not at all, society it seems is divided into the ironers, those who live with ironers but don't iron, and those in crumpled clothes. I am proud to belong to the later

In all honesty behind me now is a drying rack with certain clothes hanging, half of which no-one will ever know were not ironed. the other half, even if they were, would look exactly like they do no after an hour of wearing. As I take an hour to get up and get to work, wot is the point?

Chris

You're so right about one partner being the type to wear creases and the other have an ironing fettish! My hubby's ironing board used to be the big arm chair in the living room where stuff was dumped fresh from the tumble dryer, waiting to be worn! Then there is yours truly... Would you like the recently vacated position as my therapist and try to get me over this ironing thing? I too would love to wear crumpled clothing with pride! (I should warn you that my last therapist gave up and discharged me as a lost cause.)

What was it that caused your last therapist to give up, surely not the ironing thing?

I am lucky in tha my section head, in an organization where shirts are ironed and ties are worn, goes about bare foot (in summer) in T shirts and loose trousers (pants to USA researchers). So there is no pressure.

My first suggestion is invest in linen clothing as everyone knows that how ever much you iron it it still looks crumpled, so after a while they'll assume all your clothing is linen based.

BTW DNA touched on this subject in "Mostly Harmless" with the mention of Rymplon™ "a new synthetic fabric....which looked its absolute best when it was all creased and sweaty" ("its" is like that in my book, with the missing ' shocking writing really! )

Chris

With you all the way on the ironing front. I do own an iron - but it's only ever used by visitors who don't share my views.
Wear more jumpers I say. No need to iron what nobody's going to see!

(Oh and on the grammatical thing - Shame on You. There is no error in your quote. "It's" with the apostrophe is an abbreviation of it is.
"Its" without an apostrophe is the correct form of the non-gender specific third person possessive pronoun. So there.)

Aha! So I have to get an education first to cure my ironing fettish. Its/it's a eye opener to me (heh, heh)!

I've got lots of jumpers, but confess to ironing these with great relish (they iron best whilst inside out you know). Oh, no! I'm at it again and I swear my pile of ironing just moved (or was it one of the cats, sleeping on top of it?).

It could have been one of your cats underneath it, you probably burried it when the ironing first started mounting up. The ryplon is a great idea and you may well find that either it or the non iron clothes of the 60's come back into fasion... these things have a habit of hunting us for years to come. If you're really clever you can do what I do... I only wear old jeans, t-shirts and loose shirts. I find if you wash and dry them then flod them or hang them strait up there tends to be no need for ironing... it's great!

Sorry Gwennie, can't help it. 'Eye opener' starts with an e, so the 'a' in front of it should be 'an'.

Speaking of this nit-picking subject, I think I'll predict something about this. Thank you!

Thank you for spotting my not so deliberate misteak... well it was rather early in the morning (I've escaped from the H2G2 addiction clinic you see as the doctor was out for the weekend).

My better half is usually around to correct my errors as 'e be de wun wiv de bwains.....

Hmm? Yes, yes, that's interesting, but tell me:

What's with the turning inside out of jumpers that makes you so fond of ironing them? Is it a secret proper to 'those who iron'?
Does a jumper look better inside out? SHould I then change my dressing habits? Would you go so far as to predict that all people will eventually discover this and that a change in global jumper wearing will occur? Am I going out on a limb? What limb?

Ah, this is the same as washing them inside out... it keeps 'em all nice and stops "bobbling". Most things should be washed and dried inside out - especially if they're line dried as the sun makes the colours fade.

You're talking to the laundry queen 'ere y'know! (I'm so pathetic that I have nothing else in my life you see).

Ooh now that one was jolly handy to know! I've allways turned my clothes inside out and wondered why... now I've been enlitened! Of course a little logical thought could have been applied if I was overly bothered in the first place but it's good to know... almost as good as it is to talk

Hey, Laundry Queen,

at least you have one thing in your life, and you happen to be queen of that. Sounds like you have it made!

I know plenty of people who have but one thing in their lives,
and they're certainly not king or queen of that. No, theese people are undersecretary, or lowest pawn. Staff employee, line worker.
You name it, as long as it has no stature, it's in.

Think about it while your iron sings, as it singes the threads and you shape up the strings...

I hate ironing with a vengence. I only wear things that don't need ironing, like Gap fleeces etc. My other half irons his own - or it doesn't get done. And Gwennie - remember the sixties? You might be surprised - but I am not sayig

As I've said. I require therapy for my ironing phobia. I think it all started with my parents.....(hey, come back everyone!). Seriously, my mum had me doing the ironing when I was 11 and if my dad wasn't happy with his shirts (he'd managed to get my mum back to buying the cotton ones), he'd make me iron them all again (he was an accountant - say no more. So you see, it has all been "instilled" in me from my formative years and "God knows, I want to break free"!

I do have other "sad" interests too you know: my family, politics, reading, Yoga, weight training, gardening, human and animal rights and the environment but I'm not really "queen" at any of these!

Sp Gwennie... take a seat... now tell me where do you think these problems really stem from?

And do they keep you from singing and/or whistling just for fun?