Ironing & Pressing

An Iron is a heated tool that is used to remove wrinkles from clothes. It is called Iron because the first tools were made from iron. Nowadays Irons are made of stainless steel or aluminium. The heating element in modern Irons is controlled by a thermostat which switches the current on and off to maintain the selected temperature.

In the 1st Century BC metal pans filled with charcoal were used for smoothing fabrics in China. In the 17th century solid irons used to be heated in fire. Later an iron box filled with hot coals starting to be more and more popular.

In the late 19th century were many irons which were heated by fuel as kerosene, alcohol, whale oil, natural gas or gasoline.

Nowadays we count with electric irons which uses resistive heating from an electric current. The hot plate is made of aluminium and it can be control by a thermostat. This electric iron creation was made by the New Yorker Henry W. Seeley in 1882. The early electric irons had no easy way to control their temperature.

The following list shows the moder developments of today’s Irons:

Burst of Steam: Available almost on most new Irons. By pushing a button the steam comes out to tame wrinkels.

Indicator Light: Which shows if the power is on or off, others also show if the Iron have reached the maximum desire heat.

Temperature control marked and easily accessible, preferably on the front of the handle.

Automatic shutoff: For security reasons the Iron will automatically shutoff if it doesn’t feel any movement

Water reservoirs: By pushing a button a water will be sprayed on the clothes for easier ironing.

Transparent chambers, some brightly colored, make it easy to see the water level.

Self-cleaning feature to flush deposits from vents.

Retractable cord: To make the ironing easier.

Fabric guide with a list of settings for common fabrics

Energy saving control - if the iron is left undisturbed for several (10 or 15) minutes, the iron shuts off to save energy and prevent fires.

Dial controlling which controls the amount of steam to emit as a constant stream.

Some commercial-grade irons have a boiler unit separate from the handheld iron.

Most ironing is done on an Ironing Board, a small, portable, foldable table with a heat resistant top.

Some commercial-grade ironing boards incorporate a heating element and a pedal-operated vacuum to pull air through the board and dry the garment.

Pemantent Press clothing was developed to reduce the ironing necessary by combining wrinkle-resistant Polyester with cotton.

Commercial laundries typically use steam presses to iron clothes instead of irons;

Clothes such as shirts, pants, and skirts are typically ironed, while underwear, socks, sheets, sweaters, and materials where wrinkling is not a factor are not, although this depends on the culture and circumstances.

Irons cause many fires and injuries each year due to their being very heavy, very hot, and often used on ironing boards that can fall over onto small children.

Irons used to be very much more dangerous due to the electrical cords fraying; modern insulation is much safer and better able to cope with being heated

There are different types of Irons in the market:

Steam Irons - Steam makes a fabric more pliable, allowing the heat and pressure of the iron to press it flat. Many new irons release more steam than did earlier models.

Dry Irons - The dry iron from is the most convenient iron for basic ironing. It does not require any water and comes with many features. A dry iron is not only easy to handle, but also reliable and durable.

Cordless Irons - Eliminate fumbling with the cord but must be reheated on the base for a minute or more every couple of minutes, which can be inconvenient and time-consuming.

Travel irons and steamers - Portable irons are less of a necessity now that many hotels provide them in rooms. But if still necessary they come very comfortable sizes and are very easy to use.

Robotic - The Dressman robot dries and press shirts. On placing a damp shirt on the ironing figure, it inflates with hot air in its interior, and thus puffs the shirt up, removing creases drying the garment. The device has a heater box inside with a number of different resistance elements. This is a very new device so it is more expensive than the previous options.

Pick a model that makes ironing easier: The easier a hot iron moves across the fabric, the less tirening will be the ironing process. The tearm “nonstick” refers to irons that easily slide over damp garments, this can make everything easier altough the nonstick soleplates are not necessarily better than the stainless-steel ones if you usually iron fry fabrics.

Match the iron to your hands. It is important to choose the handle that fits your hand better. Some handles don’t have enough clearance for bigger hands. Weight is another factor. Some people might prefer a bit of heft, but others might find heavier irons more than they can manage.

Get enough steam if: You iron mostly natural fibers (linen, cotton) you will need more steam to smooth the wrinkles easily. If you iron mostly synthetic fabrics then you don’t need a lot of steam power in your iron.

Find controls you like. Check whether the controls are easy to see and access, and whether fabric settings are clearly marked.

Decide whether you want to cut the cord. The cordless models are very good for ironing but they don’t have a lot of steam power, also is important to notice that cordless irons need to be reheated every few minutes and it can be tedious if you have a large amount of garments.

Rowenta Perfect (*est. $140) gets excellent evaluations in professional reviews. It has all the bells and whistles, including vertical steam, burst of steam , a mister, anti-calcium control and auto shut-off. At 3.75 pounds, this is one of the heavier models on the market. The Perfect, however, costs four times as much as some other models,

T-Fal Ultraglide Diffusion 1769 (*est. $50), perform similarly for much less. T-Fal glides exceptionally well over fabric.

The T-Fal Ultraglide Diffusion steam iron comes in three different versions:

T-Fal Ultraglide Diffusion 1769 (*est. $50) has a longer soleplate and vertical steam, along with burst of steam, an anti-clog valve and a 3-way shut-off.

Ultraglide Diffusion 1759 (*est. $40) doesn't have a vertical steam feature, but has all the others.

Diffusion 1749 (*est. $35) doesn't have vertical steam or an anti-clog valve, and there's no auto shut-off. All three models have extra steam holes at the tip of the soleplate to better press tight spots like collars, cuffs and edges, and all three have the same nonstick soleplate.

Black & Decker Digital Advantage D2030 (*est. $50) has vertical steam, burst of steam and a 10-minute motion-sensitive auto shut-off. Its small LCD panel displays settings and reminders to run the self-cleaning cycle.

Cordless irons

Panasonic NI-L45NR (*est. $55) It comes with a heat-resistant carrying case and a base unit, which stays plugged in and reheats the iron between passes. The Panasonic cordless iron has a detachable water tank, which makes refills easier

Maytag MLI7000A (*est. $100) Includes a heat-resistant storage case. It has a ten-minute automatic shut-off, as well as multiple steam settings: burst, cool mist, spray and continuous. The one thing missing is vertical steam, a feature found on the Panasonic cordless iron.

Travel irons and steamers

Black & Decker Travel Pro (*est. $25) is mentioned favorably by experts.

Franzus Travel Smart Garment Steamer (*est. $25)

Sunbeam Shot of Steam Garment Steamer 4026 (*est. $25).

Sleeve Hams - are firm cushions that aid in the ironing of hard-to-work-with places such as the shoulders of a suit or around the neck of a coat, while the sleeve board makes it easy to iron sleeves without leaving creases in the fabric.

Sleeve Boards - Same function as an ironing board but small, fits perfectly on sleeves so makes shirts ironing easier.

Velvet Boards - If you have velvet items to iron, you can purchase a velvet boar

Press Cloths - To prevent unwanted shine and to damage delicate fabrics such as silk.

If the article of clothing is extremely creased, spray some more water onto the fabric with a water bottle. Otherwise, you should iron the article once it's completely dry.

Don't iron something that's stained, as ironing an article that has not been washed first may make the stain more permanent.

Be sure the soleplate of your iron is clean and smooth for quicker and easier ironing.

If you have a steam iron, check for minerals deposits, which can cause brown spotting.

Check your ironing board and its cover. For speedy ironing, use well padded boards with smooth heat-reflective covers.

Store linen items in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer from 6 to 24 hours before ironing. This will make them easier to iron and will prevent mildew.

Use spray starch (if desired) and iron with a steam iron at a medium to hot setting. Starch provides extra crispness, particularly to napkins to be folded into fancy shapes. For a softer look, select spray-on fabric sizing instead. In a pinch, smooth things over with spray-on wrinkle remover.

Iron on the wrong side first, then on the right side to bring out the sheen, especially damasks and light-colored linens. Iron dark linens on the wrong side only.

Choose a temperature setting compatible with the fabric weight. Pure linen can withstand the highest temperature setting on your iron. Test an inconspicuous corner first.

Iron linen until smooth but not dry. Once wrinkles are gone, hang the linen item until it is bone dry.

Tips on avoiding leaks - Iron delicates first, using a lower temperature setting, then turning up the heat for cottons and linens. This can be helpful because leaks can sometimes occur as an iron cools down.

Safe Ironing Temperatures

Linen: 230 °C

Triacetate: 200 °C

Cotton: 204 °C

Viscose: 190 °C

Wool: 148 °C

Polyester: 148 °C

Silk: 148 °C

Acetate: 143 °C

Acrylic: 135 °C

Lycra/Spandex:135 °C

Nylon: 135 °C

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