“A man writing a review about ironing? Some people might think me a very good sort of guy… well think again; it’s no big deal. Firstly, I hate all household chores and this is why I’ve bought a dishwasher, a bagless hoover and now recently, this steam iron. I must admit that until now, I had never touched an iron in my life, convinced that ironing is women's work.

So while I was browsing in a store with my beloved for a video game, I just happened to come across a demonstration of this magical iron, the LAURASTAR. And then, the demonstrator started to show us how easy it is to iron shirts, jeans and other clothes. Screwing up all my courage, I went forward to try to iron a shirt. And then disaster struck. I actually succeeded in ironing a shirt! A shot of steam on the sleeves, a quick iron and it’s done. Even better, you can just as easily hang the shirt on a hanger and iron it vertically. As a result, my partner, fascinated by the idea that I had just ironed something for myself, had the bright idea of buying the machine. This is why it was a disaster; it put an end to my excuses…I’m hopeless at it... it takes too long… it’s women’s work. This steam iron is a formidable enemy, guys.

It has a whole host of features: You can use the ironing table’s blower function, creating a cushion of air that takes away the steam and dries the fabric. You can also set the opposite feature in motion, a vacuum that flattens your garment against the table and gives you crease-free ironing. You can also use your iron’s steam function. It maintains a constant pressure and, as I mentioned before, even allows you to iron vertically. The water tank is secured to the legs of the ironing board. Once folded, this steam ironing system can be put away just like any other ironing board.

As regards safety, here too there’s nothing to object to. As the steam is not hot, you can pass your hand under the jet of steam without hurting yourself. You can also leave your iron on the board and make yourself a sandwich without any risk; the iron will not carry on heating and there is no risk of damaging the ironing board cover (this cover, called X-TREMECOVER, is a heat resistant cover).

Ironing time is greatly reduced – my record for a shirt, which used to be 20 minutes, is now down to just 2.

I am not exactly sure what new features my iron has compared to the previous model, but this machine is really worth its price.

To sum up, I would recommend this steam iron to anyone who finds ironing difficult; anyone looking for excuses, though, should steer clear of it."

The association of the middle of February with love and fertility dates back to antiquity. In the Ancient Greek calendar, the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion and was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.

In Roman times, 15th February was known as Lupercalia or the Festival of Lupercus, the fertility god, who is depicted clad in goatskin. Priests of Lupercus would sacrifice goats to the god and drink wine, after which they would run through the streets of Rome half naked, touching passers-by with the strips of goatskin they held in their hands. Young women were happy to approach them, as the touch of the goatskin was believed to render them fertile and make childbirth easier. This pagan ceremony was in honour of Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and of Pan, the god of nature.

At least three different saints were named Valentine, all of them martyrs: Valentine of Rome (a priest), Valentine of Terni (a bishop) and the third a martyr from North Africa. Their saints’ day was set as 14 February by decree of Pope Gelasius 1ST, in around 498 AD.

The association between St Valentine’s Day and courtly love is not mentioned in any historical record and is considered by historians to be a legend. Legend has it that the festival of St Valentine was created to put a stop to the practice of Lupercalia by young lovers who would write their names onto an urn, but this practice is not mentioned in any written source dating from this era.

St Valentine’s Day was for a long time celebrated as the festival of single people, not couples. On the day itself, unmarried girls would disperse around the outskirts of their village and hide, waiting for the single boys to come and find them. Following this giant game of hide and seek, the newly formed couples would be likely to marry during the year ahead. This would generate a population growth and ensure the expansion of the villages.

Source: Wikipedia® article, February 2010

Hurry while stocks last! Click here to order these ironing board covers right away.

Furthermore, LAURASTAR (in partnership with TIBA) will participate to the Millionaire Fair, which will take place from the 10^th to the 14^th December 2009 in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. This fair joins the top names of the national and international luxury goods industry and hosts more than 51’000 visitors.

This is why, in 2007, Claudia bought herself an EVOLUTION i-G5 steam iron: “Over the past two years, I've developed quite a love of ironing! Now I can iron all types of fabric, such as woollens and silks, which I previously had to take to the dry cleaners!” She also finds that her ironing now takes only a third of the time it used to take with her old iron: "I save an enormous amount of time; it’s all so easy with LAURASTAR; I’m not afraid of ruining garments any more so I save money maintaining my clothes too. I also use my tumble dryer much less, which saves energy and results in less wear and tear on my clothes. Once they’re washed, I just run the steamer over them quickly and they’re ready! My clothes are also more comfortable to wear when they’re ironed!”

Claudia’s favourite features on her iron are the steam function and SOFTPRESSING soleplate: "It was a friend who convinced me to use the protective soleplate to iron delicate fabrics. Before, I was afraid of ironing this type of clothes for fear of ruining them and having to throw them away. One day, I tried it out with one of my delicate garments and I was really surprised! The result went way beyond my expectations – the garment was simply perfect!” Claudia is also impressed by the continuous-fill feature: "I also like the fact that I can fill the water tank at any point whilst I am ironing". This means that I don’t have to switch off my iron and wait before I can carry on ironing. In fact, this saves me a lot of time”.

Claudia strongly recommends LAURASTAR to her friends and family: "I would advise anyone who doesn’t have time to iron to get a LAURASTAR. I would never have believed I could iron so much in such a short time. As I wash and iron everything myself, I take pleasure in being able to wear some of the delicate clothes I hardly ever wore before. I don’t have to think twice before washing them now!”

If, like Claudia, you would like to share your experience of using LAURASTAR, click here.

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• Functionality – Usefulness and Practicality
• Design and material – Innovation and Technology
• Quality & Standards – Durability & Statutory Recognition/Accreditations
• Eco & Environmentally Friendly

Encouraged by her mother, Anne treated herself to the latest model in the range, the MAGIC i-S6, in January 2009: "I’d been thinking about it for a long time… I’m a perfectionist and I iron almost everything! With the arrival of my baby daughter, my ironing load increased substantially so I decided to take the plunge!"

"My mum had already told me about the ultra efficient steam function, but on my new model, it’s automatic! It’s great; I use it all the time!"

As well as the CLiiCK^TM technology, Anne also appreciates the following features: "The integrated wheels allow me to move the table easily and to iron in front of the TV... I can relax whilst I’m ironing!" "The automatic rewind allows me to use exactly the right length of cable, which helps improve safety with my daughter in the house". "With the non-stick soleplate, I can iron anything without ruining fabrics!"

Anne is staggered by the amount of time she saves: "The demonstrator said that my ironing time would be halved … and it’s true! You simply run the iron over the garment once and it’s done! It’s so fast that I can hardly keep up with the folding!"

If, like Anne, you would like to reduce your ironing time by half thanks to the new MAGIC i-S6 ironing system, we invite you to attend a demo in your area.

She is not the only person, however, to do the ironing in her household: "From time to time, my son and daughter also iron some of their clothes. Between them, they do around a quarter of the ironing".

Moreover, the numerous benefits of her ironing system make her everyday life easier: "I appreciate my iron because of its automatic steam and extra fine steam controls, which give me perfect results every time."

If, like Mrs Lange, you would like to save time on ironing, look no further than LAURASTAR’s unique products.

Since buying a MAGIC i-S5 in December 2008, her first LAURASTAR purchase, she has been simply delighted.  

"It’s so simple; garments are ironed in one movement on a cushion of air. You simply run the iron over the garment once and the creases disappear … it saves a vast amount of time when you are ironing for a whole family!”

Jennifer dreamed of having her own LAURASTAR iron. Last year, she took the plunge and bought herself one.

"If I had to change my appliance, I would buy a new LAURASTAR immediately!"

If, like Jennifer, you would like to save time on ironing, why not explore the world of LAURASTAR products and expert advice.

Alexandre, a LAURASTAR devotee from Lausanne in Switzerland, confides to us that his LAURASTAR iron, purchased nearly 8 years ago now, has been a real help to him.

I can iron my shirt in just two and a half minutes!

"As I regularly come into contact with clients, I have to be immaculately turned out. I usually wear a shirt and often don’t have enough time to go to the dry cleaners… The LAURASTAR system is ideal for busy people like me, because as well as being practical and efficient, it saves me precious time."

"Thanks to the blower function, I can iron quickly and without unwanted creases – it’s incredibly simple!"

If like Alexandre, you would like to save time and iron your shirt in just 2 minutes, then don’t waste another minute… go and watch the video which takes you step by step through the stages that will enable you to achieve this level of performance.

Panel of Jury
Each submission was judged by an appointed panel of Juries comprising Architects, Interior Designers, Product Designers and Industry led-professionals.

 
Judging
Each product was judged according to the following criteria:-
• Functionality – Usefulness and Practicality
• Design – Innovation and Technology
• Pricing – Price Competitiveness
• Eco and Environmentally Friendly credentials

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