Have you heard of 'sad' irons?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (367256)
Rockingham, Australia
October 20, 2025 4:44am CST
I first came across the term ‘sad irons’ in Westonia Museum. Researching a bit further, I found that ‘sad’ is believed to come from ‘sadd’, the Old English word meaning solid or heavy. They were also called ‘flat irons’.
On the farm, Mum would bring any ironing in while it was still slightly damp. If she waited too long and the clothes were fully dry, she would sprinkle them with water and wrap them up until she was ready to iron. Flat irons were heated on the top of wood stove and they were heavy, typically weighing between 2 to 8 pounds, depending on their size.
When I did Domestic Science at school, we were taught that to iron effectively you needed heat, moisture and pressure. Nowadays of course, electric irons supply their own moisture as steam and they don’t need to be heavy.
The photo is actually from Wyalkatchem Museum. It seems that the handle is removable.
15 people like this
14 responses
@DaddyEvil (163634)
• United States
20 Oct
No, I've never heard of sad irons.
When I was little, mom ironed a lot of our clothing. When Pretty was little, a lot of her clothing had to be ironed.... After she got a little older, I started actually looking for clothing that didn't need to be ironed before we could wear it.
I know we still own an iron. It's on a shelf in the laundry room but we haven't used it in years and years... Thank goodness. 
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (163634)
• United States
21 Oct
@JudyEv Mom always ironed her hankies, too. Dad wanted to carry his hankies wadded in his pocket so didn't like them ironed.
I never carried cloth hankies... I fold a paper towel up in my back pocket to use if I need something like that. (Usually, when we're out shopping, Pretty and I get paper towels from the bathroom of whatever store we're in to use as hankies.)
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@JudyEv (367256)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Oct
@DaddyEvil I always need to carry a hankie. Tissues aren't of any use to me.
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@rsa101 (40552)
• Philippines
20 Oct
I remember the old flat irons too, where you had to put charcoal inside to get them hot. You had to be careful with the temperature because adding too much charcoal could make it overly hot. They were a bit unreliable as well since the charcoal could stain clothes if you weren’t cautious. It's so much easier now with electric irons that allow you to regulate the heat.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (367256)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Oct
We never had the charcoal ones but I remember rubbing the others on a cloth to make sure they weren't going to leave stains.
@Traceyjayne (6724)
• United Kingdom
21 Oct
I’ve never heard them called sadd irons ….only flat irons.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (208256)
• United States
21 Oct
The name sounds vaguely familiar. I wonder how many people actually iron these days? lol
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@LindaOHio (208256)
• United States
22 Oct
@JudyEv Fortunately all my clothes don't wrinkle...and I sleep in my recliner, so no pillow cases.
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@MarieCoyle (52213)
•
20 Oct
My grandparents all referred to them as sad irons. Both grandmothers used one as a door stop in the summertime, the kitchen door to the outside. I remember them well. I still have one that belonged to one of them. Of course they didn't iron with them, but their mother's did.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (52213)
•
22 Oct
@JudyEv
Oh, they weigh a ton. It had to have been a hard job to heat and reheat them over and over back in the day, to get the ironing done.
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@snowy22315 (200050)
• United States
21 Oct
I have heard the term flat iron before .mostly associated with steaks.
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@FourWalls (81012)
• United States
21 Oct
No, never heard them called “sad” irons.
I wonder if those irons would eventually be damaged from being heated up too much, which is why the handle could be removed?
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@RasmaSandra (91798)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
20 Oct
Never knew what they were called but I have seen those kinds of irons,
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@pitsipeahie (5426)
•
21 Oct
I still remember seeing a flat iron that looked similar to that. It was really heavy too! But instead of heating it on a wood stove, you’d open it up and place burning charcoal inside. The glowing embers would heat the metal from within. I can still picture it so clearly in my mind — it even had a red handle. It actually belonged to my grandmother and was passed down to my mom. I have no idea where it is now. Such a shame, really. It was a beautiful piece of the past, so different from the modern irons we use today.
1 person likes this
