Traditional ironing in Egypt doesn't seem that sanitary
A real-life "ironing" man uses his mouth and some water to perform the steam function.
An interesting video had many people talking on social media when a tourist shared what "ironing" in Egypt looks like.
While ironing is a routine chore for most people, this man, who comes from a long line of ironers, turns it into a true art form.
In the video, he sprays water onto the garment using his mouth, mimicking the spray function of a modern iron. He then glides a traditional stone iron over the fabric, using both his hand and foot to expertly smooth out the wrinkles.
This ironing method doesn't use electricity. Instead, the iron is heated by fire, and the mouth-spray technique is a clever workaround from the days before spray bottles were common.
Watch the video below – courtesy of Instagram.
Traditions can often seem strange or outdated to outsiders, especially when the how and why behind them isn’t immediately obvious. And while this ironing method might seem unsanitary to some, it’s actually rooted in a long history.
Back in 2017, Reuters profiled Ebtesam Mohamed, a woman from Alexandria who had been doing this very job for 35 years.
"We call this little oven the 'house of fire'. It hasn't changed since we started, but (new) heating methods have been developed from kerosene to gas-filled canisters to what we use now, which is natural gas. This is the only thing that has changed in the shop."
Electric and steam irons may be common today, but Mohamed explained that her method still holds its own: the traditional iron’s weight and manual pressure, she said, make it more effective.
So while it may not fit in with modern standards, this age-old technique continues to be trusted by locals in Egypt – and clearly, it still gets the job done.
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Image courtesy of Instagram