Ironing is, quite frankly, a thankless and seemingly never ending task. You can lessen the boredom somewhat by watching TV or listening to music while you do it – but it’s still a tedious chore which very few people enjoy. Anything which could reduce the amount of time required for ironing would be very welcome in most households.
You could always send your clothes to the dry cleaners of course – or consider employing a maid. There are even companies which offer a service whereby they pick up your washed clothes and return them pressed and ironed. However, these are somewhat pricey options.
Mercifully, modern technology offers a solution to the problem of spending long hours ironing – in the shape of a different style of iron. Steam generator irons may, at first glance, look pretty similar to standard steam irons – but they have a totally different construction – which offers several important benefits.
In contrast to a standard steam iron, steam generator irons have no water in the actual iron itself. They use a larger base unit which fulfils the dual function of water tank and boiler. They produce considerably more steam – which is at a higher pressure – than a conventional iron.
A hollow connecting hose feeds the steam from the base unit to the iron and, since it is at a high pressure, it penetrates deeply into the material of the item being pressed. The end result is that it is easier and faster to iron using a steam generator iron. The fact that no water is contained in the body of the iron also makes it lighter and somewhat easier to work with. This produces a higher quality of finish for the finished garment and reduces the amount of time required for ironing. The majority of users report reductions in ironing time in the region of 50%.
Be sure to pick an iron with a high steam pressure – a value between 4.5 and 5.0 bar is best. You may also see irons whose capacity is stated in grams of steam per minute (gpm) – in which case you will probably want to pick one with an output of somewhere between 70 and 120 gpm.
The water tank size is another important consideration. You don’t want to have to keep stopping to refill the reservoir with water. Some irons feature a removable water reservoir to ease filling – others have the facility to top up even when the iron is in use, and this avoids any waiting for the iron to heat up again.
Other factors to consider include the length of the connecting hose between the base unit and the iron, the material of the soleplate, the ease of use and the inclusion of some form of anti-scale system.
Although steam generator irons do tend to cost a little more than standard irons, they really are great value for money. Apart from the fact that they give you better finished garments, they will save you a lot of time by cutting your ironing time in half. Even if you only value your time at minimum wage, that’s still a very worthwhile investment.
Reduce your ironing time with a Tefal steam generator iron – you’ll be amazed at how much quicker it is. Check out our steam generator iron buyer’s guide and you’ll know just what to look for.