Ironed bed-sheets and towels? You were and are a good woman. : ) I just admire the crisply ironed sheets and pillowcases in hotels. At home, I have moved from cotton to microfiber or "sateen" cotton so there are less wrinkles. : ) I have put the fear of God in Jr. about leaving things in pockets. I told him if the washer or dryer conks off due to that, I'll have him wash his clothes by hand for a week. That reminds me, when I told them about how we washed clothes before washing machines came along, they looked at me like I belonged in a museum!
I have always washed new clothes, sheets, towels before using them for the first time. And dry cleaned anything that couldn't be washed. In India as well as in the US. The only exception: We were on vacation and it unexpectedly turned cold and rainy. None of us were prepared, so we bought jackets and wore them on our way out of the store. The cashier was kind enough to cut off the price tags for us. Childhood dresses ... oh, the memories! Remember twinkle nylon and buckram? I had a lot of frocks. In contrast, my wardrobe these days is much smaller and way more practical. .
Just realised that the never I mentioned in my reply gives a feel to the readers that I don't wash clothes at all.. Well what I meant was I don't wash them before first use. I stand corrected