The best irons are, ideally, not too heavy, offer great steam power and boast a smooth soleplate to glide through creased work shirts and garments effortlessly. In our book, they should also heat up quickly and be easily refillable.
If you’re in the market for a new iron, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve done the hard yards, rifling through hundreds of product reviews and descriptions to find you the best irons, ironing boards and ironing accessories in Australia.
Here’s a running list of the best steams irons we’ve found online in Australia.
The best steam irons to buy in Australia
Sunbeam Verve CeraFlow Steam Press
Designed to offer a powerful steam shot and continuous flow, this iron is one of the best in Australia as your one-stop-shop for quickly smoothening creases and wrinkles, so you can get through that piling mountain of ironing fast. Sunbeam’s Dual Steam Chamber Technology also optimises the steam pressure to really deeply penetrate fibres, allowing for the effortless removal of creases — even on tough fabrics. And, it’s only $69.
To sweeten the deal, we should also mention this baby is fitted with a powerful 2400-watts, providing you with a super-fast heat-up and even temperature across the soleplate. There’s a reason it’s in our top picks of the best irons in Australia.
Philips Azur Elite Steam Press with OptimalTEMP Technology
If you find yourself constantly ruining or steam-burning your lighter fabrics, then we can’t stress just how much we recommend this option. Using Philip’s OptimalTemp technology and its DynamiQ mode, the Azure Elite Steam Iron assures it will never cause burns to any ironable fabric, meaning you can iron everything from jeans to silk, linen and cashmere safely, and in any order, without waiting for the temperature to adjust.
This iron also comes equipped with ‘max mode’, which is the best for blasting stubborn creases with powerful continuous steam and an ‘eco steam mode’ with minimum constant steam that saves up to 20 per cent energy for all you environmentally friendly friends!
PHILIPS 3000 Series Steam Iron
Delivering fast warm-up and powerful performance, this Philips 3000 Series Steam Iron boasts a durable ceramic soleplate that glides well on any ironable garment (read: it won’t start to peskily stick to your clothes after a few uses like some irons do). Its drip-stop system even prevents leakage to avoid stains from water droplets so you can iron with confidence at any temperature.
What’s better? Aside from its solid price tag, it has a vertical steam function, which allows you to refresh garments right on the hanger and remove creases from hanging fabrics such as curtains. No ironing board required.
Kambrook Steamline Advance
Similar to the Philips 3000 Series, this Kambrook Steamline Iron offers easy-glide sole plates, a fine mist spray technology to remove creases in a very efficient way, and an anti-dip system to prevent excess water seeping through onto your clothes while in function. So, if you’re after an affordable option that truly gets the job done, we’d look no further than this highly-rated budget alternative.
TEFAL UltraGlide Plus Steam Iron
Featuring a safety shut-off feature after being left unattended for eight minutes, this Tefal iron is said to heat quickly and glide like a dream. It’s also conservative with water, ensuring you don’t need excessive refills. However, if you’re happy to have an iron with a bit of weight to it, this 2kg option is a great choice since it eliminates any additional pressure.
Russell Hobbs Rapid Steam Iron
Our last pick is this Russell Hobbs Rapid Steam Iron, which features a non-stick ceramic soleplate that’s suitable for all types of fabrics. It sports the option to switch between a burst of steam and continuous steam, which is helpful when it comes to particularly stiff garments such as linen or flax.
The best ironing boards and accessories
Of course, you can’t have a running list of the best irons in Australia without a couple of ironing boards and must-have accessories to help you achieve the crispest of clothing possible.
So, if you’re going to invest in one of these babies, it’s worth also investing in this Sunbeam Mode ironing board ($137.97). Not only is it one of our favourite durable ironing boards, but it’s super compact for a small house as it folds down.
Alternatively, if you think you have no space for an ironing board altogether, we’d recommend the Joseph pocket plus folding table-top ironing board ($99.95) as it does the same job, but instead, just sits on top of a regular table (read: your dining table or even kitchen bench).
This magnetic ironing mat blanket ($28.40) also beats the need for a board altogether and allows you to make any hard surface a heat-proof ironing station.
Other than an ironing board, you might also like to nab yourself an ironing Glove ($21.27) to protect your hands from the steam, as well as this highly-raved about wrinkle releaser ($40) that helps release any persistent wrinkles in your clothes.
What to look for when shopping for a new iron
It might be hard to believe, but you can’t just grab any old iron off the shelf. While it’s tempting to spring for the cheapest option, it’s well worth weighing up a few features to ensure you’re not only getting your money’s worth, but you’re also going to grab a steam iron that’s highly effective.
One of the first things you should consider is its weight. It’s understandable to assume that an iron that’s lightweight is easier to manoeuvre (and it is), but every iron needs some weight to effectively releases wrinkles. Without a sufficient amount of weight, you’ll need to apply more pressure to eliminate creases. An iron that weighs between 1.25kg to 2kg is ideal.
Next, you’ll want an iron that has a number of customisable temperature settings that can cater to a variety of fabrics. Many irons do tend to have indicators that read cotton, silk and/or synthetics, but there are a handful that don’t. This means that you’re more likely to run the risk of burning your clothes.
If you don’t, you should keep an eye on the temperature of your iron and ensure that you use 140 to 160º for silk, 180 to 220º for cotton, 215 to 240º for linen and 150 to 180º for viscose/rayon.
You should also look out for steam irons that happen to have an indicator that tells you when the iron has hit its ideal temperature, which also helps to prevent damaging your clothes.
From there, you’ll want to consider the types of soleplate that are installed on your iron. The most common are non-stick grills or stainless steel. On the one hand, non-stick surfaces are much easier to clean and glide more smoothly across fabrics. They also tend to be installed on cheaper irons, making it a cost-effective choice.
On the other hand, stainless steel soleplates tend to last longer, are scratch-resistant and heat up much more quickly. You can also go with a ceramic soleplate, which works just as well and has similar qualities.
Then, if you can, try to watch a demo in-store or online of someone using the iron. Cheap irons will likely dribble water onto your clothes, resulting in stains that can occasionally transfer rust into the fabric of your work shirt. No one wants any water marks on their blouse or suit when they’re about to rush off to a business meeting or dinner date.
It also helps to choose an iron that features a transparent water reservoir, so you can keep an eye on how much liquid is left inside. While you technically can iron without water, you risk damaging the fabric of your clothes so ensure that you refer to the instruction manual before attempting.
The last thing to consider is an automatic shut-off feature. Most irons are plug in and go, so when you’re rushing around the house in the morning, there’s always a chance you could accidentally forget to turn it off. An innocent mistake, but best avoided by choosing iron with automatic shut-off, so you can leave home with peace of mind always.
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