While we were at the store, my sister announced that she wanted to go look at ironing boards. We hadn’t researched this so we went to have lunch and discuss the options as we knew them. She obviously fancied some sort of ironing board storage system and I could see the appeal of that. Storage in the laundry room has always been an issue and she didn’t even have a laundry room. We knew there were a number of companies making integrated systems with different features and we knew that all would mean ironing boards would be quickly and easily accessible when needed and neatly stowed away when not needed.
We also knew that some ironing boards fold up in a drawer or on a dresser, again just as quick and easy to access and even less obvious when stowed away. The last option was simply a new ironing board with the usual problem of storing it away neatly and dragging it around to use.
What we didn’t know were the prices, so we went to have a look.
Iron-A-Way ironing centers are well-known built-in units. Their exteriors can be stained or painted to match any color scheme and some of them have connected spotlights and electricity. Iron Away systems are well known everywhere.
Other companies also make similar systems. Broan makes a very similar unit with white or custom doors. Hafele makes a range of ironing board wall mounts and in many ways puts others to shame. They are easy to mount on any wall and rotate left or right and fold in half for easier storage. Witney makes built-in tops with a sliding door system and Rev-A-Shelf has tops that fold out of cabinets or vanities and are uniquely designed by ford out. They are easy to install with fixed supports and non-expandable frame.
The problem with all of these systems was that they were quite expensive, running around $250 for the basic systems, and while they had some good points, my sister didn’t plan on spending that much.
We found a Lifestyle mobile laundry center. It was like a laundry room on wheels. It had hampers, a laundry hamper, the ironing board and a coat rack and you could get a cover for everything. It seemed like ironing would be fun, but we decided you would have to do a lot of ironing for it to be worth it and it took up quite a bit of space and again not a cheap buy.
Then we look at conventional ironing boards. Surprisingly, some of these were just as expensive as the built-in options and some of them from Brabantia, which we knew was a big manufacturer of these items, had something called a vapor control. It was a system for catching condensation from a steam iron which I suppose had merit now that steam irons steam so well. Regardless, my sister was still bummed out by the price saying that if she was spending that much money, she would prefer an integrated unit.
Then we found an ironing board over the door. This was just set up to hang on a door and fold flat to use. It was very reasonably priced at $40, but my sister couldn’t think of a proper door to hang it on. Sullivans makes a portable ironing board called the Go Board and it was a great idea for anyone who lives in a small space, but the boards were too small for my sister and I agreed with her.
In the end, we found some cheaper boards that were perfectly suited for her needs and settled on a $55 Polder 1751W-69 De Luxe Standing Ironing Board that she was pleased with. She chose it in gray and metallic. It’s a large ironing board with an adjustable iron rest and a place to hang a few clothes while they cool. The best features are the extension socket at the bottom of the ironing board which means you don’t have to stand as close to the socket or have a bulky extension cord on the floor around your feet and when the board is folded , the legs are locked. I loved that feature, I always have a problem with legs sticking out of mine. Well, it wasn’t quite the ironing system with ironing board I had originally envisioned, but it was a good option at a good price.
Just as we were paying for the ironing board, she made her final purchase. A pretty Witney designed wicker laundry basket. It is a large basket made of split willow and has a liner that ties to the handles. It looks lovely and it was less than 30 bucks. I had to laugh, now she had bought herself this super high tech laundry system and her impulse buy was an old fashioned wicker laundry basket. Wonderful!