Desirable Features For Ironing Boards
Posted by Hamish Hayward in Uncategorized, tags: electrical, general, home appliances, household appliances, product reviews, shopping, technology, time management, UncategorizedThere’s not much doubt that an ironing board is a dull and mundane item of household equipment to which very few people give much consideration. Nevertheless, every home will have one. It is an essential household item and - if you pick the wrong type - you could well finish up with poorly ironed clothes, take longer to get through your ironing than you need to and even strain your back.
Most people use steam irons these days - or possibly even steam generator irons, which are becoming popular due to the fact that they can reduce the amount of time spent ironing by 50%. For either of these types of irons, an ironing board with an open mesh surface construction is a good choice. This allows the steam to pass through the garment being pressed, through the cover of the ironing board and through the mesh surface of the board itself. When a lot of items are being ironed in one session, this helps to avoid any build up of condensation which might otherwise cause both the garments and the cover of the board to become soggy.
The cover of the ironing board should present a smooth surface to facilitate ironing. It should be secure and not prone to slipping. An elasticated cover, possibly with one or two cross-ties at the centre, is generally a good design which won’t move about as you iron. A metalised cover will reflect some of the heat and this will help to smooth the underside of the garment whilst the top surface is being ironed.
The type of items that you intend to iron will play an important role in determining the size and shape of the board for you. A small board will be easier to store - but will typically require you to position the garment that you’re pressing more often. Picking a large board is usually the best choice - but make sure it has a good taper on the pointed end. This will make it easier to get into corners - the corners of blouses and shirts, collars etc.
Scissor action legs which allow you to adjust the height of the board are pretty much standard these days. Make sure that you set the board height at a level that’s comfortable for you and doesn’t strain your back. If you’re the only one who irons (I bet you are) then a position marker is always useful. If you like to sit down whilst ironing then choose a board which has curved legs so that your knees don’t bang against the legs when you’re sitting down. Whatever type of legs you go for, they should provide good support and give you a stable platform to iron upon. A broad T-piece foot or splayed feet joined by a connecting bar usually works well.
The support for the iron should be strong enough to support the iron’s weight. For a traditional steam iron a wire frame type of arrangement is generally sufficient. Due to their large base units, steam generator irons can be quite a bit heavier than normal steam irons. A slightly longer board which just uses a heat resistant plate on its surface may be better for this type of iron. Alternatively, the base unit could be placed on the floor - as long as the connecting hose between the base unit and the iron is long enough to allow this.
Ironing is a thankless task at best. Cut it down to size with a Tefal steam generator iron - you’ll be delighted at just how much time you can save.
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