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A clothes iron (also flatiron, smoothing iron, or simply iron) is a
small appliance A small domestic appliance, also known as a small electric appliance or minor appliance or simply a small appliance, small domestic or small electric, is a portable or semi-portable machine, generally used on table-tops, counter-tops or oth ...
that, when heated, is used to press clothes to remove wrinkles and unwanted creases. Domestic irons generally range in operating temperature from between to . It is named for the metal (iron) of which the device was historically made, and the use of it is generally called
ironing Ironing is the use of a machine, usually a heated tool (an iron), to remove wrinkles and unwanted creases from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180–220 °Celsius (356-428 Fahrenheit), depending on the fabric. Ironing wor ...
, the final step in the process of laundering clothes. Ironing works by loosening the ties between the long chains of molecules that exist in
polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
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.


History and development

Before the introduction of electricity, irons were heated by combustion, either in a fire or with some internal arrangement. An "electric flatiron" was invented by American
Henry W. Seeley Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
and patented on June 6, 1882. It weighed almost and took a long time to heat. The UK
Electricity Association The Electricity Association (EA) was an association of major electricity companies in the United Kingdom. It closed on 30 September 2003, and its services were replaced by three other industry bodies: * Association of Electricity Producers * Ene ...
is reported to have said that an electric iron with a carbon arc appeared in France in 1880, but this is considered doubtful. Two of the oldest sorts of iron were either containers filled with a burning substance, or solid lumps of metal which could be heated directly. Metal pans filled with hot coals were used for smoothing fabrics in China in the 1st century BC. 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 the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there were many irons in use that were heated by fuels such as
kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
,
ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl ...
,
whale oil Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Whale oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train oil, which comes from the Dutch word ''traan'' ("tears, tear" or "drop"). Sperm oil, a special kind of oil obtained from the ...
,
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
, carbide gas (
acetylene Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure ...
, as with
carbide lamp Carbide lamps, or acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene (C2H2) which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O). Acetylene gas lamps were used to illuminate buildings, as lighthouse b ...
s), or even
gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
. Some houses were equipped with a system of pipes for distributing natural gas or carbide gas to different rooms in order to operate appliances such as irons, in addition to lights. Despite the risk of fire, liquid-fuel irons were sold in U.S. rural areas up through World War II. In
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
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. From the 17th century, ''sadirons'' or ''sad irons'' (from Middle English "sad", meaning "solid", used in English through the 1800s) began to be used. They were thick slabs of
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
, triangular and with a handle, heated in a fire or on a stove. These were also called flat irons. A laundry worker would employ a cluster of solid irons that were heated from a single source: As the iron currently in use cooled down, it could be quickly replaced by a hot one. In the industrialized world, these designs have been superseded by the electric iron, which uses
resistive The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the flow of electric current. Its reciprocal quantity is , measuring the ease with which an electric current passes. Electrical resistance shares some conceptual parallels ...
heating from an
electric current An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is measured as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface or into a control volume. The moving pa ...
. The hot plate, called the ''sole plate'', is made of
aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
or
stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
polished to be as smooth as possible; it is sometimes coated with a low-friction heat-resistant plastic to reduce friction below that of the metal plate. The heating element is controlled by a
thermostat A thermostat is a regulating device component which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint. Thermostats are used in any device or system tha ...
that switches the current on and off to maintain the selected temperature. The invention of the resistively heated electric iron is credited to Henry W. Seeley of New York City in 1882. In the same year an iron heated by a carbon arc was introduced in France, but was too dangerous to be successful. The early electric irons had no easy way to control their temperature, and the first thermostatically controlled electric iron appeared in the 1920s. Later, steam was used to iron clothing. Credit for the invention of the steam iron goes to
Thomas Sears Thomas Warren Sears (December 15, 1880 – June 1966) was a noted American landscape architect. Sears was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Alexander Pomeroy and Elizabeth Prescott (Jones) Sears. He received his A.B. in 1903 from Harvard Co ...
. 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 patent for an electric steam iron and dampener was issued to Max Skolnik of Chicago in 1934. In 1938, Skolnik granted the Steam-O-Matic Corporation of New York the exclusive right to manufacture steam-electric irons. This 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.


Types and names

Historically, irons have had several variations and have thus been called by many names: * Flatiron (
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
), flat iron (
British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...
) or smoothing iron : The general name for a hand-held iron consisting simply of a handle and a solid, flat, metal base, and named for the flat ironing face used to smooth clothes. * Sad iron or sadiron : Mentioned above, meaning "solid" or heavy iron, where the base is a solid block of metal, sometimes used to refer to irons with heavier bases than a typical "flatiron". * Box iron, ironing box, charcoal iron, ox-tongue iron or slug iron : Mentioned above; the base is a container, into which hot coals or a metal brick or slug can be inserted to keep the iron heated. The ox-tongue iron is named for the particular shape of the insert, referred to as an ox-tongue slug. * Goose, tailor's goose or, in Scots, gusing iron : A type of flat iron or sad iron named for the goose-like curve in its neck, and (in the case of "tailor's goose") its usage by tailors. * Goffering iron : This type of iron, now obsolete, consists of a metal cylinder oriented horizontally on a stand. It was used to iron ruffs and collars.


Hygiene

Proper ironing of clothes has proven to be an effective method to avoid infections like those caused by
lice Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result o ...
.


Features

Modern irons for home use can have the following features: * A design that allows the iron to be set down, usually standing on its end, without the hot soleplate touching anything that could be damaged; * A
thermostat A thermostat is a regulating device component which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint. Thermostats are used in any device or system tha ...
ensuring maintenance of a constant temperature; * A temperature control dial allowing the user to select the operating temperatures (usually marked with types of cloth rather than temperatures: "
silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
", "
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...
", "
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
", "
linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
", etc.); * An electrical cord with heat-resistant
silicone rubber Silicone rubber is an elastomer (rubber-like material) composed of silicone—itself a polymer—containing silicon together with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Silicone rubbers are widely used in industry, and there are multiple formulations ...
insulation; * Injection of
steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
through the fabric during the ironing process; ** A water reservoir inside the iron used for steam generation; ** An indicator showing the amount of water left in the reservoir, ** Constant steam: constantly sends steam through the hot part of the iron into the clothes; ** Steam burst: sends a burst of steam through the clothes when the user presses a button; ** (advanced feature) Dial controlling the amount of steam to emit as a constant stream; ** (advanced feature) Anti-drip system; * Cord control: the point at which the cord attaches to the iron has a spring to hold the cord out of the way while ironing and likewise when setting down the iron (prevents fires, is more convenient, etc.); * A retractable cord for easy storage; * (advanced feature) non-stick coating along the sole plate to help the iron glide across the fabric * (advanced feature) Anti-burn control: if the iron is left flat (possibly touching clothes) for too long, the iron shuts off to prevent scorching and fires; * (advanced feature) Energy saving control: if the iron is left undisturbed for several (10 or 15) minutes, the iron shuts off. * Cordless irons: the iron is placed on a stand for a short period to warm up, using
thermal mass In building design, thermal mass is a property of the mass of a building that enables it to store heat and provide inertia against temperature fluctuations. It is sometimes known as the thermal flywheel effect. The thermal mass of heavy structura ...
to stay hot for a short period. These are useful for light loads only.
Battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
power is not viable for irons as they require more power than practical batteries can provide. * (advanced feature) 3-way automatic shut-off * (advanced feature) self-cleaning *(advanced feature) Anti scale to help to remove lime scale buildup of using hard water for long time. * (advanced feature) vertical steam to help to remove creases and wrinkles by holding an iron vertically and steaming material close to it.


Collections

One of the world's larger collection of irons, comprising 1300 historical examples of irons from Germany and the rest of the world, is housed in
Gochsheim Castle Gochsheim Castle (german: Graf-Eberstein-Schloss, or the Castle of Count Eberstein) is an old royal residence in the Kraichtal area of Baden-Württemberg, in the north-eastern part of Karlsruhe, Germany. It currently houses a museum and holds ...
, near
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Many ethnographical museums around the world have collections of irons. In
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, for example, about 150 irons are the part of the exhibition of the
Radomysl Castle Radomysl Castle is a historical and cultural complex created in 2007–2011 by Olga Bogomolets, a Ukrainian doctor and public activist. The castle's center is an old flour mill built in the town of Radomyshl ( Zhytomyr region, Ukraine) in ...
in Ukraine.Богомолець. О. "Замок-музей Радомисль на Шляху Королів Via Regia". — Київ, 2013


Ironing center

An ironing center or steam ironing station is a device consisting of a clothes iron and a separate steam-generating tank. By having a separate tank, the ironing unit can generate more steam than a conventional iron, making steam ironing faster. Such ironing facilities take longer to warm up than conventional irons, and cost more.


See also

*
Dadeumi Dadeumi (Korean: ) or Dadeumijil () or Kinuta (Japanese: ()) is a Korean traditional ironing method where two women knelt on the floor, facing each other across a smoothing stone, beating out a rhythm on the cloth to press out its wrinkles and ...
, a mechanical way to smooth clothing, once traditional in Korea *
Flatiron Building The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a triangular 22-story, steel-framed landmarked building at 175 Fifth Avenue in the eponymous Flatiron District neighborhood of the Boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New ...
, of cross-section like a flatiron * Flatiron gunboat, flatiron-shaped in plan view *
Hair iron A hair iron or hair tong is a tool used to change the arrangement of the hair using heat. There are three general kinds: ''curling irons'', used to make the hair curly, ''straightening irons'', commonly called ''straighteners'' or ''flat irons'' ...
*
Home robot A domestic robot is a type of service robot, an autonomous robot that is primarily used for household chores, but may also be used for education, entertainment or therapy. While most domestic robots are simplistic, some are connected to Wi-Fi ...
*
Mangle (machine) A mangle or wringer is a mechanical laundry aid consisting of two rollers in a sturdy frame, connected by cogs and (in its home version) powered by a hand crank or by electricity. While the appliance was originally used to wring water from wet ...
*
Soldering iron A soldering iron is a hand tool used in soldering. It supplies heat to melt solder so that it can flow into the joint between two workpieces. A soldering iron is composed of a heated metal tip (the ''bit'') and an insulated handle. Heating i ...
*
Mary Florence Potts Mary Florence Potts (née Webber; November 1, 1850June 24, 1922) was an American businesswoman and inventor. She invented clothes irons with detachable wooden handles, and they were exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia Exposi ...
, inventor of the detachable cold wooden handle for irons


References


External links


Charcoal and other antique irons
from the White River Valley Museum
Antique Irons
from the Virtual Museum of Textile Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Iron (Appliance) 1882 introductions Home appliances Laundry equipment 19th-century inventions Ancient inventions British inventions