Credits

References

1. wikipedia. (2013, october 25). Clothes iron. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothes_iron

2. Balle, L. (2013). The disadvantages of steam irons. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_7640094_disadvantages-steam-irons.html

3. Rousseau, S. (2013). What are the benefits of the electric iron? read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8700288_benefits-electric-iron.html

4. Youtube. (2012). How to use an iron [Theater]. Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfhwYTFCGYY

5. Turner, B. (2013). How to use an electric iron. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_8076341_use-electric-iron.html

5. 

How to Use Electric Irons?

1. Pour enough ,but not too much, water into the opening in the top of the iron to fill it completely.

2. Read the ironing instructions on the clothing label to determine what heat setting you should adjust your iron to.

3. Plug the electric iron into a wall socket.
4. Set the iron on your ironing board while it warms up; if you don't have a board, place the iron on a stable surface covered with a clean cloth such as a tea towel.

5. Lay your clothing flat across the ironing board, carefully stretching the garment flat so that it is easy to iron. You are now ready to iron.
6. Spray your clothing lightly with water if the shirt or pants are very wrinkled.

                         

7. Lay the iron flat on the clothing and keep moving the iron continuously. 

Disadvantages of Electric Irons

A steam iron or an electric iron removes wrinkles from clothing and other fabrics, such as curtains and sheets. Either find a standard flat iron that comes with the ability to emit steam or purchase a unit dedicated solely to steaming fabrics. While a steam iron is a convenient tool in many cases, it does come with some disadvantages.

• When you use a steam iron, you have to refill the water tank frequently. When the unit runs out of water, it cannot produce steam. The extra required step of filling the tank with water at each use may be inconvenient---especially if the iron has a small reservoir. Reduce the need for trips to the faucet by keeping a large gallon of water near the steam iron for refills.
  

Advantages of Electric Irons

When New Yorker Henry W. Seely patented his electric iron in 1882, he surely must have known how much easier he was making the lives of women and domestic workers. Before the electric iron, the job of pressing clothing was hot, messy, tedious, inefficient and even sometimes dangerous. The electric iron brought about huge improvements in the ease and convenience of ironing.The first electric steam irons were introduced to the consumer market in the early 1950s. However, they have changed dramatically since those days. Quality and durability have increased, as well as the number of features available. Almost 90 percent of all households in the United States own an electric steam iron. They can be found to meet the needs of any budget, and they are of great quality.

What Are Electronic Irons?

A clothing iron, also called a flatiron or simply an IRON, is a small appliance: a handheld piece of equipment with a flat, roughly triangular surface that, when heated, is used to press clothes to remove creases. It is named for the metal of which the device is commonly made, and the use of it is generally called ironing. Ironing works by loosening the ties between the long chains of molecules that exist in polymer fiber materials. With the heat and the weight of the ironing plate, the fibers are stretched and the fabric maintains its new shape when cool. Some materials, such as cotton, require the use of water to loosen the intermolecular bonds. Many materials developed in the twentieth century are advertised as needing little or no ironing.

History of Irons

The electric iron was invented in 1882 by Henry W. Seeley, a New York inventor. Seeley patented his "electric flatiron" on June 6, 1882. His iron weighed almost 15 pounds and took a long time to warm up. Other electric irons had also been invented, including one from France (1882), but it used a carbon arc to heat the iron, a method which was dangerous. 
Metal pans filled with hot water were used for smoothing fabrics in China in the 1st century BC. From the 17th century, sadirons or sad irons (from an old word meaning solid) began to be used. They were thick slabs of cast iron, delta-shaped and with a handle, heated in a fire. These were also called flat irons. A later design consisted of an iron box which could be filled with hot coals, which had to be periodically aerated by attaching a bellows. In Kerala in India, burning coconut shells were used instead of charcoal, as they have a similar heating capacity. This method is still in use as a backup device, since power outages are frequent. Other box irons had heated metal inserts instead of hot coals.

Then, the electric iron was intrduced; the first commercially available electric steam iron was introduced in 1926 by a New York drying and cleaning company, Eldec, but was not a commercial success. The $10 Steam-O-Matic of 1938 was the first steam iron to achieve any degree of popularity, and led the way to more widespread use of the electric steam iron during the 1940s and 1950s.