IRON MAN

Growing up in Southern California as a skinny, wimpy kid I dreamed of someday participating in an Ironman triathlon. As I stood at an ironing board pressing my underpants and Charlie's Angels T-shirt sporting a perm and braces, I thought taking part in a race that consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 11.2 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile marathon would prove to everyone that I was a butch, masculine Iron Man. While I've never taken part in a triathlon, today I am a man who stands tall, confident and proud...at an ironing board. Yep, I'm an Ironing Man and not afraid to admit that I iron everything from my socks to my guest sheets! While most men would claim the remote control is the greatest invention, I give kudos to Henry W. Seely who patented the electric iron in 1882 and wonder if in his wildest dreams he ever thought 127 years later a gay man in a land far, far away would use one to remove candle wax from floors, the scent of dog from carpets and nasty wallpaper from walls. If you wondered what gay men do behind closed doors, here's a peak at what happens when things get steamy:

I LOVE my Iron almost as much as I love my swiffer. Here are just a few things you can do with yours after ironing your hair, napkins and curtains...

1.) I added some water to ours, let it heat up and steamed the wallpaper remnants off the wall in our half bath.

2.) At a clients home to remove the stickers from her teenage sons walls I steamed them away with a hot iron by holding the iron a few inches from the sticker, pressing the steam button and away it fell.

3.) To remove candle wax from carpet after the wind blew it over (that's our story and we're sticking to it) I hovered the hot iron above the wax and off it came.

4.) To freshen up the carpet in a clients home before an open house I ran a steamy iron over the high traffic areas (note the iron does NOT touch the carpet..run it over while pressing the steam button)

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Depending on task, minimal

COST: Many irons sell for under $20, mine came from target for $26.29

STRESS LEVEL: Getting a steamer for this hot iron! LOW