The History of the Ironing Board
You would assume that when you have the need to iron out a few wrinkles, you would take care of that task on a flat surface. There are exceptions to that rule though.
The Chinese used pan irons on clothe stretched in midair between two people. Prior to the ironing board we are familiar with today, our ancestors used "smoothing boards" made out of whalebones in the Western hemisphere. The smoothing boards used by the Vikings were about 1 foot long and were thought to be used with glass linen smoothers which are found at burial sites. In the East the Koreans used stone slabs in conjunction with ironing sticks. In the 19th century they used boards that were placed in their laps known as press boards. These ironing boards were used in dressmaking but were also used when pressing laundry.
In the past people used their kitchen table or a board supported between two chairs for ironing before the days of the modern ironing board. There was plenty of advice in 19th century in books about housekeeping regarding what size the ironing table should be, what material it should be made out of, whether pale softwood for cleanliness or oak for strength, and how you should cover it. Your options for ironing board covers included thick woolen ironing-blankets in white baize (felt) or red flannel with a sheet on top.
In England it was recommended to use swanskin as an ironing blanket. Swanskin is a fine twill-weave flannel fabric with a soft nap. In Mount Vernon at George Washington's household in Virginia the ironing blankets were made of fearnought which is a heavy woolen cloth typically used for coats.
Folding ironing boards came about in the Victorian era. The first U.S. patents for collapsible ironing boards showed up in the 1860s. What we would call ironing boards were referred to as ironing tables.
Inventors produced ironing bureaus, and even ironing tables incorporated with quilting frames. Different ironing boards were made for specific tasks like ironing sleeves as well as ironing board accessories for special tasks like ironing bonnets.
The first ironing board was patented by W. Vandenburg in the U.S. in 1858. This encouraged several other inventors to also patent variations of Vandenburg's ironing board. The best-known being a black American woman named Sarah Boone in 1892. She is often acknowledged as the inventor of the ironing board as we know it today.
The ironing board invented by Sarah Boone was similar in shape to the ironing boards you see today. They were long and narrow with a point at one end that was curved. The reason for the curved end was to make it easier to iron shirt sleeves.
By 1940, manufacturers were producing collapsible ironing boards made out of metal with tubular legs. The basic design of ironing boards has changed very little since the '40's although they have become much lighter. It wasn't until the early 20th century that ironing boards began to show up in stores in the United States and later in Europe.
Today's ironing board has a flat metal surface, covered by a foam pad and topped by a decorative ironing board cover made of material that is heat-resistant. The pad typically contains small vent holes, to allow the steam to penetrate clothes and then escape.
At one end of the board, there is normally a heatproof area where the iron can be placed. This feature should be large enough to hold the iron safely without risk of the iron falling off. Modern ironing boards have additional features to make ironing easier such as pull out detail boards, garment hangers and garment clips to keep clothes in place while ironing.
The latest "revolution" in ironing board design is the Homz Revolution 360 ironing board. Its unique feature is a body that rotates 360 degrees. This enables the user to keep the clothes in place and simply rotate the board to iron the other side of the garment.
We hope you have enjoyed this walk through the history of the ironing board. Be sure to check out all of the Homz ironing boards. Homz ironing boards are proudly made in the USA and Homz is the ONLY domestic manufacturer of ironing boards. HPI has been making ironing boards for over 60 years and we are well known for the quality of our steel and our manufacturing process. Our plant is located in Seymour, Indiana.
