If I’m staying in a hotel and need to iron something, I always check the bottom of the iron to ensure it’s free from nasty things that might get on or even ruin my clothes. I’ve been saved a few times by checking, with the worst thing I found being a big old burr on the iron that would surely have ripped my shirt to shreds. I’m not, however, in the habit of checking the iron at home before I use it. I just make sure it’s got some water, plug it in, and go. Today my attire is following Plan B as a result. I spread my current favorite dress shirt on the ironing board so I could do the collar, then pushed the iron across the collar, watching from an almost out-of-body perspective as nasty black spooge spread behind the iron like a wake behind a boat.
Andrea says it’s probably melted fabric from the various Halloween costumes she’s been working on. Our costumes are definitely a lot more creative and individual, not to mention nicer, than the ones you typically buy in a store as a result of her work, but I wonder, in a crafty household like ours, should we have a designated “craft” iron and another one reserved for nice things like work clothes and linen tablecloths? I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to get the spooge off my shirt, but it’s not the kind of surprise you need when you’re trying to get out the door.