Until the first half of the 20th century, ironing was a difficult and dangerous process, because housewives had to heat heavy metal irons on fire for this. The advent of an electric iron simplified this process, but it still remained rather laborious. Finally, by the 21st century, automation has reached this sphere of everyday life, so it’s worth considering how you can choose and how to use the ironing mannequin correctly, as well as what reviews the owners of this device leave.
Features
An ironing mannequin in the general case is an inflatable polyurethane doll in the form of a certain article of clothing (usually a shirt or trousers) with a device for pumping and heating the air connected to it. The principle of operation of the ironing mannequin is that the clothing worn on it immediately after washing is first straightened with an air stream, and then dried and ironed.
For this, the air in the inflatable element is gradually heated according to a pre-set mode, which is usually selected in accordance with the clothing material. For ironing with steam in such devices, an integrated or external steamer may be present, however, its presence is optional - the clothes are smoothed quite well and when interacting with only the heated surface of the inflatable element.
The use of an inflatable, rather than a solid mannequin in such devices allows you to use it for both men's and women's shirts and trousers, as well as ironing products of different sizes. The quality of ironing using such systems is comparable to manual ironing with a steam electric iron.
First of all, such devices are used in dry cleaners, ateliers and laundries, however, recently manufacturers have been trying to gain a place in the market of household products.
Varieties
All currently available on the market. Ironing mannequins are usually divided into the following categories according to their purpose:
- household devices;
- semi-professional mannequins;
- professional complexes;
- industrial inflatable steamers.
Household appliances are characterized by relatively low power and, accordingly, performance. In 1 hour, such a device can iron about four shirts. Semi-professional and professional models are characterized by an increased speed of the process, due to which, in an hour, they can be ironed on the order of 6 and 8 products, respectively. Industrial complexes are intended for use only in equipped workshops, and their operation should be carried out by qualified personnel.
Manufacturers
In the Russian market, goods manufactured by the Italian company EOLO Elettrodomestici, which produces a whole range of mannequins, from cheap household to industrial complexes, are quite widespread. Of the Russian companies, the Vyazemsky Machine-Building Plant, producing them under the Vyazma brand, is engaged in the production of inflatable ironing devices. The plant produces mainly semi-industrial complexes for steaming clothes. In the segment of cheap household appliances, the Italian company Pony and the Chinese company Termaxi are represented.
Equipment
The delivery set of devices usually includes:
- base (in which the heater, control unit and fan are usually located);
- mount for inflatable parts;
- a set of accessories for fastening clothes;
- an inflatable element for ironing shirts;
- inflatable doll for ironing trousers;
- auxiliary elements for stretching individual elements of clothing (cuffs, bottom of shirts, collars).
Moreover, if almost all household models incorporate dolls for both trousers and shirts at the same time, professional options often come with one fixed inflatable part that allows you to iron only one type of clothing. This is due to the fact that professional devices are often included in the continuous technical process of an atelier, laundry or other business, and the loss of time for replacing a doll, in terms of production volumes, will be irrational.
Floor models are additionally equipped with a cross, on which there are often wheels. Often this part is equipped with a pneumatic regulator (gas lift), which allows you to set a convenient height for the product. Semi-professional and professional appliances can optionally be equipped with steam generators.
Industrial plants have a similar configuration, however, they necessarily include either a built-in steam generator or connectors for connecting an external steam generator.
Benefits
The main advantage of mannequins for ironing is a significant reduction in the amount of physical labor and the time that you need to devote to ironing. For manual ironing, the mistress has:
- lay out an ironing board;
- set up an iron;
- carry out long-term ironing from the inside and the front side;
- disassemble the board;
- let the iron cool.
The use of a mannequin requires the hostess only to install clothes on an inflatable doll, select a mode and remove clothes after the process is completed. The rest of the ironing on the mannequin is automatic, at this time you can safely do other things or relax, only occasionally straightening clothes. In the case of continuous production, mannequins become almost indispensable, because their use can significantly reduce the number of ironing personnel.
You can iron clothes on mannequins immediately after washing and spinning, they do not need to be dried before that.Another important advantage of such devices is their significantly greater safety both for fabric and low-melting clothing items (for example, buttons), and for the hostess - their surface does not have hot elements, which means that the risk of burns disappears. At the same time, the energy costs when using household models do not exceed the energy costs for ironing with an iron - because their power (about 1.5 kW) is comparable to the power of popular electric irons.
disadvantages
The main disadvantage of these devices is their relatively high cost - household models cost from 70 to 200 thousand rubles, and professional devices will cost from 200 to 300 thousand rubles. Industrial steam machines still have many disadvantages that are not typical for household models:
- very high cost;
- high power consumption;
- the need to install ventilation, connect to the water supply and power supply 380 V;
- danger to personnel (steam has a temperature of more than 100 ° C).
Using
Ironing with a mannequin is carried out in the following sequence. Place the clothes on the inflatable doll and fasten it with clasps. Turn on the inflation mode and wait for the inflatable element to stretch clothes. Use the optional fasteners to evenly stretch the front and back of your shirt or pants. Turn on the heating mode on the device. After waiting for the end of the process (usually a signal is given), be sure to switch the equipment to cold air supply mode for 30 seconds. Unplug the mannequin and take off his clothes. When ironing shirts, monitor the tightness of the cuffs and collar.
Prospects
The universal ironing robot created by the American company FoldiMate will help further reduce the time and effort costs. The dimensions of the device slightly exceed the dimensions of the washing machine, while at the same time you can load up to 20 shirts or trousers.
This machine will take up to 1 minute for steam ironing and the subsequent folding of each of the items of clothing.
Reviews
Most owners of household appliances note that their use saves a significant amount of time. Separately, the reviewers say that you can iron shirts on a mannequin immediately after washing, which completely eliminates the drying of clothes. Among the shortcomings of some models, owners note a high level of noise when inflating dolls. Owners of devices with a power of less than 1.5 kW mention that they do not provide a sufficient level of smoothing of products made of dense or natural fabrics.
See the video below for an overview of the ironing mannequin.
