Ironing Fails That Are Tragic Yet Funny
Ironing is one thing people think they can do easily and quickly; however, it proves to be one of the hardest tasks on earth. Things could have been made a little easier had people only taken the time to read the care label. It’s there for a reason, so we advise you to read it, and it doesn’t take hours to understand what it says. While you’re at it, you might also want to read the iron manual so you know exactly how to use it. You don’t want to let good clothing go to waste because of ironing blunders, which could have easily been avoided. We have compiled some of the most confusing, funny, and tragic ironing fails for your pleasure and, uh, discomfort, so take this as a sign to heed our warning and don’t leave the fate of your clothes to the hands of the gods or Lady Luck.
#1 Let’s try making s’mores using an iron
S’mores are very popular when camping. Who doesn’t like sitting around the campfire on a cold day while sipping on hot cocoa and having s’mores on the side? Fun fact for everyone, s’mores used to be called ‘some mores,’ and it was first recorded in the Girl Scouts handbook in 1927.
What do you do if you want to have s’mores and you’re not camping with friends? We don’t know what this person was thinking, but perhaps she wanted s’mores and only had an iron at her disposal? The result was a disaster.
#2 You think the iron was too hot?
Since there are lots of ironing fails, we thought it’d be good to give you some tips, so you don’t burn your clothes as this lady did. Many fabrics can be taken off the line or from the dryer and folded away or hung on hangers. You don’t need to iron everything.
Always follow the care label instructions before ironing clothes and sort clothes according to fabric types such as cotton, linen, and synthetics. If the heat setting is too high, it could burn clothes easily. That’s precisely what happened to this lady who was trying to iron her shirt.
#3 The man who ironed a mask
We’re quite sure a lot of people have heard about the man in the iron mask, but only a few have come across the man who tried to iron a mask. We are living in unprecedented times today, and we always have to wear a mask whenever outside and in the company of people who are not from our household.
There was a time when there was a shortage of surgical masks all over the world, and people tried to sanitize them so they could be worn longer, which is not recommended, by the way. This person must have been doing precisely that by using an iron. Unsurprisingly, the mask melted.
#4 waking up to a laptop dented with a hot iron
Laptops are vital to students. There are thousands of pages of school paper to be written, assignments to be done, calculations to be made, and hours to be spent on researching things on the Internet. Frankly, we’re scratching our heads thinking how we survived decades ago without a laptop.
This poor girl woke up to an unpleasant surprise. Her little brother put an iron on top of her laptop so the laptop melted and we’re quite sure it didn’t work anymore. She’d have to get herself a new one or she can ask her brother to contribute to a new laptop.
#5 Dry rub steaks in a hotel room with an iron
We all love steaks, especially when cooked perfectly. We love our steak medium rare, but others might prefer them well-done. One thing that goes well on steak is a dry rub. It is a combination of sugar, pepper, salt, and herbs and spices to give more flavor to the meat.
Normally you would cook your steak on the grill or in a cast-iron pan. These guys were so intoxicated that they thought of cooking a steak in their hotel room with the use of an iron. Yup, you heard that right. People from adjacent rooms complained about the smell, and they were caught by the hotel staff. They could’ve just ordered from the restaurant.
#6 Well, what do we have here?
Some fabrics need to be ironed, and there are those that should just be left alone. Heavier denim, polyester, wool, permanent press, cashmere, lyocell, knits, spandex, rayon, and Tencel belong to the latter, while cotton, silk, nylon, acrylic, and linen belong to the former.
We’re not sure what type of fabric this person was trying to iron but we can certainly tell you that she’s not doing it correctly. She might have turned the temperature too high that it burned a hole in the fabric. Such a waste!
#7 Let’s burn a hole right through it
It goes without saying that when ironing clothes, it’s vital to be careful. You can easily burn yourself and burn clothes too. It would be such a pity if you burned your favorite shirt or skirt. You wouldn’t want that to happen.
This lady made the same mistakes that most of us do. She must have turned the temperature too high or must have been distracted that she left the iron too long on a certain spot that it burned a hole on her red shirt.
#8 We’re not supposed to iron ties?
Like other articles of clothing, ties can get wrinkled. There is a debate about if ties need ironing in the first place, and well, the answer is maybe- depending on the fabric the ties are made from. The best way to answer this is to check the tie’s tags to know what it’s made of.
Silk and polyester ties, for example, need a cool iron. On the other hand, linen and cotton ties can stand up to hot iron. People agree on one thing, though, that ties have to be ironed underneath another cloth. This person tried to iron a tie that doesn’t need ironing, and the result was disastrous.
#9 Poor carpet
The carpet and the floor often contain battle scars and proofs of ironing fails. How many times have you dropped your iron? Hopefully, not on your feet, though. If you want to look for ironing fails, you need not look farther than this lady’s carpet.
You can see the perfect imprint of the iron on the poor carpet. We sure hope that the old grandma who posted this photo was okay. It’s better for the rug to be burned than your leg or your feet.
#10 The iron ate my shorts
We all know of the “the dog ate my homework” excuse, but this photo is making us think of another excuse that might just be good enough to use to avoid socially awkward situations, and that’s “the iron ate my shorts.”
This fellow was trying to iron a pair of shorts, but he didn’t read the care instructions and must have turned up the heat setting higher than necessary to that it ate his shorts. Now he has a valid reason to stay at home.
#11 Maybe you should just get a steamer?
At this point, we’re willing to believe that ironing is both an art and a skill. There seem to be more ironing fails than ironing successes. We want to remedy this problem so that you don’t end up like this lady who burned a hole right through what we think is a shirt or a pair of shorts.
Always use a well-padded ironing board, especially if you’re ironing wool, and remember to use a low setting when ironing delicate fabrics. Lastly, some fabrics, such as wool, needs to be ironed with a press cloth over it.
#12 A great start to the day
A cup of coffee, a croissant, and your favorite shirt. What a great way to start the day! Well, it won’t be if you accidentally burned your favorite shirt while ironing it. That’s exactly what happened to this lady who sadly had to say goodbye to her blouse
However, the more important question is why she wasn’t using the correct ironing board. From the looks of things, there isn’t even an ironing board underneath her shirt. It looks like she was trying to iron it on top of a table.
#13 Don’t ask your brother to iron your clothes
Ironing clothes, especially a whole load of them, is not an easy thing to do. You have to keep an eye on what you’re doing because just a short distraction can result in holes in your clothes and burns on your board.
One thing we forgot, though, is never to ask your brother to iron your clothes unless you both agree on reasonable compensation. This girl asked her brother to iron her clothes, but we figure she didn’t tell him that she’d be giving him money if he did it successfully.
#14 Time to buy a new top
Ladies, if you’re going to buy a new top, please take a good look at the care label. If you don’t trust yourself with ironing, it makes better sense only to get clothes that don’t need any ironing. This will save you a lot of headaches and money.
She was excited to wear her new top. However, she forgot to read the care label and ended up with this mess. Guess it’s time to get another top because this one’s not gonna make it. She can wear it inside the house but not to the office.
#15 Burning the ironing board
This is a welcome change as most things on this list are of clothes getting burned. This person forgot the iron on the board, so that he ended up with this disaster. Looking at the board, we’d say it’s also about the time it retired because it doesn’t look good at all.
This fellow also said that he was so tired from putting up murals all night long that this is what he ended up with. It’s never a good thing to iron when you’re exhausted. Do your ironing some other time when you’re relaxed and ready to take on the work.
#16 Be present when ironing
When ironing, it’s important to be in the moment because the slightest distractions can result in all kinds of problems. We don’t know if this person was watching TV while ironing or talking to someone or was just plain careless.
One of the most important rules when ironing is to never put the iron down on the cord, which is what exactly this person did. Unsurprisingly, it made things go bang. The cords of irons are not heat resistant. Best to keep that in mind.
#17 Take a peek
Things have drastically changed for women over the last century. Not only are they allowed to go to school, but they now also work. Gone are the days when women had to stay at home to do all the housework and care for the family.
Times may have changed, but one thing that women and even men everywhere absolutely need to do is ironing, and that’s something which many people don’t excel at. If you need proof, you don’t need to look any further than this.
#18 Want some sugar on your iron?
The steam iron is one of the most helpful inventions ever made. No one wants to wear wrinkled clothes because it downgrades your look drastically. Steam irons give your clothes a professionally pressed look at home. The steam moistens fibers, so it’s easier to iron your clothes.
This lady was looking forward to ironing her clothes but was so upset that somebody added sugar syrup in the iron, resulting in the heat caramelizing the sugar. We don’t know if this was done deliberately, but if it was, that’s just a mean prank to pull.
#19 How could you not notice?
Ironing, contrary to what most people think, is not a pointless task. It’s been done throughout the ages, and ironed clothing is often used as an identification of someone’s class and societal stature. The Chinese were the first to use a hot metal iron on clothes in the 1st century.
Throughout history, the electric iron has evolved. Today’s modern iron is lighter and easier to use compared to the irons used by people hundreds of years ago, but we still can’t wrap around the idea that this lady’s iron fell, and she didn’t even notice it. Just look at that mark on the carpet.
#20 What happened here?
Most accidents that involve an iron are burned clothes, burned carpets, and in worst cases, burned hands and other body parts. Still, sometimes due to carelessness, or another reason, people drop the iron, and it ends up getting damaged, like what happened to this poor Black and Decker.
We’re not sure if she dropped the iron from a great height or she got so frustrated that her clothes still had wrinkles after considerable effort at ironing that she decided to throw it against a wall. Either way, the iron looks like it’s no longer safe to use.
#21 Mac vs. Iron
Macbooks are not cheap, and although prices are not as high as before, we won’t see the prices of Macbooks being lowered to the point of Windows laptop prices. It just isn’t happening. So, if you have one, you better take good care of it.
This lady was a bit careless, so the iron accidentally slipped from her hands and landed on the Macbook, and the result was this tragedy. A new Macbook will cost a lot of money, and repairs are not going to be cheap. We feel bad for them both.
#22 When your roommate leaves the iron on
Be honest, how many times have you left the house with the iron on only to realize it later that you had to go back? This isn’t unusual because we can be forgetful at times when we are preoccupied with so many things.
This girl’s roommate forgot to turn off the iron when she left in the morning. Luckily for them, all they found was a burned carpet. This isn’t something to be taken lightly because it’s a large fire waiting to happen. Always make sure to turn off the iron before going out.
#23 somebody left the iron on the plastic table
Irons can only be effectively used on clothes when warm or at times hot. When not in use and when waiting for it to cool down, it’s important to put it in its proper place because it can easily burn surfaces and materials, such as plastic.
We don’t know what got into this guy’s head that he thought it would be a good idea to put the iron on top of a plastic table. It must have been so hot that it melted right through the table. This is another disaster that can easily be avoided.
#24 Sanitizing money with iron
Covid-19 stays on various surfaces for some time, which has gotten many people quite paranoid. Aside from washing their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, people have also gotten into the habit of sanitizing everything they can get their hands on.
Money is one of the dirtiest things, so naturally, people have taken to sanitizing their bills and coins. This person has taken it to the extreme by ironing his bills, but he must have forgotten that it’s made of paper or polymer.
#25 You gotta say goodbye to the green dress
How often have you bought something only to have it get burned during an ironing accident? It’s happened on more than one occasion to most people. Some people don’t know how to iron, even if their life depended on it.
The same thing can be said of this woman. She tried to iron the green vintage dress that she got from the thrift store, and well, she can’t wear it anymore unless she’s planning on cutting the dress shorter.
#26 Who put Volvic water in the iron?
If you’re tired of drinking plain water but don’t want to drink sodas, there’s always flavored water. Flavored water has benefits; it contains Vitamin C and Vitamin E. They are also infused with nutrients and minerals. However, some varieties have a high sugar content that is best to avoid.
If there’s one thing flavored water shouldn’t be used for, it’s for ironing. It won’t make your clothes smell like flowers or forest fruits. It will only caramelize the sugar and stain your clothes. Heed this warning and don’t try this at home.
#27 Remove the plastic before using the iron
Before using any device, it’s important to read all the instructions. It’s easy to assume that you know how to use something, but if you want to avoid having problems, it’s best to get familiar with using the device and removing all the packaging correctly before attempting anything else.
This was so eager to get going that she passed on the instructions and just plugged her brand new iron in. Well, it turned out that the iron had a plastic sheet at the bottom, so when she ironed clothes, she inadvertently spread stuck the plastic to the iron.
#28 This is what grandma used
Hundreds of years ago, when electricity wasn’t yet available for public use, people eliminated wrinkles from their clothes using charcoal iron. Antique charcoal irons are heavy and can be quite difficult to use. We can only breathe a sigh of relief that we have electric irons now.
Ironing boards were also not available yet, so they had to make do with what they had, and most of the time, that meant using a table. Imagine putting a hot charcoal iron on a wooden table. This is what it results in.
#29 The iron jaws
If you want to know someone’s true ironing abilities, you should take a look at the ironing board. It bears all the traces and marks of previous accidents. This lady’s ironing board seems to be haunted by the ghost of Jaws.
It looks like the burn marks are going to jump up from the board and start biting and making holes in the clothes. On a side note, though, the ironing board seems too small. It would make good sense to get a new and bigger one.
#30 Iron melting synthetic carpet
There are many types of synthetic carpets, and they make up the biggest portion of wall-to-wall carpets on the market. Many people prefer synthetic carpets because they are durable, strong, highly resistant to stains, and they don’t cost a lot of money.
Synthetic carpets may be strong, but they still won’t be able to withstand a hot iron. This lady’s iron fell on the synthetic carpet, and it left a perfect mold. No, that’s not the bottom of the iron falling off; it’s molten plastic.
#31 Another plastic table disaster
One thing you should do when handling iron is to always keep it away from plastic. Plastic is highly flammable, so it shouldn’t be anywhere near hot objects. We’re not sure what this person was thinking, but they put an iron face-down on a plastic table.
There’s only one thing that can be expected from this, and that’s the iron melting right through the plastic table. When using an iron, you should get an ironing board that comes with a plate where you’re supposed to put the iron when not in use and when cooling down.
#32 Arts and crafts ironing fail
Craft class is fun because not only do you get to learn new skills, you also get to meet a lot of people, and some of them could become lifelong friends. However, not all craft endeavors turn out pleasantly. Just look at what happened to this lady.
We’re not sure what she was trying to achieve, but you can tell that things didn’t turn out the way she wanted them. Armed with an iron, she ended up making a big hole in the bag. Safe to say that she won’t be using the bag anytime soon.
#33 Proof of ironing skills
Any homemaker will tell you that they have had a few ironing fails, and they’d be more than happy to point out proof of such things. Ironing fails can be seen on the carpet, the bedsheets, the table, and perhaps even on the floor.
This lady is more than happy to point out that this mark on the carpet is proof of her housewife skills. Next to the side table on the carpet is the mark of an iron. We’re not sure if she placed the iron on the floor accidentally or it fell.
#34 How to remove hot iron stains on hardwood?
Clean hardwood is pleasing to the eyes. However, when hot iron falls on the floor and leaves a stain, it can throw off the whole aesthetics. Most homeowners have a problem with iron stains and removing them from different surfaces.
This hardwood has an obvious iron stain. Fortunately for this lady, there are plenty of cleaning agents and solutions available on the market for this purpose. With the cleaning solution and a little elbow grease, the stain will soon be gone.
#35 There’s no way to wear that shirt now
The white button-down should be a staple in every woman’s wardrobe. It is versatile, can be worn casually, and can also be made to look more formal when the situation warrants it. It goes well with skirts, slacks, and denim.
If you want your white button-down to look nice, you should iron out wrinkles, and you need to be careful when wearing it because it easily gets stained. This lady tried to prepare her white shirt by ironing it; however, the result wasn’t what she wanted.
#36 No way to wear that shirt now
We’ve mentioned before that certain types of fabric shouldn’t be ironed. These wrinkle-free fabrics shouldn’t be subjected to heat, or they’re likely to burn easily. These fabrics make the best companions for traveling because you can just pull them out of the luggage and wear them.
A case in point is this shirt with woven glitter threads, which is made of synthetic fabric. We’re pretty sure that the owner of this shirt just decided to iron it without looking at the label. If she only read the label, she would have still been able to wear the shirt.
#37 This is how you shouldn’t iron a shirt
One of the most important life skills we need to teach our children is how to iron clothes correctly. They used to teach this in school in Home Economics. It might not seem very important but believe us, it is.
This parent might have been absent on the day they taught ironing to students because she couldn’t iron properly and ended up burning the shirt. It doesn’t look that bad compared to the other entries on the list though.
#38 When you followed all instructions but you still fail
Sometimes accidents happen even though we’ve taken all the precautions possible. Things can still happen no matter how careful we are. The same thing can be said about this lady. Unlike the other entries on this list, this is no fault of her own
She read the label and read the instructions, but it seemed that the brand new iron she bought was faulty. The labels and the iron’s actual temperature just didn’t seem to align, so she ended up with one less shirt to wear.
#39 Again with not knowing what fabrics to iron
This is yet another case of someone who thought that you can iron pretty much everything and another good argument of why ironing skills need to be taught to students. From the looks of things, the short on the ironing board is made of synthetic material.
And we all know what synthetic materials mean, they don’t need ironing, or if you insist on ironing, you should put another cloth on top of them. Maybe she should just forget about ironing for the rest of her life or get someone else to do it for her.
#40 Another bed sheet gone to waste
Putting the bedroom together can be exciting. You get to choose the fabrics, colors, and the whole décor scheme. You know you’ve become an adult when choosing bed sheets can be exciting. However, this person was apparently not old enough to know how to iron.
The cute ruffle crib skirt she chose went to waste when she ironed it. A word of advice for those who find it such a challenge to iron, get yourselves a steamer. It will help to minimize incidents like this.
#41 This band uniform can’t be worn anymore
“This one time at band camp,” no people, it’s not what you think. This guy tried to iron his band uniform, and this is what became of it. This is yet another photo that has to be filed under the folder named “Ironing Fails That Should Not Have Happened.”
We sure hope he had an extra band uniform because if he didn’t, we just wonder what he wore at the band’s presentation. He would have been the odd one out. We hope he plays better than he irons clothes.
#42 Bye bye blouse
Some fabrics are so thin that it’s not advisable to put the iron on top of them directly. What you can do is to put another cloth on top then iron to get rid of wrinkles. This is a good example of the fabric we are talking about.
It’s so thin that it easily got burned by the iron. Or the iron heat setting could have been higher than it should be. Hence, the result. This blouse can’t be salvaged anymore. Best to just get a new one.
#43 Another burnt carpet
Most people have the impression that carpets are quite thick and can withstand heat well. However, this picture proves the opposite. Either that or the iron was so hot that it left a mark right in the middle of it. Poor carpet!
We’re wondering how the iron left a mark there, though. Was it dropped accidentally and left there for a few seconds? Was someone trying to iron their clothes on the floor? We’re scratching our heads in confusion here. Could you give us some answers?
#44 Nothing left to wear
What if you’re on vacation with only the right amount of clothes packed for each day and if you end up burning one of your shirts or pants or skirts? What do you do then? That was the situation this person found themselves in.
Should she start wearing the bedsheet as a toga? When traveling, it’s advisable to pack clothes with fabrics that don’t wrinkle. Or look at some YouTube videos that teach you how to pack clothes in such a way that they won’t wrinkle.
#45 Do you need to iron that?
With the proliferation of ironing fails on the Internet nowadays, it makes us wonder if fabrics today have gotten a lot thinner or if clothes are already made of plastic. Many people seem to be burning their clothes when ironing.
This one’s no different. Poor black shirt with a huge gaping hole in it, and there’s nothing that can be done to save it. But there’s no need to throw it in the trash yet; it might make a good rag to wipe surfaces with. We’re wondering why it needs to be ironed, though, as it doesn’t seem that wrinkly at all.