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I purchased an ironing board by Polder at Costco on Jan 10, 2009. Then I took it back for a refund on Jan 16, 2009. Here is why.
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I consider myself as a good ironer. I believe I have good ironing techniques, at least for shirts and pants. I use both flat end & pointy end of the board.
I thought Polder’s Board at Costco would improve my productivity. After all it’s a Costco approved product.
My old ironing board is from Rite Aid (cheap). It’s narrower and not stable. Costco’s new board is wider, longer, and it comes with a station to rest your iron.
Wait… but this doesn’t make sense. Look at the iron holder on the left. With this, I cannot use the flat end of the board. Look at my older (narrower) board on right. With that, I can use the flat end to quickly iron back-side of my shirt.
Now take a look at the pointy ends of the boards. I use the pointy end to iron my pants.
With my older board (cheaper, narrower), I am able to maneuver my pants easily so I can iron hip & inner thigh area. The only way to iron inner thigh area fast & effectively (without leaving marks) is to position the board from inside (correct me if you know any other way). You cannot do that with Polder board because the board is too wide.
Having an iron station on the flat end is a major mistake. We need to use that flat end. What where they thinking?
I thought I can remove the iron station. But, I couldn’t. It was welded permanently.
So, I had to take the ironing board back to Costco for a refund.
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Polder’s Ironing board from Costco is a quality board. It just doesn’t work for me. Bigger and wider aren’t necessarily better. Wider ironing board will work if you are ironing bed-sheets, drapes, or skirts (or if you are super fat). If you have normal body shape and wear shirts and pants, you need a narrower ironing board.
Polder’s board has a poor design. I cannot believe nobody at Polder raised this issue. If Polder wants to sell more ironing boards, they need to listen to real world folks who actually use irons.. like me.
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Video Demonstration
Using Flat End of the Ironing Board
To me, flat end of the ironing board is absolutely necessary.Me Ironing in the Bedroom By the Closet
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Hi John,
I was searching for information on a good ironing board and came across your post. THANK YOU!!!!! You covering everything I would have found out the hard way had I not read your post. Thanks for taking the time to write a post and for saving me time and money! Happy Ironing!
Debra Curran-
OH MY GOD~~!!!
I am so happy that:
1. Somebody is actually reading my writing.
2. That someone is benefiting from it.Thank you, thank you.
John
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John,
Count me in on folks w thanks for your post. I really appreciate your pics and review, its helped me immensely!
Thanks so much!
Sue -
I am looking for ironing boards on-line right now and thanks to your review, will not be purchasing this one! Thanks for taking the time to put all this information up!
🙂
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You’re welcome.
This was a fun project. I was passionate about this subject.
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John – I really appreciate your post. Unfortunately, i had to learn the hard
way by first buying the board then returning it. i have since discovered that
almost all new ironging boards have that crazy shelf on the wide end.
i finally found one that i could bend the shelf under the board.
Clearly the people who design these things DO NOT iron.
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Yes, I have noticed that most ironing boards now have iron rests.
A lot of them have cup holders. Cup holders!!
I just want to finish ironing ASAP so I can move on with my life. Last thing I want is to savior drinks, standing up, with an iron in my hand.
PS. Later, I learned that they are not cup holders, but spray bottle rests.
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John,
FYI this type of ironing board is designed for sewers and quilters. The extra wide, extra stable board allows you to iron large pieces of fabric with ease and rather quickly! These specialty ironing boards are often sold at sewing stores, and rather difficult to find. I’m sure these were some of the thoughts Ploder was considering when designing these kinds of ironing boards.
Also, the “cup holders” you refer to are most likely spray bottle holders.Just thought you might appreciate some enlightenment on the design of these ironing boards and the reasons for them.
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John: Did you ever find a solution? The ironing board that my Mom gave me 16 years ago finally gave out. She had it for at least 10 years before then. I have run into the exact problems that you described. And since I’ve been ironing on the fat end ever since I was in the 5th grade, the iron holder is the worst thing ever for me. I need a REALLY STURDY ironing board without that piece of junk at the end.
Jonathan
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Hi.
Sorry.Since my last episode, I stopped looking for a new board. I do not have energy for it.
But, I would like to believe that there must be some good narrow boards without the crap at the end.
Good luck~!!
Please remember to update us if you ever buy one that satisfy you.
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Hi, my name is Tim. Just wanted to say hi to the forum, I been creeping around here for a while now, but tend to participate more. Looking forward to make some new friends. Ciao!
Tim
NY, NY
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Hello Tim, nice to know you.
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Hi. I hope that I didn’t make a mistake. I just purchased this from an online store for $22.95 plus s/h. I was looking for a more sturdy board with sturdy legs than other boards. My last board locked in place and I couldn’t close it. Also, I have 4 children and wanted a board that was more sturdy. I hope that I didn’t make a mistake. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you. Lisa
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Maybe it will work for you.
It is a high quality board.
It’s just not for me.
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Thank you so much for the pictures. This is EXACTLY the board that I need. I have a regular size board for ironing clothes and I still often use the sleeve boards to get into tight places but this model is PERFECT for my sewing. It will be so much easier to manage yards of uncut fabric on this. I hope it is a better height to reduce back strain during all the pinning and ironing that must be done over hours of garment construction. Plus it has room for plain water, starch and sizing spray bottles that must be accessible. I am going to check out if it is still available and how high it raises.
Sandi-
I thought this board must be good for professional, specialty people. I can see it will work perfect for you.
If that’s the case, you would still need a narrow board (extra board) for other tasks. Because most people with normal situation simply cannot make the most out of this board.
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I think I’m going to get one too, Sandi — but I prefer the polder boards with Y-shaped legs, rather than T-shaped. Y-shaped legs are much sturdier and more stable. (I hope they still make them.)
John, I found your cupholder remarks just hilarious! Frankly, I find anytime a good time for a hot drink, but balancing a mug on the ironing board should only be contemplated by people in neoprene pajamas.
Happy ironing … Kim
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Haha..
I thought they were drink holder at first (embarrassing)
Later I learned they are spray bottle holders.I still don’t know what they spray on their own clothes. Sounds crazy to me.
I am switching all my work clothes to casual pants & T-Shirts, so I iron considerably less now.
My narrow board still works, but they are so NOT stable. I think you have something there with your Y-leg preference.
That Polder Ironing Board was pretty stable. Very nice.
But it’s just not for me.Have a nice day.
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The spray bottles usually contain water. Some irons do not hold their own water for steam pressing. A light misting of water with a hot iron works just as well and for those stubborn wrinkles a quick shot of water never hurts.
-Sarah -
I remember that my mother would hold water in her mouth and spray (from her mouth) on to the clothes while ironing.
It’s quite disgusting now that I think back.
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I have had my ironing board for 55 years! It has the T legs, is height adjustable and quite sturdy (hence it’s long life). I press a lot of yardage from time to time and thought of getting one of the big boards, but DH made me a plywood topper for it (1/2 inch) and I padded with an old army blanket (4 layers) and then stapled an ironing board cover on it. I can move it off to get back to the standard ironing board if needed, but I usually use it all the time. It has the square end where it used to be the narrow end Like you, I use that square end a lot. Loved seeing how you iron your shirts. I was taught to iron the collar, then the sleeves, then the body of the shirt last.
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Hello, nice to have you!
Nice to know I am not doing it wrong. I came up with that system (collar, sleeves, body sequence) on my own.
As I iron more, it was the only efficient way to iron.
Also, you must have that square end. There should be no compromise.
🙂
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Finally someone agrees with me. I detach the the iron rest from the board because I need the flat end.
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I couldn’t agree with you more John. I need a basic sturdy ironing board, really it is DH who uses it most for his shirts. And you are right he uses both ends.
I wish you worked for Polder. I have been looking for an ironing board for 10 years. I don’t want a bottle holder nor a rack on the end nor a rack on the bottom. Just a nice heavy normal size ironing board that stays up permanently in my laundry room. I want something with some weight to it. I bookmarked a style from Rowenta a couple years ago that weighed 38 pounds. When I came back to buy it. It was discontinued.
Why can’t someone make one decent quality ironing board?
-holly
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I hope this thread is still active…
my wife bought this board recently (here in sydney australia) from Costco. She thought it would be great. When I decided to do the ironing last week , I noticed that the whole length of the board slumps in the middle. I lifted the cover off and found that the board is made of perforated metal as thin as a pepsi can. It has nothing to support it properly and that is why there is a “ditch”in the middle. Surely this must be a mistake?
I’m taking it back next week for a refund. My wife will probably cry (since I don’t want to use it). Any other users notice this?-
Yes, this is exactly what happened to me. I purchased this board at Homegoods, in February 2014.
About a mionth later I noticed this same ditch in the middle of the board. I too lifted the cover to find the board is made of perforated molded plastic. Very disappointed as I liked the height and width of this board.
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John,
That has to be one of the nicest, most thorough product reviews I have ever seen. What a neat guy!!!
Thank you,
Renee
KC-
Hehe, thank you very much. 🙂
John
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Kinda disappointed now, but it’s okay as Costco has the best return policy ever! Just out of curiosity-i understand what you are saying about the non-detachable holding tray, but my reasoning behind the purchase was due to two different factors that I would appreciate your opinion on and hope you have a second or two to share your two cents… 🙂 :
1) The metallic cover. I had considered purchasing one on it’s own from eBay from a manufacturer I’d actually found out about at a home show about ten years ago-perfect timing for the awesome find (which I was wary of trying out, by the way-hehehe) when I had to begin teaching myself the art of ironing, just as you have, since Dad irons his own garments rarely when needed because Mom is magic and has the ability to remove shirts and pants from the dryer, give ’em a quick shake, and hang them over a doorknob of all things and they somehow ALWAYS seem to come out perfect nearly every single time. I did not inherit that skill, lol. I am not sure if you’ve experience with these amazing tools, however, I had found the cover to heat the bottom of the garment and make ironing day much less of a chore–Whoo-hoo! So much quicker and more efficient when using spray starch, if you do. It also helped my clothing stay wrinkle free for longer periods of time. Did you happen to notice that this metal cover was useful in that capacity? If not, I think I will just go ahead and buy the eBay version at $18 and put it on my current cheapo ironing board. It baffles me as to what happened to the cover & ironing board, it was probably lost in one of my moves 🙁
2) The height. There is no mention on the package regarding the board’s height, which my current ironing board’s major shortcoming. It’s about 34 inches, if that, and I am about 5’10”, so it does present a problem for my back as you may imagine. I’m a weirdo who irons both of my son’s as well as my husband’s jeans (sometimes my own,too if I can manage to fit it into my schedule before I need to wear them, lol).I just like that classic crease, I don’t know why…anyway, I digress. Just curious about the maximum height 🙂I thank you for your help in advance, and happy ironing to you!
~jenn -
Hi, I never heard about metallic cover. I need to look into that.
Also, I never thought about the height of the board. If I was taller (like you), I would definitely consider height of the board. Sears sells taller board (up to 40 inches ?). As a matter of fact, I think I would like taller board myself.
Sorry, I don’t have any input. I am taking information from you.
I like how you think.
Thank you for visiting.John
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John, your immediate analysis is spot on.
The mid term effect of this board is the opposite of most boards. Because the metal gauge is thin the release rod will eventually bend and instead of a board that won’t close, In the case of tarditional boards, the Polder board won’t stay open/upright.
Don’t know if the ironing board is a product that can be reinvented. As John described the appropriate functions, I am hard pressed to find a functional improvement. Y- legs are best.
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