Well, mangle me.

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Posted on Thu, 07/08/2010 - 10:21pm

Arkansawyer

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I just got to the section on the mangle in my "Running a B & B for Dummies" book. Wow. Something to think about. And what a great name for some machine you're going to feed your sheets into.

In reading old mangle posts on this forum I ran across the one that accepted that it took 1 hour to iron 4 sheets with it. I really can't believe that. I found a couple of videos of mangles in action. From the looks of things, ironing 4 sheets should take 4 minutes, not an hour.

See www.blip.tv/file/102739 and miele.quilogy.net/domestic/fabric_care/wmv/high_res/rotary_iron_intro.wmv for the videos, and for a good discussion see http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php?topic=1926.msg42348

Of course, to do them quickly, you'd have to tri-fold the sheets to fit in the 3-foot-wide machine, meaning a couple of ironed creases in your sheets. But if you make the creases run across the bed, rather than from head to toe, they wouldn't be noticeable.

I'd never pay somebody to iron all the sheets, pillowcases, etc. for my guest house, but I wouldn't mind paying them to feed the stuff into this monster ironer. The mangle will figure highly on my wish list...until you folks shoot it down. Ready. Aim. Fire.

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This comment (80748) was in reply to the Original Topic on Thu, 08/12/2010 - 1:21pm

#1 TOP

copperhead

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Started pressing (with iron press) my pillowcases and tops of top sheets a few years ago. No I do not get direct compliments on the ironing but do get nice compliments on the looks of the bed and the room. It is all in the overall look and when I have my appointement with the press, I choose to think of how nice it looks to me to see that crisp look, not the fact that I will not get a compliment on it or not.

PT - look into a table top iron press, mine was about $150 - and well worth it for my time and muscle! Yes you can press full sheets on this if you fold them the right way. It will press up to 4 layers at a time. This will save that time which is so valuable during a flip.

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This comment (80681) was in reply to the Original Topic on Thu, 08/12/2010 - 8:56am

#2 TOP

Joey Bloggs

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LB I think that goes under "Innkeeper Slogans" ha ha

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This comment (80664) was in reply to the Original Topic on Thu, 08/12/2010 - 8:04am

#3 TOP

wendydk

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I will slit my wrists before I iron a sheet, pillowcase or napkin.

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This comment (80700) was in reply to comment 80664 on Thu, 08/12/2010 - 10:43am

#4 TOP

Banana

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I ironed pillowcases and the top 1/3 of the sheet for the first four years in business. No one...not one person ever said a word about how nice it looked. I liked it, but I don't pay myself, so who cares? I quit ironing about the same time i quit smoking a 1.5 years ago, and I have...I'm not kidding...an extra two hours a day. It's amazing how much time I spent ironing, and I had an iron press that would do the job pretty quick. No one has once said to me..."Hey, didn't you used to iron your linens" or "Your pillowcases sure are wrinkly!"

This comment (80739) was in reply to comment 80700 on Thu, 08/12/2010 - 12:54pm

#5 TOP

Samster

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That's interesting.... we always had guests comment on how nice our beds and linens were here. "Crisp but soft, white, and comfy" was what was said most often.

Ironing sheets was my most hated job though and I was sooooooooooooooooo happy when I finally had someone that I paid to do it for me!

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This comment (80733) was in reply to comment 80700 on Thu, 08/12/2010 - 12:44pm

#6 TOP

gillumhouse

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Tuesday morning I had the first guest in memory (or at least in a VERY long time) who even referred to the sheets. The comment was how nice they were and i was asked if they were a really high thread count (Had no clue and told her it was fairly high) nothing about how they were not ironed.

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This comment (80545) was in reply to the Original Topic on Wed, 08/11/2010 - 10:51am

#7 TOP

Proud Texan

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We like to line dry our sheets when we can. We hang them from the outside edges and they dry mostly wrinkle free. Plus, the smell soooooo good.

Since we only have two rooms, DW has worked out a system where we iron the sheets as they go on the bed. With the two of us working on each side of the bed, the process is quick and mostly painless. She does iron the pillowcases and table napkins by hand, but this is done during a room flip. I certainly understand the need for uber equipment in a larger place, but I can't cost justify it for our little establishment.

This comment (80558) was in reply to comment 80545 on Wed, 08/11/2010 - 11:30am

#8 TOP

gillumhouse

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I iron pillowcases, in fact it is time for another appointment with the dreaded ironing board. I aldo line dry when possible. If guests want ironed sheets, however, I can give them the number of the Greenbrier and they can pay their rates.

This comment (79683) was in reply to the Original Topic on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 10:09pm

#9 TOP

domsmom

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Ok, I was just ironing sheets and deeply desired a Mangle!

This comment (79630) was in reply to the Original Topic on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 3:20pm

#10 TOP

Proud Texan

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I'm about to build DW a new laundry room. How much space is required for a Mangle?

BTW, our one washer and one dryer DIED. It's going to take up to two weeks for parts. We have been making numerous trips to the laundromat.

I'll be happy to have the new room built. When finished I hope to have large capacity commercial grade machines.

This comment (79764) was in reply to comment 79630 on Wed, 08/04/2010 - 2:36pm

#11 TOP

camberleyhotelh...

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Nothing beats commercial grade equipment I always say you can't do good work without the right tools. Especially the dryers will make all the difference.

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This comment (79635) was in reply to comment 79630 on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 3:36pm

#12 TOP

muirford

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About the same space as a medium sized computer desk - for the vintage Ironrite ones. The new Mieles, I'm not sure. They are very heavy.

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This comment (79636) was in reply to comment 79635 on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 3:47pm

#13 TOP

domsmom

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What I learn on this forum! I have never heard of a mangle. When I was first reading the post, I thought you were talking about a paper shredder....hahaha.

What do these cost? Do they take up alot of space?

Details, please.

This comment (79640) was in reply to comment 79636 on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 4:07pm

#14 TOP

muirford

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For size, see what I told PT below. Looking at EBay it seems the going rate is between $150 and $350, but I have never paid more than $50 for one. You can find them at estate auctions sometimes or probably on craigslist. You need to find one nearby because they weigh a ton and would be prohibitively expensive to ship anywhere. The Ironrites are 50s-era vintage, Miele makes a new one which costs about $2000.

This comment (76856) was in reply to the Original Topic on Sat, 07/10/2010 - 10:52am

#15 TOP

copperhead

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I for one do not iron my sheets. I do use an iron press to iron the pillowcases and the tops of the top sheets but I use wrinkle resistant sheets too. I do like how the creases look on the pillows.

This comment (76783) was in reply to the Original Topic on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 6:09pm

#16 TOP

One Day

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Awesome contraption......

Iron sheets..........?....................no, seriously?

OK, ok............I get it......just kidding

Who has and uses the pressing tables?.............I did a year in a dry cleaner long, long ago......I loved the professional pressing tables........steam, heat, vacuum, blowers..........was fun...........naturaly the owner had me doing all delicates, pleated skirts, dresses, wedding dresses, curtains, shirts, etc...........anything other than pants.

learning to handle all those clothing types.....I think was a valuable experience......

This comment (76752) was in reply to the Original Topic on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 12:22pm

#17 TOP

Barry_Manilow

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I have a question about the mangles. I used on in a large hotel to iron sheets and we would take the sheets straight form the washing machine to the mangle and iron them. As the sheet was fed through the steam would rise from the wet sheet and when it came out it would be all dry and nicely pressed. Does the Ironrite work like this where you iron the items damp?

This comment (76764) was in reply to comment 76752 on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 2:23pm

#18 TOP

muirford

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oceans wrote:

Does the Ironrite work like this where you iron the items damp?

No, they go through the dryer first. We use spray starch on ours, but don't really completely re-dampen them. You could though. That sounds like a bigger mangle, too - I fold my sheets lengthwise in fourths to fit them through the mangle.

This comment (76756) was in reply to comment 76752 on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 1:27pm

#19 TOP

Arkansawyer

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oceans wrote:

Does the Ironrite work like this where you iron the items damp?

In the video (link above) it shows them using a spray bottle to wet the cloth a little as it feeds into the rotating iron, and it says sometimes they let it go around the roller a couple of times to get it completely dry. So no, I'd say with these models you'd still need a clothes dryer. It would probably take them forever to dry out clothes right out of the washer.

This comment (76716) was in reply to the Original Topic on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 5:50am

#20 TOP

muirford

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I have a mangle and I love it. I used to do all my sheets on it before we started using a laundry service. We still use it for table linens. If you get the old ones (Ironrite) get a spare for parts. Miele makes a new one but it's pricey. I can do 4 sets of sheets (two sheets, 4 pillows) in an hour, maybe more, but I fold them in fourths lengthwise. The creases help center the sheet when making the bed, and I haven't had any complaints from creased sheets yet.

This comment (76721) was in reply to comment 76716 on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 8:28am

#21 TOP

Arkansawyer

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muirford wrote:

I can do 4 sets of sheets (two sheets, 4 pillows) in an hour, maybe more...

So that's 24 items/hour, or 2.5 minutes each. Not bad, and surely much easier than ironing.

I did read one person's post who said she thought buying a new Miele would get her a much better machine than her old Ironrite, but she doesn't feel like the Miele gets as hot and she wishes she had her old one back.

I'll put one (or two used ones) on my wish list and see if enough money's left for it when I finish my remodeling project.

My offer on the old building was accepted by the owner Tuesday and I'm headed to the bank today to discuss financing. Then Sunday I'm headed to a town at the opposite corner of the state for a 3-day aspiring innkeepers seminar. So things are starting to get busy and, as I understand it, there's no slowing down ahead for me!

This comment (76746) was in reply to comment 76721 on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 11:06am

#22 TOP

muirford

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Arkansawyer wrote:

I'll put one (or two used ones) on my wish list and see if enough money's left for it when I finish my remodeling project.

One new Miele = about 10 old Ironrites in price. Look on Ebay (but you have to find one close - you can't ship those suckers) or at auctions. We have two or three working ones downstairs and spare parts from a couple of others.

This comment (76741) was in reply to comment 76721 on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 10:15am

#23 TOP

camberleyhotelh...

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Yeay!!!!

Well, mangle me.

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