As the manufacturer of the well-known TUBIE shirt ironing machine, we are naturally interested in how people ironed their shirts and pants in the past. It is clear that ironing shirts only works with heat and our TUBIE shirt ironing machine also works on the principle of hot air. But what did people do in the past when there were no steam irons or ironing machines? We shirt ironers have once again done some research for you.
The Chinese were probably already ironing their silk garments around the time of Jesus Christ's birth, although not in the way we know it today, but with the help of so-called pan irons. The Chinese women filled metal pans with a mixture of hot coal and sand, which was supposed to keep the heat better, and smoothed their garments in this way. These ironing pans were heated on the stove or fireplace. They often used interchangeable handles and as soon as one pan had cooled down, a new one was taken from the fireplace.
The first real irons are known to date back to the 15th century, when ironing was also known as flattening. These devices consisted of a solid metal plate with a handle that had to be heated on a hot stove plate.
Later, towards the end of the 17th century, hollow flat irons were used, usually made of brass, into the hollow space of which an iron plate heated in the fire was inserted and closed with a flap. Such irons or flat irons were even used until the 19th century. This ironing technique was then developed further and irons were used where the plate could be replaced. While one was in use, the next was heated up and replaced as soon as the first had cooled down.
At the end of the 19th century, coal irons came onto the market, into the cavity of which glowing coals or briquettes were inserted. However, this type of ironing led to many burns. In addition, this method was of course anything but gentle on the laundry (incidentally a main argument for the TUBIE shirt ironing machine and ironing machine) and many items of clothing were destroyed by burn holes, etc.
In the 19th/20th century, gas irons came onto the market, which were connected directly to the gas pipe via hoses. However, this method was not entirely safe and was mainly used by ironing shops, which nowadays swear by our TUBIE ironing dummy all over the world.
With the electrification of the household, irons were also heated electrically. However, the first models did not yet have a thermostat and had to be tested for temperature with a wet cloth. However, the electric iron only spread very slowly. The reason for this was certainly the cost of electricity at the time. It was not until energy costs fell and the energy supply became more stable that the electric iron made its breakthrough.
A further development of the electric iron is the steam iron, or hot iron, ironing dummy, shirt ironing dummy, shirt ironing machine, automatic ironing machine, ironing machine, etc. With these great ironing appliances you can save a lot of time and the clothes iron themselves.
Good thing the TUBIE shirt ironing machine exists!
Sources:
https://www.pinkies.de/buegeln-von-der-metallpfanne-zum-dampfbuegeleisen.html
Photo: Pixabay