[strawberrycakes]

This may seem like a rather silly or strange question but I have never been an ironer LOL

With Dd starting school in a couple of weeks and having a uniform that will need ironing I am wondering if I should invest in a decent iron.

I have a cheapo $25 Tefal iron which is only a few months old but I hate it. It was cheap to buy & does a cheap job too. The temp control seems to be all over the place & since owning it I have burnt two items of my clothing so I don't use it.

I need to get a new iron so guess I am wondering if there is an iron any one can recommend that isn't overly expensive. Also wondering, does the type of ironing board cover affect the overall quality of the iron job?

TIA

[~Karla~]

A what? I think I own an iron, in a cupboard somewhere. I never use it.

If you will use it though, a good one will make the job quicker and easier.

[Bart.]

I think so. I purchased a $49 Phillips iron eight-ish years ago and it's still fantastic. Even that was on the cheap side! I hate ironing too but some of the angst is taken out with a decent iron.

The other thing that helps is a decent ironing board. Mine is really crap but I only remember to replace it when I'm ironing. I find that if you've got a good fitting cover and a sturdy board, it speeds up the process.

(ETA: Haha, that sounded too 'Stepford Wife' for my comfort.)

This post has been edited by Bartholomew: 03/01/2013, 10:46 AM

[Bek+3]

I wouldn't be for me. I haven't picked up an iron since my last shift at work back in November 2008!!!

[HollyOllyOxenfre...]

It really does depend how much you're using it, and what for. I recently replaced my dying Breville iron with a Philips Azur, and oh my god it's brilliant. It cost quite a bit ($130 I think?), but if we were to get DH's work shirts pressed it'd cost about $30 a fortnight, so it's worth it.

Ironing board and cover is definitely important too. I replaced the cover at the same time, but unfortunately it seems that it's the ironing board itself that needs replacing. There is an awesome one I want to get that has flip out wings to make business shirts easier to iron, but it's quite pricey. My sister bought a pretty good one for around $50.

ETA - When you go shopping for a new one, make sure you handle it a bit and try it out. I find that I need a heavy iron to make the work quicker, but not so heavy that it's hurting my arms to do 10-12 business shirts in a sitting. Too lightweight and they just don't do the job.

This post has been edited by HollyOllyOxenfree: 03/01/2013, 10:53 AM

[Sassy Girl]

What's an iron ????

Both our DDs have a uniform that creases very easily and 'needs ironing'. We don't iron them nor would I say do 95% of the other parents. I have better things to do with my time and at least this way my children fit in with the majority non ironed children

[tamjk]

If you are ironing on a regular basis then yes it most definitely is worth it.
We have this one http://www.philips.com.au/c/irons/3300-ser...F75.app101-drp1

Compared to the $20 generic Big W one Mum had when I was at school it is an absolute dream to use. DH is an ironing snob who does the bulk of the ironing here and he picks our irons. I used to spend ages ironing the creases out of one of my favourite pairs of slacks with Mum's iron, the iron DH picked out does the job in a single 10 second pass!

[Camizebra]

IMO yes! Plus what a PP mentioned about a decent ironing board. Just makes a tedious job easier, especially with good steam options.

[josh2003]

I am an ironer! My husband wears suits/shirts for work, and my son has a shirt as part of his uniform, so it's unavoidable for me.

I used to have a Laura Star ($750!) and although it was great to use, mine was a lemon that kept breaking. So I replaced it with a Tefal steam iron like this a few years ago, and it's been fantastic.



After using a steam iron, you can't go back to a regular iron... it kind of feels like you're ironing the old fashioned way with cast iron and coals!

[AllyK81]

An iron is one thing you cannot scrimp on IMHO. DH and I are both professionals, so iron a LOT of shirts. I usually just go to DJ's and buy the most expensive one. They last for years and make the job so much easier and quicker.

Same with hairdryers.