An ironing board is, without doubt, a mundane item of household equipment to which the majority of people give very little thought. However, it is an essential item for any household and, if you choose the wrong one, then you might end up with badly pressed garments, take more time than you need to when ironing and even put unnecessary strain on 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 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 size and shape of the board that you select will depend, to a large extent, on the type of things that you usually iron. Whilst a smaller board may be easier to store and work around, it will normally mean that the garment being ironed needs to be repositioned more frequently. Ironing the shoulders of shirts and blouses will be easier if there is a marked taper on the “pointy” end of the board.
Height adjustable scissor action legs are pretty standard these days. Make sure the range of height adjustment is suitable for you and set the board at a height which doesn’t cause you any pain or discomfort in your back, neck or shoulders. If you prefer to iron sitting down (many people do) then it’s a good idea to choose a board which has curved legs. That way your knees won’t bump against the legs when you’re seated. A broad T-piece type of foot, or splayed feet with a connecting bar, will provide a good solid platform for you to iron on.
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.
Cut your ironing down to size with a steam generator iron – you’ll wonder how you managed without one.
