A fold-out ironing board is one of the recent products which are a result of the evolution of ironing boards over a period of centuries and has been designed keeping in mind the modern limitations in terms of space and facilities. The earliest possible ironing board was believed to have been made of a flat piece of whale-bone and was used by the Vikings during the late 800s’ to iron clothes with hot pieces of rocks.
It was almost twenty centuries later than that that the first ironing board was patented in 1858 and was followed by the patenting of its improved variation in 1892 when the predecessor of the present ironing board was discovered by a woman named Sarah Boone. Since then ironing boards have been subjected to repeated innovations and improvements due to which nowadays there are various types of ironing boards which are available in the market and can be selected as per one’s requirements.
Among the various types of ironing boards, the fold-out ironing board is the one which can be folded and concealed within a cabinet or a drawer and then can be folded back again after being used. While selecting such an ironing board, there are a few criteria which need to be considered by the individual making the purchase like the size, the height, the weight and the sturdiness of the ironing board.
The size of the ironing board is governed by the size of the room in which it is going to be installed and also the type of clothes which are going to be ironed on it. In this regard, the advantage of the fold-out ironing board is that since it can be folded and unfolded, one can opt for a full-size ironing board even though the size of the room is small since it would not be occupying any space and hindering movement within the room.
Height is an important factor with regard to the fold-out ironing board and the optimum height at which such a board can be fixed should be at level with the hip of the person who is responsible for the ironing. Hence, the fixtures for the fold-out ironing board as well as the place of its concealment should be in accordance with the height measurement.
In addition, the fold-out ironing board need not be very heavy but it should have a sturdy frame which would not only stabilize the ironing board but should also be capable of withstanding the weight of the person performing the ironing task