domestic
Ironing and laundry service
Ironing costs £14 to £22 an hour, £15 to £25 for a standard bag, or £1.50 to £3 a shirt. The bag is the unit most services actually use, and it is worth asking what fits in one before comparing two prices, because a bag is not a standard size and that is where the difference between quotes usually hides.
What this covers
What it costs. Ironing costs £14 to £22 an hour, £15 to £25 a standard bag, or £1. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Ironing by the bag, by the hour or by the item
- Collection and delivery, usually on a fixed weekly day
- Wash, dry and iron as one service where wanted
- Shirts, bedding and school uniform, which are most of the volume
- Hanging and packing so nothing creases on the way back
What is involved
Three pricing models are in use and they suit different households. By the hour is simplest and rewards you for sorting beforehand. By the bag is the commonest, is predictable, and is where the definition matters: a bag holding twenty shirts and one holding thirty are quoted the same by different firms. By the item costs most per garment and makes sense for a few shirts a week rather than a household wash.
Collection and delivery is what makes the service usable and is included by most local firms within a few miles, on a fixed day. Outside that radius it is either a surcharge or not offered, which is the practical limit on who can use a given service.
The one thing worth saying up front is what must not be ironed or must be done at a particular temperature. Most services will follow a care label and a note about a specific garment is more reliable than hoping they check.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask what fits in a bag, and ideally in items rather than in litres. It is the number two quotes actually differ on.
Ask about collection: which day, what radius, and what happens if you miss it. A service built on a fixed round is cheaper and less flexible, and that is fine if you know it.
Ask what happens if something is damaged. Every ironing service scorches something eventually, and the difference between them is what they do next.
Common questions
How much fits in a bag?
It varies and that is the point: typically 15 to 25 shirts or a household wash, but no standard exists, so ask in items before comparing prices.
Do they wash as well?
Many do, as wash, dry and iron. It costs more than ironing alone and it removes the part of the job most people actually mind.