Almost all human beings, women included, like to look their best, when they emerge out of their homes and meet people for different reasons. One of the ways to achieve this is the use of smart clothes. But good clothes do not look smart by themselves. They have to be regularly washed and ironed before use. Ironing of clothes has thus become a common perennial activity for people across the world.
Removal of Creases in Clothes
An iron is small hand-held equipment with a flat surface that presses clothes and removes creases, when heated. The heat and weight of the ironing plate stretch the fibers and the cloth retains its new shape. Cotton and some other material need the application of water to remove the creases. A steam iron has water storage at the top of the iron. It can be filled and emptied easily. Water is available in the form of a vertical steam jet during ironing in front and side-ways. The steam spray moistens the clothing. An aluminum soleplate facilitates smooth gliding of the iron over the clothes. The soleplate usually has a non-stick coating on it. The pointed steam tip enables the iron to reach edges of the clothing.
The Common Iron
The common Irons have the power rating of around 1500 watts. The rated voltage is 240 V at 50 Hz frequency. It gives a continuous steam output, which can be varied depending on the type of the clothing being ironed. The temperature of the iron is controlled by thermostats. This setting too is changed for different types of clothing. Wool needs very low temperatures, silk just a bit higher, and cotton needs a high temperature. The power cord is attached to the iron in such a way that the iron can easily swing almost through 180 degrees. Its length is enough to easily cover the clothes in normal use.
Brands and Competition
There are hundreds of iron brands now available in online shops. Anyone can buy steam iron online in India. A reasonably good steam iron should be available for around Rs3000. But the price range of steam irons varies from Rs3000 to over Rs10000. As in the case of almost all the goods available online, manufacturers of irons too offer a huge discount on their catalogue prices. The discount can go up to 50 percent or even 60 percent. The online shops too offer a discount of around 10 percent. They offer other incentives like free delivery within a few days and payment by credit or debit cards, net banking or in cash on delivery. They even offer payment through EMIs.
Positive Impact
Although manufacturers claim that many clothing materials they have developed in the twentieth century require no ironing, the least that anybody can do to impress a gathering positively is to turn out in a well-ironed dress. Persons sporting a well-ironed dress may sometimes fail to make a positive impression on someone, but the dress will please them immensely and give their self-confidence a big boost. A well-ironed dress can lift the spirits of the wearer better than anything else.
• The author is a freelancer, writing about online trade, food, and tourism. He likes to write informative articles on consumer products for websites like appliancemart.in.