Whilst it may be a mundane piece of equipment, and one to which many 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.

Most people today use steam irons – or even steam generator irons, which are becoming ever more popular. In this case you would be well advised to opt for an ironing board with a mesh type surface. This lets the steam flow 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 prevent the ironing board cover becoming soggy due to condensation after a few garments have been ironed.

The cover of the ironing board should present a smooth surface to facilitate ironing. It should be secure and not likely to move. 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 metallic cover will reflect a good deal of the heat from the iron and this will help to smooth the underside of the material whilst the top surface is being pressed.

The shape and size of the board will depend upon what you generally iron. A small board may be easier to manipulate and store – but it will usually necessitate more frequent repositioning of the garment being pressed. 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 pretty much the norm. 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 like to iron from a seated position then legs which have a curve on them – so that you don’t bang your knees on them – are a good idea. The legs should be robust enough to give sufficient 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 support for the iron itself should be sturdy enough to take the weight of the iron. Wire type extension platforms will generally be perfectly adequate for traditional steam irons. The additional weight presented by a steam generator iron may mean that a longer board which simply incorporates a heat resistant plate on a slightly extended surface is better. 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.

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