Choosing an ironing board for a steam generator
If you are tired of the traditional iron and want to use new technologies in your household, you just need a steam generator and an ironing board for it. Do not try to save money by trying to iron things on a regular board: a strong stream of steam will not find a way out, it will be absorbed into the clothes, and you will have to dry the things again. If you need to iron skirts or suits made of thick fabric every day, they will soon begin to rot, the clothes will give off an unpleasant odor, and the fibers will be destroyed. New things will quickly become unusable; all you have to do is throw them away.
Advantages of a steam generator
Not all housewives decide to pay a large amount and then run the iron over the sheets and shirts in the same way. If in doubt, try new equipment from friends or acquaintances, and you will feel as if you have moved from an old Lada into a high-speed airliner. Handkerchiefs and kitchen towels can be ironed with anything, but when you need to tidy up long curtains, items of complex shape, items made from delicate or very thick fabrics, the difference will immediately become noticeable. Much less time and effort will be spent, and the quality of work will increase significantly.
When you iron on a regular board, steam under its own pressure comes out of the holes. Depending on the quality of the device, the laundry is moistened either by mist or splashes. The liquid saturates both the item you are ironing and the upholstery of the board.If you put things on the closet shelves immediately after ironing, all the laundry may become covered with mold spots. On black fabrics, wool and some other materials, a conventional steamer leaves shiny spots or stains.
In a steam generator, humidification occurs under pressure. The board for this device is covered with a material that can absorb moisture. All these features allow you to iron both very thick fabric and several layers of fabric. To iron the sheet, you don’t have to move it several times, risking wrinkles in the already treated areas. Carefully fold the large item several times without creases and iron it in 2-3 steps. After this, things dry very quickly, they can be put in the closet in just a few minutes: there will be no moisture left either inside or outside.
The steam generator itself does not iron; it supplies steam under high pressure. When it is connected to an iron, the two devices become a single mechanism. A special board should become an integral part of it. It has a place for mounting a steam generator and a stand for an iron.
Main characteristics of ironing boards
The quality of the product mainly depends on the upholstery. It should allow moisture to pass through well, but not retain it, but evaporate it immediately.
The best coating consists of four layers:
- durable cotton fabric;
- foam for sliding;
- porous layer;
- water-repellent film.
Quick drying depends not only on the type of upholstery. The heated base will quickly dry both the surface of the board and the fabric you are ironing. Another development of the designers is a vacuum pump. When the housewife places things on the board, the pressure difference attracts them to the surface, and the fabric does not move.The same device removes steam, which makes drying even faster.
When choosing a model, you need to consider the area of the room where you will iron your clothes. If there are no problems with free space, and you are going to install a “stationary” board, then neither the dimensions nor the weight matter. But in cramped apartments it is not always possible to allocate a permanent corner for ironing. Every time the housewife is looking for a place where she can attach the board. In this case, buy a product that is light in weight and compact in size. The design should fold easily so that it can be put away in a closet or hidden between the door and the wall.
The board for the steam generator must be reliable. In the store, check if the structure is wobbly and if the legs are sliding on the floor. To make it convenient to work, the stand must be adjustable in height. Pay attention to the surface area for ironing: the larger it is, the faster and better the work will be done. Be sure to see if the board has a steam generator stand that can securely mount any size iron. To prevent the cord from deteriorating from contact with a hot surface, many models are equipped with cord holders.
Advice
To ensure that all appliances fit well together, it is advisable to immediately buy an ironing board equipped with a steam generator. If you need to purchase products separately, choose products from the same brand.
It happens that a buyer carefully examined a product in a store, checked its operation, was glad at the low price, but after a couple of months he was disappointed. Reliable legs have become loose, some additional functions have turned out to be unclaimed, the quality of ironed linen is getting worse and worse every day.Such incidents occur extremely rarely with products from well-known companies, but numerous small companies have flooded the market with unreliable “disposable” products. Products from well-known brands are more expensive, but you won’t have to worry about repairs or solve warranty problems.
Good models that have earned positive reviews:
- Leifheit AirSteam L;
- "Kärcher AB 1000";
- Bosch TDN1010N;
- Easy 8;
- Rotondi Mini 9.
Additional criteria
Designers develop all sorts of types and configurations and come up with original solutions. If you live in a cramped apartment, you can purchase an ironing board built into the closet. When folded, it looks like a decorative element. Another option is a small chest of drawers, the top of which is intended for ironing clothes, and the lower part can be used to store various things. If you only iron small items at home and send large items to the cleaners or laundry, you can purchase a compact tabletop design.
To make the housewife's work easier, additional functions have been introduced into some models. The fan is useful when working with synthetics and stretchy fabrics: it creates an air layer that does not allow the iron to press tightly against the fabric. Forget about shiny stains and splash marks, throw away the steaming cloths, now you won't have to worry about these problems. A steam gun or brush will help remove stains from the fabric, remove small dirt and remove foreign odors.
For forgetful housewives, automatically adding water to the tank will be a good help. With this function, you will never have the steam supply stop on half of the sleeve, and you will never have to stop working and replenish the liquid supply. Self-cleaning descaling makes caring for the device much easier.But even in this case, it is advisable not to use too hard and contaminated water; pass it through a filter.
How to choose the right board?
You come to the store and simply don’t understand how to choose the right model. Each has its own pros and cons; if a product has a lot of functions, then the price is high. It is useless to go to the shopping center without preparation: you will either simply waste time and leave without purchasing, or you will get something completely wrong. There are a lot of wishes for a new device, often they are incompatible with each other. For example, in cramped conditions it is good to have a portable model that can be installed on a table or secretary, but the housewife wants it to be convenient to iron large items on the board. You have to choose one of two things: either compactness or a large work surface.
Find half an hour of free time and write down all your wishes. Don’t worry that the product you described cannot be found in any shopping center. In the next step, arrange the previous characteristics in a different order. If compactness is the fundamental criterion, put it first. If your budget does not allow you to allocate a large amount for a purchase, prioritize the amount you are willing to pay. Now decide which parameters will take second, third and subsequent places.
When you choose a purchase, immediately go to the models that correspond to the first characteristic, from them select brands that have the property in second place. You'll likely find a product that matches just a few items on your huge wish list, but this board will have the qualities that matter most to you.For one housewife, the best purchase will be a Karcher ironing board with a steam generator, for another - Easy 8, which is very convenient for ironing shirts, for a third - the inexpensive compact Leifheit AirSteam L.
A steam generator and an ironing board for it are an expensive purchase. You should choose a model seriously, but there is no need to make unnecessary demands on the product. If the device suits you according to the basic parameters, you can turn a blind eye to the fact that the design does not fully match the interior or that some minor functions are missing. Before you go to the checkout, pause for a couple of minutes at the future purchase and think about what emotions it evokes in you. Intuition is a good adviser; sometimes it is better to leave the store empty-handed than to take something that you absolutely don’t like. Perhaps the subconscious is giving a hint that very soon you will see the product of your dreams in another shopping center.