My least favourite household chore is the ironing. With six of us here its one of those tasks that is never-ending. So when Philips asked me if I would like to try out their Perfectcare Elite Iron saying it would make ironing easier I was curious, was it possible to that an iron could make the weekly ironing less stressful?
One thing was for sure I felt I had to give it a go as even the thought of the ironing been made remotely easier was so appealing. When the Perfectcare Elite arrived the following week I was surprised at the size of the box, it was quite a large box. I decided to wait for dad of 3 to get home to help me unpackage it. In the end we decided to wait until the children in bed so I would have a chance to read the instructions etc once the iron was all set up.
It took two of us to take the Perfectelite care iron out of the packaging as it was so well packed. Our previous Iron was a steam generator iron however the Perfectelite care is larger than our old one and slightly heavier. I quickly set it in place on the ironing board and took some time to familiarise myself with the features.
The PerfectCare Elite iron is full of features:
- .Storage for the mains cord and hose
- .Carry lock
- .Large detachable water tank with 1.8 litre capacity
- .Iron ready light
- .Eco-mode
- .Safety Auto-off
- .Easy De-Cal
- .Vertical Ironing
- .Anti-scratch sole plate.
- . OptimalTemp Technology.
- Turbo Mode.
All these things make using the PerfectCare Elite is a pleasurable experience. Also gone are the days where you have to keep adjusting the temperature to suit the material you are ironing, the PerfectCare Elite features Philips OptimalTemp Technology which is the combination of steam and temperature which enables you to iron all fabrics with one setting. Take a look at the short film below from Philips which explains it better.
The storage for the mains cord and hose makes storing the iron away when you finish easy, no more cords or hoses been left dangling or needed to be wrapped around the iron itself. Then the carry lock is such a great feature, it means that you don’t have to worry about the iron falling off the ironing platform be that if your carrying the iron to store or sorting through the clothes to iron them. I have always taught my children they must never touch the iron when turned on and explained the dangers of pulling on the hose of the iron, so having an iron lock means I have that added peace of mind too. Having read up on the functions I couldn’t wait to use it next time I had ironing to do.
A couple of days later I had a pile of ironing to do, I tend to wait and do as much as possible in one go which is usually I have by the weekend. Shirts are one of the things I hate ironing the most so I usually get them out-of-the-way first. First off I removed the water tank and filled it with cold water from the kitchen tap to just below the maximum mark then replaced. I then took the mains cord out from its storage I plugged the iron in and turned it on, you have to press the power button on the bottom of the iron platform for 2 seconds and then release. I have to admit it took a couple of attempts to do but I quickly released I had to count the two seconds and release. Then a blue light will start flashing to indicate it is warming up, it will then become steady and beep to alert you that it is ready. Then you need to press the carry lock button to unlock the iron from platform. Having done this you next have to press and hold the stream button and off you go. If you don’t use the iron from 10 minutes the auto-off function kicks in and automatically turns the iron off for you.
With previous irons I have always had to almost push the iron over the garment I was ironing but from the word go the PerfectCare Elite seemed effortless and glided over the garment. It wouldn’t be unusual for me to have a sore shoulder after an hour plus ironing but even after the first use with the PerfectCare Elite I could tell the difference. It also didn’t take me as long to complete the ironing as it would previously have done. I have now been using the PerfectCare Elite for around two months now and its completely transformed the ironing for me, that may seem a bit of a strange comment to some but I’ve gone from dreading the ironing to now even enjoying it! The time it takes me has been reduced and the results are great. To date I have not been able to try out vertical hanging as I’ve not had anything suitable to try it on. It would be a great feature for suits. I have also not used the decal knob on the ironing platform yet but this is due to the fact the de-cal light has not yet flashed to alert me to the need to do so.
I have however regularly used the Eco Mode button which when activated will save you energy by reducing the steam generated however it does not compromise the results. I have also tried the Turbo mode which really does make ironing faster. This works by increasing the amount of steam generated. One final feature which I like is the fact that you can leave the iron face down on the ironing board or piece of clothing and it will not burn, which in turn will prevent a fire if left for a long period like that. So many great features that Philips have developed which all add up to stress free ironing. So thanks to Philips and the PerfectCare Elite I no longer dread ironing.
The Philips PerfectCare Elite Iron retails are around £320, yes I know I can hear you gasp but honestly with all the nifty features and the fact it makes ironing hassle free I can honestly say it’s worth the price tag. This is an investment and you will never need to by another iron. You can find out more about the Philips PerfectCare Elite by visiting here
Disclaimer: I was sent a Philips PerfectCare Elite for the purpose of this post. However the content is 100% my own.