Hot off the press

摘要

Sales of steam generators and steam stations are on the up, as consumers look to take the hassle out of ironing. Ironing is no longer a boring chore - it is a relaxing, stress relieving, mood enhancing activity that gives the ironer the personal space to daydream and think, according to research carried out by Philips, among 2,600 women. Well, they obviously didn't speak to my other half - she can't stand ironing. Thankfully, manufacturers are catering for those consumers who, like my girlfriend, still see ironing as a hated household chore, by introducing high-tech products that make the task much easier. "With busy lives, both at home and at work, many people find it difficult to devote as much time as they would like to ironing," says Mark Leftwich, category marketing manager of Philips Garment Care, "Then, when they get down to it, they become irritated when little things upset the flow. We are constantly researching the changing needs of our customers and updating our irons to meet these needs." Philips Intellicare is an intelligent ironing system that has 12 different electronic temperature settings, all preset at the optimum level for a range of fabrics, The user simply selects the type of fabric being ironed and the iron will automatically set itself at the correct temperature.