How to iron

Here's a range of adaptations and techniques to make ironing safer for people with sight loss.

On this page

Safety considerations before ironing

Explore the iron before plugging it in, get familiar with where the handle and controls are.

If necessary, mark the controls using tactile markers such as bump-ons or Tacti-mark.

If you have some remaining vision, read the iron manual in your preferred accessible format, for example, large print or Braille. If you know the make and model of your iron, you can often find the manual on the manufacturer’s website.

Many irons turn off automatically if left standing for a while. Consider choosing an iron with this safety feature if you’re buying a new one.
Different fabrics require different heat settings and some fabrics shouldn’t be ironed at all. Check the care instructions on your clothes and other items before you iron them.
Avoid ironing on a table as they can’t be adjusted to the correct height and the heat from the iron can damage the surface.

Use a stable, good-quality ironing board. Using an ironing board also makes it easy to keep track of the iron and position yourself correctly.

Set the ironing board up as close as possible to a plug socket. The cord should have lots of slack when the iron is at the end of the ironing board. It’s easy to trip on a tightly stretched cord, which could cause injury.
Using a silicone iron guard from Planit Products can make ironing safer for people with sight loss. It helps protect your hands from burning on the hot part of the iron.

Ironing techniques

If you have some remaining vision, use a solid-coloured ironing board that provides a good contrast between your clothes and the surface of the board. Avoid patterned ironing board covers because they'll make it harder to distinguish the board from your clothes.

Place the ironing board with the wide end on your dominant side (on the right if you’re right-handed) and the narrow end on your non-dominant side.

If the board doesn’t have an iron tray, mark off a ‘hot zone’ at the wide end by wrapping a short bungee cord or rope around the board, as shown on the picture at the top of the page. The marked space should be equal to two widths of the iron. This is where you’ll place the hot iron every time you set it down.
Always check the iron is unplugged when you're filling it with water.

Make sure you know where the cord is so you don't trip or stand on it.

Place the iron over the sink and use a jug or funnel with a nose that will fit into the iron to fill it.

Pour slowly and carefully.

Make a note of how much water it took to fill the iron and only use this amount next time, so you don't overfill it.
Always place the iron in the 'hot zone' or iron tray when you need to pause. Make sure it’s upright with the hot plate facing away from you. If you place it on the bungee cord, it will feel unstable, this will prompt you to move the iron slightly further away before you let go of the handle.

Stand at the board with your non-dominant side (the left side if you're right-handed) slightly towards where the board starts to narrow. This means you’re facing toward the end of the board where the iron is, rather than straight ahead.
To find the iron, move one hand slowly underneath and along the board to find the hanging iron cord, while your other hand holds the smoothed fabric in place.

Trail your hand up the cord to the handle of the iron. This is the way you should always find the iron. Reaching out into the 'hot zone' for the iron is very dangerous, even if you don’t get burnt you risk knocking the iron off the board.

Before picking up the iron, move your other hand off the ironing board and rest it on the side edge of the board. This avoids accidentally touching the hot iron.
Some irons make a sound to let you know when it's at the right temperature and ready to use.

You can test the heat of the iron on a tea towel or piece of material before you start to make sure the iron is hot enough to take out the creases in your clothes.

You could flick a small amount of water at the iron plate and listen for a sizzle. If it sizzles, it's hot enough.
Use a cold iron to practise putting the iron down, reaching to pick it up and setting the right controls. Pretend the iron is hot so you feel more confident in using it while it’s on.

Practise ironing techniques on a towel before you start on your clothes. Use both hands to smooth out any bunched areas until it is flat on the board. Use systematic grid or circular movements to cover the towel.

Step-by-step guide to ironing

Check the water level by gently shaking the iron and top up if required.
Decide which part of the garment you want to iron first and place it in front of you.
Start ironing from the bottom of the garment so you can pull the garment towards you as you move upwards to iron the next area.
When you move the iron across the fabric, always lead with the pointed end. Use systematic grid or circular movements to cover the fabric.
Always put the iron back in the 'hot zone' or iron tray before you place the next part of the garment in front of you.
Unplug the iron as soon as you’ve finished ironing and leave it to cool for at least 10 minutes before putting it away.

Having less ironing

Consider buying ‘easy iron’ clothing or clothes that don’t need ironing at all.
Make sure that anything that creases easily is hung up in the wardrobe with enough space around it so that it doesn’t get squashed.
When you take clothes out of the washing machine, shake or brush out the creases and hang them as straight as possible. Putting them on coat hangers to dry is a good way to reduce creases.

How to iron

Safety considerations before ironing

Ironing techniques

Step-by-step guide to ironing

Having less ironing

Useful links

Keep in touch

Social media