Before Wash n' wear

Had an electric ironing machine - a sit-down at ironer - I could iron a
man's cotton dress shirt in 10 minutes (following much practice) - this was
before the days of wash 'n wear.  That ironer was great for ironing sheets,
tablecloths, dresser scarves, etc.  It cost me about $350.00, but was a
great timesaver as I was a working wife and mother. This was about 40 yrs.
ago.

We had to sprinkle those shirts with  a water sprinkler, roll them up, put
inside a plastic bag, then tuck them into our refrigerator until they were
"damped" through and ready to iron - usually by the next day.  I'm not sure
we even had steam irons then.

My grandparents had a coal stove in which my grandmother baked bread.  They
also used that stove for heating the bedrooms above.