Choosing A Good Ironing Board

Whilst it may be a mundane piece of equipment, and one to which the majority of people would give very little thought, a well designed ironing board is a necessary item for any house. Make the wrong choice and you could finish up with badly ironed clothes, take a lot more time than you strictly need to for ironing and even strain your back.

The large majority of people these days use steam irons – or even steam generator irons, which are becoming more popular due to the fact that they can cut the amount of time required for ironing in half. In this case you certainly want to go for an ironing board with a mesh type construction. This allows the steam to pass through the fabric of the garment being ironed, through the cover of the ironing board and through the top of the board itself. It helps to avoid the ironing board cover becoming soggy as a result of condensation during longer ironing sessions.

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, maybe with a couple of cross-ties at the centre, is normally a good design which won’t move around too much when you are ironing. 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 size and shape of the board will be governed by the type of items you intend to iron. A smaller board may be easier to manipulate and store – but it will generally require more repositioning of the item being ironed. A nice sharp on the "pointy" end will make it easier to get into corners – the shoulders of blouses and shirts for instance – and will also be ideal for collars.

Scissor action legs are widely used. It should be adjustable to a working height which suits you and causes no discomfort or pain in your back, neck or shoulders. If you prefer to iron sitting down (many people do) then legs which have a bend in them – so that you don’t bang your knees against them – are a good choice. The legs should be sturdy enough to give adequate support. A good broad flat T-piece foot, or legs that splay to a good width and have a connecting bar, are generally good choices.

The tray for the iron itself should be strong enough to support the iron's weight. Wire type extension platforms will generally be perfectly adequate for traditional steam irons. The extra weight presented by a steam generator iron may mean that a longer board which simply features a heat resistant plate on a slightly extended surface is more effective. Alternatively, you can position the base unit of a steam generator iron on the floor – as long as the connecting hose between base unit and iron is long enough to allow this.