How to choose an iron for your home: advice from professionals

Iron is an indispensable assistant in the care of clothes. This household appliance should be in any home. On how to choose an iron for the home, it is unlikely that anyone is thinking until the moment of purchase. And in vain, because the models of modern manufacturers differ from each other in many ways. We will try to understand what characteristics should be paid attention when choosing an iron.

What is the sole of the iron made from?

The choice of iron makes sense to begin with the inspection of its sole. This element is in contact with the fabric, and it depends on it to a large extent on how well the thing will be ironed out. To date, most often the soles of ironing devices are made of three materials: aluminum, ceramics and stainless steel. How do they differ between themselves and how to choose an iron for the house?

Positive reviews have almost all kinds of soles. Aluminum quickly heats up and cools, which is very convenient for use in everyday life. The sole of this material has a minimum weight, which means that the iron will be light and comfortable. If the aluminum surface gets dirty, it will not be difficult to clean it.

Stainless steel is strong and durable. The appliance for ironing with such a sole will not require any special care. Irons with a stainless steel work surface have good slip characteristics. And this means that when you iron your clothes, you will not need to apply extra effort.

The main advantage of ceramic or Teflon soles is a one hundred percent guarantee that the fabric will not stick. Many housewives praise irons with such soles for the accuracy of ironing - the laundry does not crumple, just iron each area once.

Device power

Characteristics of the power of household appliances for many housewives to decipher is not easy. Meanwhile, this indicator is quite important. The minimum value of this characteristic for a domestic iron is 1300-1600 W. Such a device is suitable for small families, ironing a minimum of things from time to time. How to choose an iron for the house, if you iron quite a lot? The average power of 1600-2000 W is suitable for smoothing even heavily crumpled laundry. Such models will be pleased with the speed of heating. Irons with a heating capacity of 2000 watts or more are similar in their characteristics to those used in an industrial environment. Acquire such a model makes sense only if the family is large and ironed daily. And most importantly: the greater the power of the iron, the faster it will be heated to operating temperature.

A steam generator or a regular steam iron?

A couple of decades ago, irons smoothed the fabric solely due to the heating of the sole and its own weight. Today, such devices have lost relevance, because thanks to the steam supply, you can smooth things out with minimal effort. It only remains to choose between the built-in steam generator and the external one. Pros have both types of devices for smoothing the fabric. How to choose a steam generator with an iron for your home, which is better - an internal or external steam generator? The answer to this question depends on your material capacities and requirements.

A conventional iron with a steaming function has a small built-in water tank. Such devices are easy to maintain and operate. Unfortunately, not all of them are able to properly iron a thing on weight or cope with a very dense fabric.

Irons with steam generators provide an uninterrupted supply of steam and can replace the steamer. Such models will appeal to those who like to iron things hanging on hangers, furniture upholstery and curtains, without removing them from the curtains. Estimate the volume of the water tank. The bigger it is, the less often you have to add liquid. Do not be too lazy to buy a study manual for the liked iron. The fact is that some models require the use of only purified water.

Number of ironing modes

The operating temperature range is an important characteristic of the ironing device, which influences the possibility of adjusting the heating of the soleplate of the iron. It is very convenient when temperature regimes are signed by the names of tissues. In this case, each member of the family can choose the working temperature without looking at the operating instructions. Modern household appliances have at least two adjustments: heating and steam supply. How to choose a steam generator with an iron for the home, is the number of modes important? If you believe the reviews, most housewives enjoy only 3-4 modes when ironing clothes. Accordingly, it makes sense to choose a device that has exactly defined the minimum, average and maximum heat and steam. It is advisable that the mode switch also has temperature symbols. Very often on the labels of textile products there are tips on ironing with the designation of the permissible temperature.

Steam and water supply

The stronger the creased linen, the more steam will be required for its rapid ironing. Most modern models of irons have the function of immediate release of additional steam (the button "turbopar"). This is convenient enough if you get one serious fold that does not want to be smoothed out. Spraying is also available in almost all modern ironing appliances. The function of "water supply" is relevant when ironing overdried laundry. Just spray the most serious creases directly from the iron, you do not need a separate spray with liquid.

Anti-scale and anti-drip system

How to choose a good iron for a house that will last long enough? Pay attention to the presence of protection against scale. Some instruments have removable filters-cassettes. If such elements are present, pay attention to the terms of their replacement and cleaning. In the absence of filters, only carefully filtered water can be poured into the iron. To clean the tap water, use household filtering devices. You can also buy bottled distilled water.

In inexpensive models of devices for ironing when feeding the maximum steam, water droplets can be released. Some manufacturers of modern home appliances equip their devices with a special anti-drip system. If you choose a similar iron, you can be sure: once again your clothes will not get wet during ironing.

What does the slip of the sole depend on?

Smooth without any extra effort - this is exactly what every mistress dreams about. A significant characteristic of the device is the sliding of the working surface. To a greater extent, this characteristic depends on the material used to make the sole. The most sliding are stainless steel and ceramics. How to choose an iron for the house, when evaluating slip characteristics? Examine the sole of the device, the presence of cutouts for the buttons will provide ironing without problems. It is useful to pay attention to the shape of the iron. For many customers, ironing devices with elongated narrow noses seem to be the most convenient.

Energy Classes

More and more modern people, who want to save personal finances and take care of the environment, consciously relate to the choice of household appliances by energy consumption classes. Unfortunately, on most irons this characteristic is not put at all. Instruments for ironing clothes are used irregularly for a short period of time. For this reason, not all manufacturers of these devices care about reducing power consumption. How to choose an iron for the house, which will save you money on paying electricity bills? Power consumption depends on the power consumed during operation. If you want to save - choose the device with minimum or average values of this parameter.

Security features

How often did you have to think about whether you forgot to turn off the iron while leaving the house? Domestic appliances with heated surfaces are potentially fire hazardous. How to choose the right iron for the house, focusing on its safety characteristics? Give preference to the "smart" household appliance. Modern irons can turn off if they are put on the sole or on the side and leave in such a position for a while. Many models stop heating the sole with prolonged inactivity in any position.

Choose a device that has a light and sound indication of automatic shutdown. If you believe the reviews, such devices are really very safe and convenient to use.

Additional functions

When choosing a device for ironing, it makes sense to pay attention to the length of its cord. The more it is, the more convenient it will be to use the device. It is desirable that the cord bends 360 degrees. Some modern models have a built-in battery, thanks to its presence you can iron and steam things at any distance from the electrical outlet. The only drawback of such devices is the need for charging before use.

The indicator of heating the working surface is a very useful function, which is silent in almost all modern appliances for ironing clothes. If you have the option of choosing, give preference to the iron, giving a sound signal about the readiness for work.

Package Contents

As standard, the steam iron is equipped with a measuring cup for pouring water into the reservoir and instruction manual. In fact, this is really enough to use the device. Some manufacturers take care of their customers and supplement the basic equipment. Protective covers, carrying bags, stands - all these are additional devices that theoretically should make the use of iron even more convenient. But in fact, all such accessories are used extremely rarely and often remain forgotten in the original box.

What kind of iron for a house? Comments from those who have recently purchased ironing appliances, are encouraged to consider whether you really will use whatever the device manufacturer is trying to impose on you?

What determines the price of the iron?

How much does a good ironing machine cost? In modern stores of home appliances you can see irons worth from 2000 rubles to infinity. Is it worth the price of the device when buying? If you want to buy the best iron for your home, there is no point in giving preference to the most expensive model. Many housewives admit that they do not use all modes and additional functions of devices for ironing the average price category. The choice of iron should be based on the needs of your family. Try to learn as much as possible all the features of the model you like and to decide what functions you really need.

The cost of household appliances depends on many factors. This brand awareness, the date of release of a particular model, functionality and technical characteristics. If you want, you can save on each of these points. For example, it does not matter which firm to choose an iron for the house. By choosing a little-known brand, you can save up to 40% on purchasing a household appliance of this category.

What are the best steam generators / irons for the home to choose? Reviews will help you find your bearings

Should I listen to the opinions of those who have already tried this or that particular iron in their daily life? Of course, yes! Reviews of real buyers of the goods will help you evaluate the pros and cons of a particular device. Learn our tips, as well as the opinions of consumers on the forums. To facilitate the choice of technology, many modern virtual stores have a section of reviews right in the card of each product. Also you can ask friends and friends who recently bought small household appliances: what do they like in recent acquisitions, and what leaves much to be desired?

Now you know how to choose an iron for your home. Customer feedback will help you to cope with this difficult at first glance task. If you are lucky enough to find an iron that you like for all the characteristics, do not forget to take it in your hands before buying. The weight and convenience of the handle can only be checked using the "fitting" method.

Now you know that you can decide on your own whether it's better to choose an iron for your home. The feedback and practical suggestions suggested in this article should help you in this task.