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The electric iron was invented in 1882 in France using a carbon arc to create heat, a method that was found to be extremely dangerous. Irons using an electrical resistance were first shown by both Crompton and Co. and the General Electric Co. in 1892. This method was both safer and more efficient, setting the pattern for all further development. The earliest models looked like electrified flat irons with solid cast-iron sole-plates and cowls.
The electric iron was the simplest of the new appliances to manufacture and was suited to both small-scale batch- and mass-production. In its most straightforward format, it consisted of just four basic metal components, a turned wooden handle plus electrical parts, and could be assembled easily and quickly without using highly skilled labour.
By 1939 the electric iron was second only to the wireless as the most common electric product in the home. It was estimated that of all the homes wired with electricity (about two thirds at that time), 80% owned an electric iron, representing a total of about 6.5 million in use.
The early-1950s was the period of greatest diversity for the prospective electric iron buyer: the first steam irons had just become available and could be seen alongside very basic, non-automatic designs originally launched in the early-1930s. In between was a vast array of pre- and post-war thermostatic irons, some of great novelty (for example; cordless irons plugging in to electric ironing boards; pivoting, non-lift irons; expensive floor-standing or table-mounted rotary irons and double-ended irons), great diversity in designs of travel irons and a variety of shapes and finishes of more conventional types.
Before the availability of electricity, there were a number of alternatives: the traditional 'sad' or 'flat' irons heated up on the hearth or kitchen range, the 'box' iron containing a pre-heated 'slug' of metal or live, glowing lumps of charcoal, gas-heated irons connected via a flexible tube to the gas mantle and spirit or parrafin-heated irons. All these long-established variants were tricky to set up, cumbersome to use and potentially dirty, which would seem to defeat the object of their use on freshly laundered clothes.
In contrast, one of the great selling features of electricity, including the electric iron, was its total cleanliness. Temperature control was also a particular skill with all types of traditional iron and much time was wasted in waiting for the iron to heat up or cool down. Electric irons were much faster in heating up and could therefore be used almost continuously, saving the user a lot of time. Electric irons were also among the cheapest and most widely available of electrical appliances: in 1936, prices started from 6/6 (£0.38). They could also be used in any home that already had electric lighting. It was rare for homes with electricity to have wall sockets outside the kitchen, so irons were usually plugged into light fitting adaptors, running a bulb simultaneously. Electric irons were also instant in operation, requiring no preparation other than plugging in and, being totally independent from other heat sources, allowed the ironing to be done in any room of the house. This meant that the user could be with other family members, in a heated room or could listen to the wireless.
