Hurricane hack - Woman turns kitchen pot into makeshift iron

With thousands of Jamaicans still without adequate shelter, water or electricity one month after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, one St Ann woman has turned a simple kitchen pot into a makeshift iron.

Nita Smiley, 38, laughed as she explained how her unconvential technique of heating a pot on a gas stove for five minutes, and then running it over clothing, has lifted eyebrows. For Smiley, who is a professional nail technician in the Gully Road, St Ann's Bay area, apperance is key. So what was a period of hardship taught her a now valuable hurricane hack.

"I was living with my mom in my 20's and at one point, we didn't have electricty because the light got disconnected and she wasn't able to pay it, so that is how we had to 'bounce' it," she said.

Smiley explained that she was responible for the ironing, and as such, she received first-hand guidance from her mother.

"We used the pressure pot, because that can hold the steam you know. That is what she showed me, because I was in charge of ironing the uniform for school," she said.

This technique is somewhat nostalgic for older folks, as many homes utilised plain metal irons that were heated by a fire. These had a metal handle that had to be gripped by a thick rag. This, too, is familar to Smiley, who saw her grandmother with one.

"But not mommy, because we getting more modern," Smiley jokingly explained. She recalled that when the power went, she was with a friend.

"She say, 'Jesus, wi affi go work crush.' Mi say, 'No girl, turn on the stove and put on the pot, because wi a go iron wi clothes and go work today," she said.

If her childhood experience was not enough, the month-long power outage has helped her sharpen her skills, one 'pot press' at a time.

"It is best to use one that can hold heat, like a thick pot, but because I am used to it, I can use that you saw," Smiley told THE WEEKEND STAR, alluding to a video she posted on her social media platforms.

According to Smiley, to get best results you can't use a "flimsy pot".

"Because, by time you reach the room, the heat gone. So use something that is going to hold the heat, so you can get a good rub... go back, heat up again, and then do the other side," she advised.

Smiley, who is also a mother of two, further explained that she has resorted to simpler clothing to ease her now daily routine.

"I iron two pieces a day for me and my daughter and choose clothing that don't need no spray starch, like corduroy, but like simple cotton," she said.

"I am like a person that thinks about ways where when you have the problem, what is the solution. And I don't mind going back to my roots."

- A.B.