I don't think anyone ever taught me to iron but I learned by watching my mother. It's a good skill to have but not all that difficult to pick up. Still, maybe that's only true if you have seen someone do it? Not that I am telling you to iron, LOL.

For whatever it is worth, I did show my DD how to iron recently when she had a special event and was dressing up. I got her started and then let her finish it by herself. But she is 16.

Well, if you don't feel like teaching your kid how to iron, and if she ever has a sudden pressing need (haha, pun) to iron a dress shirt, there's always YouTube. (It's how I learned to tie a tie).

I used to iron loads when I worked downtown and had to wear suitish style clothing every day. My husband used to send his shirts out!
I still iron once in awhile when needed.
I have taught all 3 of my kids to iron and recently my middle child (almost 17) has taken to ironing her top before school every day. My son had a job that required a dress shirt and it came in handy that he could look after that.
I think it is a worthy skill even if only used once in a blue moon.

I see the merits of showing her basic ironing skills. But if I fail to get another ironing board and do that, I can be relatively assured that she can figure out the skill herself. As in a pinch, a small steamer can tide her over for interview clothes, for example. It's not like I'll be teaching her with handkerchiefs though, since DH hates the concept of them and has never used one.

Maneera - I'm a pretty orderly sort too, and I think some of that has rubbed off because when she goes to other people's houses, she will later comment to me if their house is a disaster area. Mostly, she just thinks a lot of friends have more stuff than she does. She could go through a heaping clothes stage, but I'm guessing at some point that would bother her.

Liz - you're right about teaching someone who doesn't want to learn.
Diana - I take your point. Sometimes there is an ironing emergency, and then it's a crucial skill to have acquired.

Cassie Lyons - she's already a pretty good baker. I've always had her in the kitchen when I'm baking. I'm about to start her on gathering recipes to give cooking a family meal a try.

Unfrumped - we haven't gotten to a clothing budget for her yet, mostly because she probably wouldn't buy anything. She's not a big shopper. But on the times when I don't agree with her choices, I tell her she can spend her own money on it if it's important to her. Sometimes it is, and she's made some pretty poor choices. I think that's ok, as it's a pretty good learning lesson with low stakes, and my goal would be to help show her how to make better ones.

BC - my DD sorts and folds her laundry, but I'm still washing it. If it comes to me inside out, it returns that way too. Sometimes she cares and fixes that before the wash, and sometimes she doesn't.

JAileen - that's a funny story.

DonnaF, crazyone- I like the idea of teaching the other skills of clothing and laundry.

Xtabay, rabbit, Joy, - I know some people enjoy ironing and find it relaxing. I guess it's good to enjoy something that is helpful.

My girls have each ironed a bit here at home. I have told them that when they do purchase their first iron to get a really good one. A bad iron is just a paperweight. I also mentioned that they should try to iron when cotton is a just a little bit damp. But that's all. And they probably wonder why mom is muttering about ironing, lol.

Is it bad that it never even crossed my mind to teach them? Maybe cuz they are still youngish...

When my DD's were... I dunno... 7 and 9 maybe? I got the ironing board out and one of them looked at me with a weird look on her face and asked "what is THAT?" In my defense, I generally iron while watching tv, after they've gone to bed. When I iron. Which is rarely.

I'm a Millennial. For what it's worth, I don't know how to iron. My mom never taught me and I've been fine. I do own a steamer but I rarely use it.

I got paid to do the family ironing when I was a kid. I taught DH to iron. They were his shirts after all! He does all the family ironing watching Sunday football or a movie on TV. He taught our sons to iron.

DD does her own laundry but DH is in charge of taking the fancy stuff for dry cleaning. He used to do all the ironing but got tired of it. And I always seem to burn myself so I have been banned from ironing from the most part. I am not sorry.

When I lived in Egypt people sent their clothes out for ironing to a "makwagi" or specialized ironing person.The method of spray steam typically involved the person doing a slow spit of water onto an actual hot (not electric) iron.

Hmm, my mother never ironed a thing in her life. Her mother ironed everything, I mean everything, including socks and sheets. I am more a steamer/wrinkled sort of person. These days skills like ironing can be learned on the internet with one or two youtube tutorials. I would save my energy for the stuff that you would rather have her learn from you.

My father taught me how to iron when I was 12 (he had tailoring skills) and then I was hired by a neighbor to iron for slave wages. Can you believe it? I never recovered LOL and I still compulsively iron everything. One of my kids (daughter) can iron, but the boys go to the dry cleaners when they are away at school. I have taught them that their nicer clothes should be wrinkle-free, and they can choose to iron or pay someone else to do it.

I am late to the party on this thread. I love ironing. I find it therapeutic and relaxing, almost zen-like. I admit I am a bit obsessive about it and I am severely mocked because I like my clothing to look good. Most of my friends are militantly in the "don't iron" camp (and frankly, often they are rumpled messes IMHO). I do hang things to keep them from wrinkling, but the hanging just does not get me the crisp look I crave. I would show my kids (if I had any) the basic skills of ironing so they understand about various fabrics, clothing care basics, etc. Also, it can be a safety thing. I have a friend who in college wanted to press her shirt collar and burned her neck because she didn't have enough sense to remove the shirt first. I know, right? She graduated cum laude but could be incredibly stupid sometimes. This happened 40 years ago and we still laugh about it.

BrieN - a good iron would be wasted on me.

Glory - sounds like your kids are all using this skill

Marianna - good to know she can survive without this lesson if need be.

Runcarla - if I got paid to iron it would be a low hourly wage, as I'm very slow at it.

Elizabeth - that is funny

UmmLila - very clever to get banned from ironing.

Shevia - the day I iron socks is... Never

Aquamarine and Nebraskim - more ironing lovers. I try hard not to be a wrinkled mess, as that does bother me. But not so much that I break out an iron. Just enough that I choose fabrics carefully and launder them with care. And I am laughing about wearing the top you are ironing. You mean that could burn you? Crazy.

I don't iron at all. My dad did all the ironing in our house and DH does it now. I feel it is up to them to pass on the tradition.

Like JAileen, I learnt to iron at an early age, starting with handkerchiefs and pillowcases. And, as with Nebraskim, I also find it therapeutic! I'm just so relieved to find I'm not alone!

What a great thread! I think it's a helpful "leaving the nest" laundry lesson as others have mentioned, but I wouldn't push it. Ironing is mainly a sideline to learning to look neat and tidy; presentation still counts in most job interviews. My brother works in finance and presses his own shirts as he thinks he does a better job than the laundry (he does, pressing is a lost art). His 3 boys all know that shirts should be ironed, and one day they'll learn how, or at least learn that they should be sending shirts out if they want to look smart. Interesting how what was still 'women's work' when I was a kid is now something that mostly men need to learn.

A couple of yeas ago I interviewed a young man who took his jacket off because our office A/C was out, and he'd only ironed the front of his shirt. I give him points for at least knowing he needed to look smart, unlike the woman I interviewed before him.

I've seen far too many people walking around dressed in wrinkled clothing, like they don't know what an iron is. And ironing is not that hard. True, there are some professional tricks that my mother passed on to me, but basic ironing is rather easy. I agree that you need a really good iron, though. One of the first things I bought for my oldest DD when she moved out was a good iron. She has a professional career and needs to look good. I gave her an ironing board, too.

I'm late to this conversation. To each there own I say. In our house I do all the ironing and can't comprehend not ironing something that 'should' be ironed. I skimmed the story too lightly because I missed how old your daughter is delurker, but after around 16 it's part of becoming independent I'd say and task worth mastering.

Susan - my daughter is junior high age. Just an FYI on me, I'm very particular about not letting clothes wrinkle by taking them out right away. I also steer away from fabrics that are a wrinkle issue. I don't own an ironing board any more, but do occasionally use a steamer, which I've shown her a bit (to her utter disinterest). It's just a chore I detest. Will probably give her a basic lesson, but I'll have to buy an ironing board in order to do so

Actually, my friend offered to show her. Don't be surprised if I take her up on it. I remember ironing my clothes daily in high school, so it's not that I've never done my share. For now, I'm content to have her sort her clothes and fold them. I don't mind laundry, so I do that part. Eventually I expect her to take that over for herself. And I am going to have her pick out recipes and I'll work with her as needed to have her make a dinner a week. That kind of thing.

Wow! I feel like a fish out of water in this crowd I iron whatever I'm going to wear each morning...except weekends when I'm just bumming around the house. I can't imagine going in to work with a wrinkly shirt or trousers.

I'll teach my kids the basics of ironing some day soon, but for now, I'm content having them do their share of laundering, drying and putting away their clothes.

Your office is on the formal side, isn't it, Amy? My whole week is bumming, lol.

I know how to iron, I even own one (but no ironing board). My parents didn't iron most things, because they never needed to for work, the iron was only used before special occasions and for the dressy clothes. I wouldn't say I'm good at it or very fast, but I get the job done, more or less. I think my dad just showed me how it was done one day when I insisted on wearing something else and he didn't want to do the ironing. My mum can do it too, but my dad is better at it because my Oma showed him and her skills were unparalleled...

ETA
Just saw that this is an old thread... So what did you do?

Ironing? What's ironing?!

Just kidding. I have one for my quilting, but my kids have never seen it. I use a steamer for wrinkles if they occur. I hang dry and am careful about fabrics. I have taught my children to do the same.

Astrid - well, no lessons have happened yet. But, my DD doesn't care about what she's wearing much, and I've got my hands full with getting her to empty the litter box.

I'm thinking to revisit when she's closer to leaving the nest. Or until the next ComicCon costume needs ironing - they've got conventions all over the country, not just in San Diego. Until then, she doesn't really have much that would even need ironing.

Like staysfit, it's about fabric choices and hanging dry in our house. The steamer comes out in a true pinch.