Hot Irons, Cold Nights

Ironing was traditionally the household chore assigned to Tuesday. This was a logical arrangement since items washed on Monday could be pressed and put away in drawers or closets the following day.

Most homes were equipped with two heavy flat irons. One would be in use, one heating on the stove to keep from interrupting the ironing process. Some households owned irons in several sizes. If the iron being used was still hot when the lady of the house finished pressing an item, she temporarily rested it on a heatproof trivet.

Some items were pre-moistened to make smoothing easier, but steam irons had to wait for electricity. Invented in 1882, the so-called “electric flatiron” used steam. Since it weighed fifteen pounds and took forever to get hot enough to make steam, many changes had to be made to its design before steam irons gained commercial success in the 1940’s and 50’s.

The familiar curve-shaped ironing board was invented in 1892 by Sarah Boone, an African-American woman. Before it became a standard household item, ironing was done on any flat surface available, often the kitchen table, sometimes a mattress.

Part II of Never Done, titled “Hot Irons, Cold Nights,” includes scenes featuring both ironing and branding irons. Below are two excerpts that describe some of the ironing that took place in the home as described above.

Clara spit on the base of her iron to check the temperature. It had to be hot enough to remove wrinkles, yet not so hot it would scorch the only dress shirt Vincent owned. Satisfied with the sizzle, she spread a thin coat of beeswax on the iron’s base to keep it from sticking. A second iron heated on top of the wood stove, ready to trade places when the first one cooled.

Finished with the sweeping and dusting, Clara got to work cleaning the beeswax off her irons. While preparing for Vincent’s departure, she hadn’t had time to give them a thorough scrubbing. She sat at the table, and using a large square of sandpaper, spent the next hour scrubbing off the stubborn, baked-on wax.