There’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.
Nowadays, the majority of people use steam irons - or even steam generator irons which are growing in popularity due to the fact that they can reduce the amount of time required for ironing. For both of these types of irons an ironing board which has a surface of open mesh construction is desirable. The mesh structure allows the steam to pass through the board, which helps to avoid condensation and soggy garments and ironing board covers when ironing large amounts of items.
The ironing board cover should be as smooth as possible to make ironing easier. It should be well secured and have no tendency to slip. An elasticated cover which incorporates one or two cross ties will usually suffice and will not slide around on you when you’re doing your ironing. A nice shiny metalised cover will also reflect heat from the iron back into the garment and will help to remove creases from the underside of the material whilst the top surface is being pressed.
The shape and size of the board will depend upon what you generally iron. A smaller board may be easier to manipulate and store - but it will generally require more repositioning of the item being ironed. A good taper on the pointed end will be useful for getting into corners - the shoulders of shirts and blouses for example - and will also be good for collars.
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 itself should be sturdy enough to take the weight of the iron. Wire type extension platforms are usually okay for standard steam irons. The extra weight presented by a steam generator iron may mean that a longer board which just features a heat resistant plate on a slightly extended surface is better. Alternatively, the base unit of steam generator irons may be positioned on the floor - as long as the connecting hose between base unit and iron is long enough to permit this.
Cut out the drudgery of long ironing sessions with a Tefal steam generator iron - you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much time you can save.
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