Domestic Diva Awards 2022: Best Ironing Appliances Plus Tips For Neatly Pressed Clothes
If you dread ironing that pile of laundry every week, it’s time to invest in one of these ironing appliances that’ll help you get the job done with minimal hassle
Domestic Diva Awards is The Singapore Women’s Weekly’s annual highlight of innovative products that help us live, work and eat better. This year, over 250 products across 69 household categories, ranging from cleaning and cooking appliances to healthy meal subscriptions were nominated. The winners were decided through public voting in an online survey in partnership with Milieu Insight, and Editor's Pick, recognising the best in their fields.
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with ironing: it’s necessary for producing neatly-pressed outfits that help us look smart and presentable, but it’s tedious and takes up a lot of time.
It’s no wonder that most of us dread this particular chore. Luckily, there are ways to make the job easier - one of which is investing in a good ironing appliance. Choosing the right one for our lifestyle and needs will help to minimise the tedium and get the job done much faster.
Below, we share our top favourites for each type of iron, plus five tips to make this chore easier.
If your laundry load is fairly small (lucky you!) a cordless iron is ideal, as it’s ultra-portable and great for fuss-free ironing.
This versatile steam iron can be converted from corded to cordless, making it ideal for travel. When operating it in cordless mode, simply place it upright on its charging stand in between uses. This compact powerhouse features a large water tank capacity of 280ml and continuous steam output, with multiple temperature settings for a variety of fabrics.
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For large loads with a variety of clothing, you’ll need a powerhouse with adjustable settings and a steam outlet. Invest in one with good ergonomics, which reduces muscle fatigue from long periods of ironing.
Get even the most stubborn creases out in a flash with the Philips DynamiQ Steam Azure Elite Iron. Its OptimalTEMP technology prevents burns, so you can move smoothly from cotton to denim to linen without having to adjust the setting or wait for the temperature to change. There are multiple steam modes, but our favourite is DynamiQ mode, which can sense movement and releases steam only when the iron is in motion. For an extra boost, use the Turbo Steam pump - it delivers up to 50% more powerful continuous steam that releases even the most stubborn of wrinkles.
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Ironing System (Editor's Pick): LG Styler Essence Mirrored Finish with SmartThinQ S3MFC ($2,499)
If you need to refresh a few items of clothing quickly, invest in an ironing system - it can remove creases, odours, and even allergens without damage to delicate pieces.
The LG Styler is a must-have for the fashionista on the go. Just pop your clothing in, and let it take care of the odours and wrinkles while you get ready. This nifty device uses TrueSteam technology and a Moving Hanger to sanitise and gently remove the creases from your clothes, with a low temperature drying system that prevents shrinking. Connect your Styler to LG’s SmartThinQ app, which lets you download new care cycles and monitor energy consumption.
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If your laundry consists of mostly easy-care items, all you’ll need is a garment steamer for touch-ups on the go.
Ready to use in just 90 seconds, this Philips All-In-One garment steamer is ideal for anyone who needs a shirt, dress, or uniform straightened out quickly. We love the integrated multi-angle board, which can be pivoted to different positions for hard-to-reach areas, making it easy to use even for younger family members. You won’t have to worry about overheating, either - when the water tank is empty, the ironing head switches to standby mode automatically.
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Minimise creases beforehand by hanging out the laundry immediately.
Let gravity help you straighten out your laundry. Shake out each piece well when removing it from the washing machine, and hang it up as soon as you can. This helps it dry with minimal creases and makes your job easier.
For unstructured items that can pull out of shape when hung up, lay them flat on a towel or mesh surface and shape them gently before leaving them to dry.
Speed up your ironing process by sorting your laundry by fabric type and doing it by batches, like all your cotton shirts in one go before moving on to linen pieces. This means you won’t have to constantly adjust the iron setting and waiting for it to cool or heat up to the optimal temperature, saving you plenty of time.
Damp clothing is best for ironing. If your laundry wasn’t hung up immediately (we’re all busy after all) and dried with creases, just spritz the stubborn ones with water to dampen the fabric and iron over them - they should be gone much faster.
The same goes for lace and any parts of the clothing that may be too delicate for high heat. Work the pointed end of the iron between and around these areas carefully.
Not sure what setting to use? For fabrics that don’t have a labelled setting on the iron, like synthetic fabrics, having direct contact with too-high temperatures can sometimes melt the fibres slightly and spoil the surface. To avoid this, simply turn the piece inside out for ironing.
Check out The Singapore Women's Weekly's Domestic Diva Awards 2022 winners to discover more life-saving home appliances.