Introduction: How to Iron 7 Shirts in Less Than 15 Minutes
I hate ironing.
I find ironing very difficult, largely because ironing boards are designed not to fit anything in particular. So, I decided to make an ironing board to fit the shirts that I wear. I began by making a cardboard template of a man's extra-large shirt. I tweaked this template until it would fit inside a buttoned-up shirt.
Next, I cut a piece of particle board to match the template, then covered it with some cotton batting and a cloth cover (I actually found "ironing board cover" material in a fabric store). After I upholstered the particle board with the batting and cover, I screwed it to a standard ironing board using 4 screws (screwed in from underneath).
Now I find I can iron a shirt (and do a good job) in less than 2 minutes, which means I can iron a week's worth of shirts in under 15 minutes, including the time it takes for the iron to warm up.
I begin with laying the sleeves out flat (not shown in the photos) and ironing them the normal way. Next I place the back of the shirt on the re-designed board (2nd photo) and iron it. Then I iron one side of the shirt's front, then the other side (photos 3 and 4).
For pullover shirts that need ironing, I simply slip the entire shirt over the board, iron it, then turn it over and iron it. A pullover shirt can be ironed in a matter of seconds!
This design works well on men's shirts, however it probably wouldn't work very well on a woman's blouse, due to the complexities of women's fashions, body shape, etc.
I still hate ironing, however now I only have to hate it for about 15 minutes each week!
Third Prize in the
I Made It Photo Contest
72 Comments
Question 4 years ago on Introduction
Have you expanded on this idea? Made another version with more features? Seems like if it's custom made to your size, you could do a shape of your shirt. Even have it able to rotate like this
Flippr by https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KWAD92I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7zBCBbMDNBT5F
Fantastic idea, seems like it's just the beginning.
8 years ago
Would you happen to have the dimensions available please?
9 years ago on Introduction
I love this idea. I also hate ironing mens shirts until i saw this board the shape of the shirt. I want one!
9 years ago
Can you provide a drawing with the rough estimate of dimensions? Thanks!!
9 years ago on Introduction
Best DIY I've seen all week! Thank you.
9 years ago on Introduction
I only signed up to say thank you, I find this very impressive... Seriousy, I hate ironing but can't bear wearing a crumpled shirt. I'm not good at building stuff and generally lazy but this would be so cool... How about a shirt manufacturer that sold this with their shirts?
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Thank you for the kind words! I share your hatred of ironing, which is what led me to make my own ironing board. I realized that the typical ironing board is a "one size fits none" affair, so I decided to make one that fits my shirt size. I still hate ironing, but now I only have to hate it for a few minutes each week. Thanks again for your comment.
10 years ago on Introduction
There is a cool application for android with animated instruction on how to iron, check it out.
link to Google Play http://goo.gl/iAAxm
10 years ago on Introduction
Excellent, will take the idea and try to make my own. Thank you.
11 years ago on Introduction
thats insanely awesome
i bet you could make money off of this
11 years ago on Introduction
What a great idea. I hate the ironing boards that are sold today. they are flimsy and require attention ?????? You could continue along this line and develop a much better designed ironing board, sturdier, wider etc. for every day living. This could be your money maker................ I would buy it..................
12 years ago on Introduction
Great idea.
12 years ago on Introduction
What about real sleeves (ie. REAL sleeves) ???…
That's when it gets tricky and shows the real expert from the amateur !!!!…
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I'm not following you - you mean iron the cuff and placket flat, then iron the sleeve flat, like the professionals do? this could easily be done on this board. If you are talking about ironing them with a sleeve board, then you could just set the sleeve board on here too.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
rea dudaott's comment coming just after yours : you'll get the answer why it is pretty tricky …
Best wishes
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Honestly, I have a hard time with both of you and dudaott usage of grammar and English. I still do not see what the difficulty is.
Sorry.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Not to worry … the reason you don't understand me is that english is not my mother tongue, and the reason why I understand dudaott so well may just be the same ! …
Then again he gave me a real insight in how to iron sleeves properly as I still believe that from my own practice ironing sleeves is difficult because you have to iron two pieces of material at the same time (the two sides of the sleeve) and the cut of each side does not match (a nice sleeve has not the shape a tube). Then the crease ends before the cuffs and these should be ironed differently.
Ce sont les problèmes de l'élégance française mon cher !… ;D
Best wishes !…
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Hi vincent7520!
If you have those frilled sleeves at the cuffs, you should put them flat and iron them from the shoulder down, while holding the cuffs about 2 inches higher than the board. This way, the sleeve will be perfectly ironned, with no wrinckles whatsoever. Note that you must use the tip of the iron toward the frilled cuffs, as the tip will de-wrickles (is that a word?) the fabric without marking the frilled on the sleeves.
Best Regards, dudaott.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Ha !…
Didn't know that !!!…
Next time I'll try it.
Tank you so much.
Best regards .
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I do the sleeves the same was as on a regular ironing board -- just lay them flat.