How to choose iron: useful tips
Types of irons
Initially, you need to decide on the type of iron. The modern market offers huge selection of different models, so everyone can choose the best option depending on their needs.
Household iron is traditional device for everyday use. These are not too large devices that are easy to use and do not take up much space. Depending on the price category, they may differ in power, functionality and capabilities, but often today almost all models have steam generation option and water spray. They will help smooth out stubborn creases and folds, tidy up dense or overdried materials, eliminate unpleasant odors and get rid of bacteria, germs and allergens.
Cordless iron is the same as household iron, only it works in cordless mode, without cords getting tangled under your feet, which limit freedom of movement and movement. True, there is still wire, since the iron needs to somehow connect to the network. In this case, the wire is connected not to the iron itself, but to its stand. Every time you place the iron on the stand, it recharges. Unfortunately, this charge is not enough for a long time, so the device has to be constantly returned to the base to restore heating and high temperature.
Travel irons are compact and lightweight irons that will help you put things in order during vacation, business trips and other trips. They are often equipped with a folding handle, which further reduces the size, resulting in the iron easily fitting into suitcases and carry-on luggage. They may also offer the ability to adjust voltage for full operation in different countries. However, such models are not suitable for everyday use, as they have low power and limited functionality.
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| Rowenta travel iron with folding handle. |
Irons with steam generator. We can say that these are advanced steam irons that are equipped with separate tank for steam production. Typically, these models produce more powerful jet of steam, so they are able to cope with more complex tasks. In addition, the capacious tank provides long ironing time - about an hour or even several hours. With steam generator, you can iron large amount of laundry and clothes at once without having to periodically interrupt the process to add water. But at the same time, irons with steam generator are larger and heavier than ordinary household ones.
Ironing system is whole set consisting of ironing board and iron with steam generator, which often includes special iron stand, a cabinet for its storage, a wire holder, and sometimes also a linen shelf. Such models are not cheap, but usually they offer not only ready-made place for ironing, but also additional functions for efficient work. For example, heating the ironing surface, airing to keep delicate fabrics on the weight and suction mode to securely fix the fabric on the board, remove excess steam and dry clothes.
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| Ironing system Cecotec Total Iron 10100 Pro. |
Ironing presses are specialized and not very popular devices that resemble ironing board with lid installed as press. During operation, the upper part does not slide over the fabric, but simply presses against it with considerable effort, thereby ensuring smoothing. In general, these are quite expensive models that resemble industrial equipment and are intended mainly for bed linen.
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| Ironing press Miele B 995 D. |
In addition, there are also steamers - manual or stationary. They smooth clothes with jet of steam and thus can be an alternative to household irons.
Power
The power of the device affects the speed of its heating, the intensity of steam production and the effectiveness of ironing. Therefore, in most cases the rule “the more the better” applies. With an increase in power, the energy consumption of the iron also increases, but it’s definitely not worth saving on this. You also need to understand that the optimal indicator primarily depends on the type of iron. So, road models do not differ in high power and have value of up to 1000 - 1500 watts. But, as we mentioned above, they are not designed for complex tasks and are designed mainly for quick ironing of not too wrinkled items made of loose materials. Irons with steam generator require much higher power to ensure the operation of the entire system and the continuous production of steam - from 2000 to 3000 W and higher. And for ordinary household irons, the optimal power will be from 1800 to 2500 W. Such devices heat up quickly enough, cope with large amounts of laundry, carefully smooth out complex folds and are suitable for any clothing, be it jeans, tracksuits, coats, silk and chiffon dresses or shirts made from natural fabrics.
Sole material
One of the main elements of any iron is its sole. If it is of poor quality, no advanced functions will save the situation, because the sole will stick to things and leave marks on them. The sole material must be durable so that contact with buttons, fasteners and zippers does not leave scratches on the surface. The sole should maintain optimal heating and slide easily over the material so as not to damage it. In the entire history of irons, there are perhaps several dozen types of sole materials, but today the main and most common are the following:
Aluminum is low-cost material that is mainly used in inexpensive models. It heats up quickly and cools down just as quickly, but is not durable: the aluminum sole is easily deformed, and scratches and nicks quickly appear on the surface, which can damage delicate fabrics. In addition, such sole may stick to the material when overheated.
Stainless steel also falls into the category of inexpensive materials. It is durable, more resistant to damage and provides easy gliding. Disadvantages include significant weight and possible formation of carbon deposits due to improper use and untimely cleaning.
Enamel is usually used not as base material, but as coating on stainless steel. The result is durable coating that glides easily over the fabric without damaging it.
Teflon is an easy-to-care material that has good non-stick properties, does not damage the fabric structure, glides easily over the surface and effectively smoothes out wrinkles. But at the same time, Teflon coatings are short-lived: they can be easily scratched by ordinary buttons, zippers and fasteners.
Ceramics is fairly popular material, which is characterized by an increased degree of slip on any fabric and easy care. But at the same time, such soles are very fragile - it is better not to drop the irons.
Metal-ceramics is considered one of the best options, as it combines the advantages of ceramics and high strength due to the metal base.
Titanium is durable, hard and damage-resistant material that ensures long service life for the iron. But this is not cheap material, and it also takes long time to heat up and cool down the sole.
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| Irons with different sole coatings. |
Titanium ceramics is material made of metal and ceramics with high titanium content, which is characterized by high strength and durability. It is not cheap, so it is mainly used in irons in the high price segment.
Non-stick coating. This is not material, but different types of special coatings on the soles that provide easy sliding, do not stick to the material and are easily cleaned of dirt. This term is mainly used by manufacturers who do not indicate the sole material or do not have permission to use the Teflon trademark.
Steam supply
The advantages of steam irons are obvious: steam penetrates deep into the fabric, softens it, smoothes out even the most stubborn folds and creases and additionally disinfects things, eliminating odors, germs and bacteria. This is especially true for families with children and people with allergies. During operation, the device can continuously supply steam or release short-term, but more powerful burst of steam, designed for the most difficult cases. Fortunately, almost all manufacturers indicate the power of steam supply and steam boost in the specifications. And if we are talking about irons with steam generator, then the value of the steam pressure is also important, because the higher it is, the better the iron copes with thick fabrics. For example, for conventional irons, constant supply of steam at speed of 50 - 80 g/min is optimal. In this case, you can easily iron delicate fabrics, synthetics, natural materials and thick ones like denim. Power of less than 30 g/min is usually found in road models. This steam supply is only enough to smooth out slightly wrinkled items made of loose material. And, for example, creating creases on trousers will be difficult task. Models with steam generator often do not have such problems, since their steam supply power is much higher - from 100 to 200 g/min and even higher. This is more than enough for high-quality ironing of any fabric.
Unlike constant supply of steam, the intensity of the steam boost is many times greater. Usually for good household irons it ranges from 180 to 250 or even 280 g/min, and for steam generators it ranges from 300 to 400 g/min. The higher this indicator, the better, since steam boost can be useful in many cases: for ironing bed linen folded in several layers, outerwear (jackets, coats, etc.), things with beads and other decorations that need steaming at distance, as well as for refreshing upholstery of upholstered furniture. This principle also applies to steam pressure. The optimal value is between 4 and 5 bar. If you plan to steam heavy curtains, warm raincoats, thick lined items, tweed and drape items, choose models with intense steam supply and strong steam boost.
In addition, the vertical steam function, which turns the iron into handheld steamer, will be useful. If your iron has this option, you can freshen your curtains without removing them from the curtain rod and iron things directly on the hanger. This is especially important for suits and dresses made of delicate fabrics such as silk, satin, nylon, etc.
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| Philips Azur 8000 Series DST 8050 with vertical steam function. |
But remember that the higher the steam generation rate, the faster the water tank will empty. To avoid having to add liquid too often, choose models with tank capacity of at least 250 - 300 ml. Steam generators are more convenient in this regard, as they are equipped with tanks with volume of one to several liters and provide long battery life.
Security and protection
Iron not unplugged from the socket is probably still one of the main fears of many users. But in fact, the danger is posed not only by heating, but also by ordinary water, or more precisely, by the resulting scale. Therefore, to minimize risks for yourself, for your home, and for the iron, pay attention to the following functions:
Anti-scale protection. Scale clogs the steam channels, reduces steam production, causes leaks, gets on the fabric and leaves stains and brown stains on it, and also reduces the service life of the device. The protection system can prevent the formation of scale on the walls of the tank and in the steam channels or trap it in special containers for easy cleaning. For example, the purification cartridge “softens” the water and thereby works proactively, reducing the formation of scale to almost zero. The anti-lime rod gives the same result, but acts differently, “attracting” calcium salts. The scale collection container already combats the consequences by trapping particles and preventing them from getting on things. The self-cleaning descaling function is usually special mode for removing built-up scale and limescale deposits. However, one does not exclude the other, so more advanced models combine several of these methods to more effectively combat scale. Despite this, it is still better to use water purified using filters.
Automatic shut -off is fire-preventing feature that is especially useful for forgetful people. It is triggered when the device is stationary for some time and not in use, both in vertical and horizontal position. Only if the iron is lying on the soleplate, the auto shut-off is activated much faster - usually after 30 seconds.
Useful features
Automatic temperature adjustment is function that is inherent in more expensive models and increases the safety of ironing specifically for materials. Usually this does not mean that the iron is equipped with artificial intelligence that independently selects the settings - it simply uses one optimal temperature that is safe for all fabrics suitable for ironing. As a result, the iron is devoid of incomprehensible controls and symbols, and the user does not have to manually select the temperature and sort the laundry by fabric type.
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| Iron from the Braun TexStyle 9 series with automatic temperature control function. |
Anti-drip system is used in irons with steam function. It prevents the formation of drops that can leak onto things and leave behind stains and wet streaks.
Nozzle for delicate fabrics is special nozzle that is attached to the sole, preventing overheating of the surface and water leakage. It is designed for the most sensitive materials such as silk and reduces the risk of damage during ironing.
What else to pay attention to
Weight Heavy iron will quickly tire your hands, and too light iron will have to be pressed against the board to provide the necessary pressure to smooth out the wrinkles. Therefore, golden mean is needed - about 1 - 1.5 kg. Road models weigh less because they are more compact in size, while devices with steam generator are much larger. But here it is necessary to take into account the weight of not the entire system, but only the iron, since the water tank will not have to be moved anywhere during ironing.
Cord length. The long cord allows you to iron at distance from the outlet and provides greater freedom of movement. But cord that is too long can get twisted and tangled under your feet. Before purchasing, evaluate the distance of your workplace from the outlet, the presence or absence of extension cords, and go from there. However, it is better to pay attention to irons with cord length of at least 1.5 - 2 meters. Unless, of course, we are talking about wireless devices. It is advisable that the cord have hinged base and rotate 360 degrees - this way it will not twist.
Water tank. Above we have already touched upon the issue of tank volume, but this is not the only important thing when choosing. The tank should be transparent or translucent so that you can control the amount of water remaining. In addition, pay attention to the size of the neck: the larger it is, the more convenient it will be to pour water, including directly from the tap.
Management. The irons are equipped with buttons and controls with symbols (clear and not so clear) and, in general, are quite easy to operate. But it is much more convenient if the device has, at minimum, heating indicators, and, at maximum, a display with all the necessary information about modes and temperature. But more advanced models can connect to the Internet and allow remote control from a smartphone. This makes it possible to view information about the state of the equipment in the application and turn off the device. Usually, this is something that can boast not of classic household irons, but of ironing systems with fairly high price tag.
To summarize, you need to choose iron first of all to suit your needs, taking into account how often you iron and mainly what materials. Need compact and lightweight model to look neat while traveling? Travel iron will do. Do you iron every day, and large amount of bed linen and things? In this case, we recommend iron with steam generator. Have you collected clothes from different fabrics and are afraid to ruin them? Iron with automatic temperature control is suitable for you. Strive for the perfect result and are not limited in finances? Pay attention to the ironing system. If you take into account all these nuances, read the recommendations and take your choice seriously, ironing will turn from an unloved activity into hassle-free process and will not take much time.
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