An ironing board is an indispensable thing in the house, because you don’t want to go in wrinkled clothes, and it's ugly, and we are not used to ironing on tables or sofas. But before buying such a useful type of home appliances, many people ask the question: "What is it - an ironing board that is ideal for us? The sizes are so different, how to choose?" Let's try to answer. To do this, you need to find out the size of the ironing board when folded and unfolded, and also decide what size the board is right for you: small, standard or large. In addition to dimensions, it is important to take into account several more criteria, which we will tell you about at the end of the article.
Views
Ironing boards come in different versions: there are stationary ones that are used in production and do not stack, they are large enough and have many additional technical devices. And among manufacturers for the mass segment and customers, folding versions of ironing boards are especially popular, which are divided into several more types, such as:
- Folding - an ordinary ironing board, the support of which is removed by folding crosswise parallel to the countertop. It is most often found in Russian apartments, because it folds up and unfolds quickly enough, although it is rarely stacked because, in addition to its household purpose, it is also used as an additional shelf for things. May also have an iron stand.
- Tabletop is the smallest type of technical device under consideration, has low legs (up to 50 cm) and small dimensions, is easily installed on a regular table, but is not suitable for ironing large items, such as bedding.
- Hinged - for such a board, one narrow edge is attached to the wall or cabinet using a special mount that comes with the board when you buy, and after another it is easy to raise or lower it in a vertical position, hooking or locking it. Often fastened in cabinets, pantries or other places where it will not be visible when folded and it will not interfere.
- Retractable - hides under the countertop, in a drawer or other secret place and, if necessary, gets in full size. It is also installed quite simply in the presence of the space of the desired size. Usually put forward on the principle of a box on wheels, but there may be other options.
Which is more suitable?
The last 3 options are great for a small apartment, where there is nowhere to put an ordinary ironing board both unfolded and folded, or there are small children who strive to climb in wherever possible and impossible. In addition, an ordinary ironing board is easy enough to drop, and this can lead to injury. But they have one drawback - there is no support for the iron, which is almost always available in the standard version with folding legs.
Blueprints
Dimensions of products of different versions vary. To understand the dimensions of an ironing board, a drawing will help more than a simple description. Consider three types (folding, retractable and normal), because The desktop version differs from the usual one only in size.
Thanks to the drawing, it becomes approximately clear how the legs are folded on a regular board, and how it looks in most manufacturers, differing only in size.
The drawer can also be folding, as shown in the drawing, or can completely slide into the drawer, but then it should be large.
A bit about sizes in words and numbers
The standard sizes of the ironing board are: length 110-150 cm (including iron stand) and width 30-45 cm. The ratio of length and width varies depending on the model and manufacturer. Most often ironing boards are found, having dimensions of 120 * 35 cm. The height can also be different due to the fact that most models have height adjustment (usually from 10 cm to 1.20 m).
In the store you may come across an option whose dimensions are 150-160 cm in length and 50 cm in width when unfolded. Such large ironing boards are more often used on an industrial scale or atelier. For an ordinary apartment, they are not very convenient due to their size, although looking at them is undoubtedly more comfortable.
Small boards do not exceed 1 m in length and 30 cm in width, they can be desktop or extendable and when folded they can easily fit in a small cabinet. Their main disadvantage has already been mentioned in the article - it is inconvenient to iron large things like bedding on them.
Classic and modern models
Ironing boards, which are now sold in stores, are divided into classic and modern. Both types are suitable for standard sizes: classic versions have dimensions 110x30 cm and 120x38 cm, and modern ones 140x40 cm and 148x45 cm. More often than not, a classic ironing board is acquired, the folded dimensions of which are about 155 * 40 * 12 cm. conveniently.
If you plan to collect it every time, then you need to find a place where it will fit well and where the ironing board will not interfere. The folded sizes for all options are almost the same: 140-160 cm in length and 40-50 in width. The thickness is small: about 10-20 cm. Retractable, folding and table-top ironing boards when folded are about the same size as when unfolded.
Criterias of choice
Among other important characteristics, in addition to size, the following should be considered when buying:
- Weight - an ironing board, the dimensions of which are standard or close to them, weighs about 5-10 kg. Desktop boards weigh less (about 3 kg).
- Mobility means ease of movement of the board, its folding and unfolding, height adjustment.
- Convenience - the width should be large enough to comfortably iron things of any size, and the presence of a stand for an iron and fasteners for an outlet or cord will also be a positive thing. Nowadays, rubber coasters, as well as sockets with an extension cord on the underside for the convenience of connecting to the iron network, have often become common.
- The quality of materials and durability - you need to carefully study what the ironing board is made of. The most short-lived material is chipboard, but its opposite and the most reliable is thermoplastic. But the latter has a very high cost, and only innovatively equipped companies produce thermoplastic ironing boards.
Ironing board as an interior item
Folding and conventional folding ironing board, the length of which when folded about 1.5 m can serve as an excellent piece of furniture. An ordinary board can be used as an analogue of the picture, if it has a beautiful cover and legs. The folding model can have a mirror on the back side and in the unfolded state it can be an ironing board, and when folded it can be a mirror. Thus, 2 problems of small apartments are solved immediately: there is no need to look for additional space for a mirror, and there is no need to hide the board when you finish ironing. It should only be remembered that the mirror must be carefully attached so that it does not fall off and does not break.