Hello, I’m Chris — and I actually like ironing
Chrissy's Ironing Service is a one-woman business run from Methley. No shopfront, no call centre, no subcontractors — just one person who has got very good at a job most people would happily never do again.
Christine Cawthron, Owner
It began with three baskets and a favour for a neighbour
For years I ironed for my own household the way everyone does — in front of the telly on a Sunday, resenting every minute of it. The difference was that I did not actually mind the job. I minded that it never seemed to count as time well spent.
A neighbour going through a rough patch asked if I would take her basket for a week. Then her sister asked. Then someone from the school run. Within a couple of months I was collecting from four streets, charging enough to cover the electricity, and enjoying it far more than I expected.
Six years on, Chrissy's Ironing Service is a proper business with regular household customers, a handful of local salons and cafés on weekly accounts, and a patch that reaches from Methley out through Castleford, Kippax and Rothwell to Wakefield and Pontefract. It has grown almost entirely by word of mouth, which is the part I am proudest of.
What has not changed is the size. I have deliberately kept it to one pair of hands. It means I can only take on so much work, but it also means every single item that leaves here has been pressed and checked by me — and if something is not right, there is no question about who to ring.
“I would rather do forty bags properly than eighty in a hurry.”
Christine Cawthron
Four things this business will not compromise on
They are not slogans. They are the reasons customers who tried a cheaper option have come back.
Do it properly or not at all
Every garment is pressed to its care label, not rushed through on one heat setting. Collars, cuffs and plackets get individual attention because those are the parts people actually notice.
Say what things cost, up front
The price you are quoted on the doorstep is the price on the receipt. If an order turns out bigger than expected, you hear about it before the iron is switched on — never afterwards.
Treat the house like your own
Shoes off if you ask, gates closed behind us, bags never left visible on a doorstep. Small courtesies matter when someone is calling at your home every week.
Waste as little as possible
Collections are grouped by postcode wherever the diary allows, to keep mileage down. Packaging is reused between orders wherever possible, and nothing is thrown away that could go round again.
What a Tuesday actually looks like
People often ask how a single person gets through it all. The honest answer is a very boring routine that never changes.
- 7:30am
Board on, radio up
The first load from yesterday's collection goes on the board. Shirts are done first while the iron is at its hottest and the day is quiet.
- 9:00am
Out on the round
Collections and deliveries run together, working outward by postcode. Everyone gets a text roughly twenty minutes before arrival.
- 11:30am
Sorting and counting
New bags are counted, checked for damp or damage, and separated by fabric so nothing waits behind a load that needs a cooler iron.
- 12:30pm
The long stretch
The bulk of the pressing happens through the afternoon. Bedding goes on first while there is space, then garments, hung as each one is finished.
- 4:30pm
Bagging and checking
Every order is checked back against its count and loaded ready for the round. You get a phone call with the price and a delivery time, rather than a note in the bag.
- 6:00pm
Tomorrow's plan
Bookings that came in during the day are slotted into the round, and anyone whose timing needs moving is contacted before the evening is out.
A small business has obvious limits. Here are ours.
Being honest about what a one-person service cannot do is more useful than pretending otherwise, so you can decide whether it fits how you live.
Same-day turnarounds when the day is not full
Guaranteed same-day at short notice on a Friday
Weekly standing slots for households and businesses
Unlimited capacity in December — book early
Careful pressing of delicates and occasion wear
Washing, dry cleaning or stain removal
Free
Collection & delivery, every order
20
Items in the standard bundle
24hr
Standard turnaround, any day
100%
Ironed personally by Chris
“My mum is eighty-four and struggles with a heavy iron now. Chris is patient, chats to her on the doorstep, and always texts when she is on her way. It is the little bit of kindness that makes the difference, not just the ironing.”
Fancy giving your Sunday evening back?
Ring for a chat about what you need doing, or book a first collection online and take 10% off.