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Best Steam Iron Accessories UK 

By  Enda McLarnon

There is quite an extensive range of steam iron accessories available on the UK market. These are great in many cases as they make the task of ironing a great deal easier.

You may already know about some of these ironing accessories, but we would also suggest that there are some that you may never have heard of. We know when we started writing this article, that we knew quite a few, but even we were surprised by the huge variety.

Below we will take you through every ironing accessory that we could find. We will however start with the most common ones first, as that makes a bit more sense so as you can find the most popular first.

Ironing Boards

There are five slightly different types of ironing boards available on the UK market:

  • Standard ironing boards for normal steam irons including wooden boards
  • Wider boards but still used with steam irons
  • Larger boards for steam generator irons
  • Ironing boards where you can sit down on an attached seat
  • Smaller boards for doing shirt sleeves (sleeve boards)

Ironing Board Covers

So you have got your iron, and you have bought a board. Many people also go on to buy an ironing board cover. These help protect your ironing board.

The main reasons people buy one though is to bring new life and support to an old board, or to take advantage of easier ironing. Many of these use a foam to pad out the board.

As you can imagine there are many hundreds of different sizes and designs.

Ironing Board Cover Fasteners

If your cover is slipping on the board, then a handy way to hold the cover in place is to use a fastener. These grip the cover in various places and the elastic between the two clips holds everything neatly in place.

Normally these come in a small pack of three with two large fasteners and a smaller fastener for the narrower point of the boards.

Ironing Board Cover Fasteners

Click to Enlarge

Ironing Mats/Pads

These are a good choice for people with limited space or for those who do not own an ironing board. A mat can be placed on a table, worktop and even a floor and you can ten iron your clothes on top of a mat. These are also a very good choice for camping or to use in a mobile home or caravan.

Many of these will have some type of metallic surface which helps reflect the heat back into the garments. They are also usually perforated to help prevent the build up of moisture from the steam.

They also fold up quite neatly and that is great for easy storage. Many people who do a lot of sewing also use these rather than haul out an ironing board.

Steam Iron Storage Holders/Hangers

mDesign Wall Mounted Ironing Board Holder - Steel Ironing Board Rack for Easy Organisation - Includes Basket for Iron Storage - Chrome Finish

As the name would suggest these provide somewhere to hang your iron when it is not being used. Irons can take up quite a bit of room, and they are also a pain to put away when they are still hot.

An iron holder can be attached to a wall and then the iron gets set into the holder and out of the way. Many of these come with an ironing board holder as well. That means you have somewhere to store the iron and the board out of the way. Mainly these are fitted into cupboards or into a utility room.

They can also be hung on the back of a door and that does make good use of space.

Iron Rests

steam iron rest

Click to Enlarge

This ironing accessory was a new one to us. These are pads, usually made from heat resistant silicone, where you can set your iron down if you need to do that.

Most people will set their iron down on the end of their ironing board of course. For those who are using a pad, then these are a handy idea for setting your iron down safely.

Iron Flex Guide

iron flex guide

Click to Enlarge

You can't always arrange for your electric sockets to be in the most convenient place when it comes to doing your ironing. For some people that will mean that the electric cord (electric flex) can constantly be getting in the way.

That, and I speak from experience, can get VERY annoying. It certainly drove me mad for a few months.

That is where an iron flex guide can make a huge difference. They come in different shapes and sizes but they can basically be used to keep the flex out of the way.

Iron Protection Cloth Kit

iron protection cloth kit

Click to Enlarge

This was another accessory that I had never heard of. If you are paying out a lot of money for a high quality iron, then it is a very good idea to look after it.

This type of cloth kit helps protect the all important sole of the iron. That is always prone to scrapes and damage and can quickly render an iron useless.


The main purpose for these is however to help protect the garments you are ironing from getting damaged. They protect the garment being ironed from the direct heat of an iron or ceramic sole plate.

It also allows you to work with a very hot iron and not have to worry about burning or scorching the garment. Many buyers of these also state that they minimise the risk of a spitting iron, so no water marks or rust spots.

These are a cheap and cheerful solution and will suit most steam irons and most steam generator irons. They are not suitable for the smaller travel irons.


Indoor Airers

Although not necessarily a steam iron accessory the indoor airer is an affordable choice to help dry clothes before you iron them.

These are especially useful when the bad weather in the UK kicks in and you can't get your washing outside on a washing line.

Vileda Sprint 3-tier Indoor Airer with clothes hanging on it

Heated Indoor Airer (Clothes Drier)

heated indoor airer

In the old days we called these a clothes horse. However they have changed quite a bit and many people now prefer to use a heated air drier. The principle remains the same though.

When you bring your clothes in from outside and want to dry them out fully, or if you can't hang them out then an indoor area is a good way to go.

These now come in a lot of different styles and many of them are also heated for even faster drying.

Spray Bottles

Some people still prefer to iron using a spray bottle to lightly wet the garments. Most steam irons these days have improved and generate a lot of steam.

Usually that is enough to not have to worry about spraying with a bottle. However this is still the preferred method for some people and there are plenty of spray bottles available for this purpose.

Ironing Cord Protector

Another new one for us is the ironing cord protector. This is designed to help stop the elect cord (flex) from fraying. Many leads on irons do suffer a lot from wear and tear.

This is a protector that stops the flex from constantly bending and weakening. They are easy to fit and will ensure that your electric flex never wears and tears.

Fabric Shavers (Lint Shavers)

These have been designed to make your jumpers, blankets and older garments look like new again. Most of these are battery operated and as the name would suggest help revive old garments.

They help get rid of bobbles on clothes and remove that old tatty look quite quickly. In essence you are removing those small balls of fabric that appear on woolen garments.

They use small blades to help remove these bobbles and restore the garment to their former glory.

Enda McLarnon owner of the Steam Gen Reviews UK website

Enda McLarnon


I hope that you find my How to articles helpful as I know that laundry can be a real chore. On this website, I have tried to help out with buying guides and reviews for the many forms of ironing and other laundry issues.

Enda McLArnon

We have chosen products we think you will really like and may earn a commission from links on this page. Read about why you can trust our reviews and recommendations.

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