Best Dry, Steam and Travel Iron in India

Why Ironing

Irons are for removing wrinkle from the fabrics. It is the most required activity in any household, even with the development of wrinkle-free fabric. Even though getting ironing at laundry or ironman in the area is very common yet having an iron for regular ironing or occasion makes it an essential item to be part of any household appliances.

On heating, the yarn molecules are easy to orient and on pressure get straightened and remain so when cooled down.  The presence of water/steam helps in loosening the molecular bonds in fabrics such as cotton and linen. In olden days, dry iron was commonly used with a sprinkling of water or fine wet cloth to help the ironing process. But today large many types of irons, i.e. dry, with thermostat control, water mist or steam generator and travel iron (with features of portability, folding, etc.)  are available to do the primary job of ironing.  From cheap no-frills options to higher price value-added irons had been developed having advanced steam-spread technology and soleplates.

 How much electricity does an iron use?

All-electric iron, just like any other heating or cooling appliance has a thermostat and the electricity consumption depends on the temperature one sets of his own or follows the recommended temperature setting marked on the iron. Upon the testing of an electric iron (non-steam) it is observed that the electric heating component of the iron remains ‘on’ for roughly 30% of the time. This means the iron that is rated for 1200 W consumes approximately 0.4 units of electricity in 1 hour

Power consumed = Wattage Rating of Iron/1000 * No. of Appliance * 30%

= (1200/1000) * 1 * (30/100)

= 0.4 units

Ironing is normally considered about 10 hours activity per month, i.e. consumption of 4 units per month. In view of this, internationally the star rating is not done for the iron because the usage is limited. Cut-in and cut-out, auto-shutoff, the right setting of thermostat shall add to the energy efficiency and longevity of the garment. In view of this, the Bijlibachao recommendations are not based on energy efficiency but usefulness, safety, features as discussed above.

Technology

Iron technology is very simple heating the soleplate with the use of resistive heating with many additions developed over the period. The various technologies with value additions by many of the manufactures to have the user-friendly function of making ironing a delightful household chorus for the housewife are unfolded here to choose between the multiple models marketed today.

Soleplates

A  soleplate is one of the most important parts of the iron in regards to geometry, thickness, method of steam ejection and material. The soleplate shall be non-sticky type, easy to clean and scratch resistance.

Material of soleplate

1. Aluminum:  It conducts heat well, but is hard to clean, reactive to the environment and scratches easily. It is not recommended for household application.
2. Non-stick: Non-stick soleplate is made up various variants of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coated on Al or other material. They are easy to maintain and distribute heat evenly. Their only limitation is that the coating often degrades with time. aluminum or plastic with ceramic coating which helps in gliding but also scratches/crack easily.
3. Stainless steel: It is an alloy of iron and Chromium. This is hard-wearing, conducts heat well and uniformly, glides well, no scratch, corrosion-resistant and a good option to buy. Clean the surface of the soleplate with a fine cloth before use.
4. Ceramic: It is a coating given on Al. or plastic base material. It glides excellently over clothes, distributes heat uniformly, very hard-wearing and easy to clean. Similar to the chance of breakage of ceramic material, handle with care avoiding its fall. Otherwise the best option.
5. Better coatings will probably be invented that is more resistant to damage from zippers or other protrusions on garments and reduce drag over the fabric.

Geometry

Geometry is important for gliding and covering the corners of the stitched cloth. Pointing at the front and oval at the rear is considered the best shape. The total area for household iron is generally within a range and selection is not difficult. Normally it is well designed by all manufacturers and not much to choose between many.

Thickness

Lower thickness is preferred with a stainless plate for quick heating.

Automatic/Non-Automatic

1. Thermostat control helps in controlling the temperature you prefer for ironing. The iron will switch off as soon as the desired temperature is attained. It is important for you to know whether the iron is automatically switched off or not for which, features like LED display, working temperature display, etc. is provided. One should never buy an iron without this feature. The iron now available in the market displays either continuous temperature but the best option where the desirable setting for the type of cloth is provided.
2. Automatic switch-off: the ultimate safety feature, the iron will turn itself ‘off’ if it isn’t being used. An intelligent sensor that automatically shuts the iron ‘off’ when left standing for 10 minutes in the upright position, or after one minute if the iron is left unattended on its soleplate or tipped over on its side.
3. Pre-set ironing program: There is no need to know which temperature you should be using; simply sets the iron which fabric is being ironed and rest will be taken care automatically. It is preferred to see the fabric from the slip attached to the garment. Not knowing this, it may cause damage to the fabric.

Water Spray and Steam generator

1. Continuous fill: allows you to top up the water tank without having to turn off the iron. The capacity of the tank is required to be selected by you.
2. Pressurized steam: penetrates fabric deeply to remove creases quicker. There are irons with the setting of how much steam to inject on a scale of 0-9. Steam ejection is required for linen and cotton cloth. For other cloth, mist shall serve the purpose. The steam chamber shall have a safety valve, water level indicator for mist and steam. The requirement of steam will be higher when linen and a cotton cloth to be ironed are large otherwise a small or medium size is adequate.
3. Anti-scale stops limescale from building up, thereby preventing damage to your iron. If this feature is not there then use RO water.
4. Iron with press button to throw mist on the cloth to remoistened the fabric for generating steam during iron is also available. In case one select non-steam non-mist iron, then the easiest way to keep a wet thin cloth, put in the fabric to be ironed and provide steam indirectly. This convention was used before the advent of steam or mist ejector irons.

Vertical Ironing by steam bust

In this process, the result of ironing is achieved when the cloth is hanging and suitable for wool, silk and nylon fabric cloth. In this process, the wrinkles get removed due to heat, water and weight of the fabric. This is not useful for lightweight fabric. However, this is also very convenient for curtains after vacuum cleaning of the fabric.

Travelling Iron

It is nothing but a low wattage without water spray or steam jet having features of folding which can be conveniently packed in your suitcase without occupying much space.

Power Rating

The power rating of iron is generally between 1.2 to 2 kW. For irons requiring higher consumption of stream, 2 kW steam iron is better

Check for other features

Cool touch body, 360-degree swivel pf chod, Button groove for easy ironing under the button,  Anti-drip feature to avoid any water dripping when steam temperature not achieved, suitability for vertical ironing. The steam shot is specified as continuous in gm/min or shot bust in gm/min or per bust.

Tips for efficient and effective ironing

1. For good result in ironing, care during drying is necessary. Always put the trouser or any other cloth in a hanger, and due to the weight of moist cloth, wrinkles do not initiate
2. Never try ironing wet cloth unless it is emergency
3. Select the temperature set correctly and read the fabric carefully which is marked on each of the readymade garment
4. Do not fill water completely, leave some gap. Wait for some time for the iron to heat up before using the steam
5. function effectively.
6. To Prevent Water Leakage, keep the iron horizontal when not in use.
7. Buyer shall check the price, wattage, brand, warranty, customer care, etc.

Chordless vs Chord Iron

Chordless Iron will attract anyone that he doesn’t have to manoeuver the chord while ironing and makes the ironing a delightful experience. But before going for this one has to be careful about the following:

1. The requirement of additional space for its charging station which sometimes is not there on the iron board;
2. Additional time is taken for putting back the iron to the charging station whereas it is continuous heating in chord iron;
3. The iron soleplate plate will cool just after ironing one piece of cloth and one has to wait for to heat it again and loss of time; most importantly
4. Higher price as compared to chord iron and the reason why many brands are not developing chordless iron.

Best Irons, brands and price range

Best Dry Iron

Most of the dry iron marketed are having all such features and difficult to identify the best amongst the lot on various parameters. The price range is Rs 750-1000/- and power rating is less than 1 kW. In order to make it simple for the buyer, we have identified five best amongst the lot based on brand, customer-friendly approach, and who cares for its brand reputation. However, does not mean others are not equally good and may choose amongst the above stated technological aspects and other option based on color, shape, grip and overall appearance.

Best Travel Iron

As the name suggests, it is folding iron which one can carry the iron in his bag and use at the place of his stay.

Best Steam Iron

The steam iron requirement for best performance is detailed above. All the models suggested here suitable for vertical ironing as well.

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