Christmas Gift Ideas for Men Who Hate Ironing

Every household has one. The man who owns a dozen good shirts and wears the same three, because those are the ones that happen to be ironed. He isn't lazy, he simply finds ironing slow and fiddly, and on a weekday morning there are a hundred things he would rather do than stand at a board chasing creases out of a collar.

If you are buying for him this Christmas, the best gift isn't another jumper. It is something that quietly gives him time back, every single week, long after the wrapping paper has gone in the recycling.

Why practical gifts win at Christmas

The gifts people still talk about in March are rarely the most expensive ones. They are the ones that solved a small, annoying problem they had stopped noticing. Ironing is exactly that kind of problem: it never goes away, it eats a slice of every Sunday evening, and almost nobody enjoys it.

So when you are choosing, ask yourself one question: will he use this next week, and the week after? If the answer is yes, you are on the right track.

Gift ideas, from small touches to the big one

1. Good shirt hangers

It sounds modest, but proper wide, curved hangers stop shirts slipping off and stop those pointed bumps on the shoulders. If he already irons his shirts, this keeps the effort from going to waste. We wrote a whole guide on how hangers leave bumps on shirts if you want to know why it matters.

2. A fine mist spray bottle

A spray bottle that produces a fine, even mist is surprisingly useful for relaxing creases in a shirt that has been sitting in a drawer. It is a small stocking filler that he will reach for more than you would expect.

3. A handheld steamer

A steamer is a good choice for someone who travels or wears suits. It is quick for touching up a jacket or a dress shirt that is only lightly creased, though it takes practice to get crisp collars and cuffs with one.

4. An automatic ironing machine

This is the gift for the man who genuinely hates ironing. Instead of ironing at all, he puts a damp shirt on the machine straight from the washing machine, sets the time and temperature, and walks away. Warm air inflates the shirt from the inside, so it dries smooth and comes off wrinkle-free in around 8 to 12 minutes.

Why an ironing machine makes such a good gift

The appeal is that it removes the job rather than making it slightly easier. One of our customers put it better than we could:

"As someone who hates ironing, I can place a shirt on the product straight from the washing machine, and go do something else. I then come back to a dry ironed shirt."

It also handles more than shirts. The Scanovus Automatic Ironing Machine 4.0 works with t-shirts, polos, blouses and trousers, fits sizes up to 3XL thanks to adjustable side zippers, and even dries shoes with the included rack. That makes it a gift for the whole household, not just him.

• Hands-free: set it and leave it, it switches itself off when the time is up.
• Safe to leave running: it also stops automatically if it tips over or overheats.
• Low risk to give: there is a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, so he can try it at home.

Tips for timing your Christmas order

December delivery networks get busy, so it is worth ordering earlier than you think, especially for anything larger than a stocking filler. If the gift is a surprise, check the delivery estimate at checkout and plan for it to arrive a week or so before you need it.

And if you are still unsure whether a machine like this is right for him, our honest look at whether automatic shirt ironers really work covers what to expect, including the limits.

The short version

If he only irons the occasional shirt, good hangers and a mist spray are thoughtful, inexpensive gifts. If ironing is a weekly chore he dreads, an automatic ironing machine is the one that will make a real difference to his routine, and it is the kind of gift he will thank you for every week.