Reflecting the heat back onto your garment will speed up your ironing process. It can also be an energy saver as more heat is created using less electricity and time.
Cotton will scorch if you get your iron too hot or lay it down on the surface for a long period of time. Although scorch marks on your cover will not damage your clothes, they do not look nice and are almost impossible to wash out. Some manufacturers have designed their heavy duty cotton covers with a steam repellent layer underneath the cover to give you the best of both styles - no slip surface, with reflected heat for ease of ironing.
Be sure that the lining is thick enough to create a buffer between your garment and the perforated ironing board so that the mesh of the board does not transfer to your garment. Most pads are between four and eight millimeters thick. If you find the perfect cover, but do not like the padding, you can always add your own. Fabric stores sell upholstery foam and felt by the yard. You can cut this to fit on top of your board, then place your cover on top. Some people keep the old cover as padding and place the new one on top. Felt is an organic material and does not contain the chemicals which may be used in foam padding.
If you are using a cover made after 1960, it likely does not contain asbestos. If you are disposing of asbestos, you should contact your local council for instructions on specified disposal sites for hazardous materials.
Only measure the top of the board. Do not wrap your measuring tape around the sides of the board.
Knowing the length of your board is going to be the most helpful. Some covers can fit various widths using elastic or drawstrings, but the cover must reach both ends of the board.
The size of the cover should be listed on the packaging. Match the size listed to your measurements.
Drawstrings can be easier to use than an elastic cover if you have an iron rest attached to you ironing board. The drawstrings can be worked between the board and the iron rest more easily than elastic edging.
If you have an iron rest, remove the iron rest before slipping the cover on, then reattach the iron rest with the cover in place.
Some people find the designs distracting. They can make it more difficult to see seams in the garment or to determine if the wrinkles have been removed.
