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Iron, like most vitamin and mineral supplements, takes a while to build up its levels in your body. So don’t go mad with the supplements if you think they’re not having an effect after the first couple of days. If you do, you may fall prey to the main side-effect of high-dose iron supplements: constipation. Our recommendations are all formulated to avoid constipation, and one ( BetterYou Iron Daily Oral Spray) even bypasses your stomach completely by being sprayed onto your skin. Long-term buyers rave about Floradix, hailing its gentle formula, pleasant taste and effectiveness. One male buyer, who struggled with his old exercise regime after falling ill, writes: “Iron deficiency can happen to athletic men, not just women. I will withdraw the ferrous fumarate (iron tablets) once my bloods are stable, but I’ll continue Floradix lifelong.” Steam generator irons have become much more mainstream over the last few years, with many deciding to invest. And they are a very expensive investment, with prices going into the hundreds of pounds. Gently stroking wrinkles in really delicate fabrics with an ice cube wrapped in a wash cloth, then using the iron at its lowest heat setting.
Without a doubt, ironing is one of the most dreaded, time-consuming household chores going – according to a YouGov study*, 50 per cent of us dislike it. Mumsnetters love this brand for its long-lasting, high-quality products, and previous customers agree that it is an effective and efficient model. It glides in on a scratch-resistant durilium soleplate, with 30% more steam holes and a powerful 210g steam shot that’ll even de-crease heavy-duty fabric like denim. The soleplate is large and smooth, and there’s even a texture brush attachment to remove any debris before ironing. Our only slight criticisms are that there’s no built-in de-calc facility – so, depending on how hard your water is, you’ll need to buy and use a descaler from time to time – and the iron is heavier than many others. READ NEXT: The best foot massager to buy The best iron supplements to buy in 2023 1. Active Iron for Women: Best non-constipating iron supplement for womenAs well as the usual steam settings, there’s also a turbo steam button located under the handle for an extra burst. It also has a MicroScale filter, which helps to reduce limescale stains on your clothes by filtering out limescale particles – making it one of the better choices on the market if you live in a hard water area.
Almost all fabrics are easier to iron while slightly damp, so give them a light spritz of water before you start. Iron in your diet mainly comes from red meat, beans, dark green veg, and nuts and seeds. Unless you eat a lot of this stuff, it can be quite hard to get all the iron you need from food alone, especially if you’ve cut down on red meat for ethical or health reasons. Iron deficiency is also very common in women, especially those who suffer from heavy periods.
Our pick of the best steam irons for a pain-free ironing experience
Whether you love ironing or not, you’ll likely need a steam iron, even if you wear clothes that don’t generally need ironing. It’s a fact of life that all clothes look better when pressed, and at some point, you’ll have a wedding or a job interview to go to, even if you aren’t ironing work clothes as a matter of course, each week. Lay clothes along the length of the ironing board and use long, straight strokes while ironing for best results. What’s better than one tablet? Two tablets! OK, one of these daily doses is iron, while the other is a capsule containing your full daily dose of B12 (the other nutrient women are most likely to be deficient in) and vitamin B6, which helps regulate hormones. Leading iron supplement maker Active Iron has designed both pills to be extremely easy on the digestive system (easy enough to take on an empty stomach, which is when they work best), and to work together to get the best out of each other. Together, they add up to create the perfect daily supplement balance for women.
Steam Power: Although it's difficult to pin down steam output, generally, we found that the best-performing irons are usually at 1,700 to 1,800 watts. Steam is your friend when ironing out tough wrinkles, so an iron with a stronger, longer stream of steam will press your fabrics better (and faster) than those without. Decent tools are half the battle. Make sure to use a well-padded board with a smooth, tight-fitting, scorch-resistant cover. Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet, with a special focus on home care content. She writes buyer's guides, cleaning and laundry articles, and tests products out in her family home to help our readers make informed choices when it comes to parting with their pennies. She is a mum of two and lives in Sussex. Why you should trust us
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When we test irons, we grade 14 aspects, including the amount and rate of steam they produce, the temperatures of the bottom soleplate at various settings, the temperature swings (highs and lows) at each setting and how hot the handle and body get for safety. We time how long the irons take to heat up and we weigh how heavy they are. We assess how easy the controls and sprays are to use, how easy the water tank is to fill and how likely the iron is to tip over if placed on a wobbly board. This isn’t a machine you’d use for huge amounts of ironing as the water reservoir is tiny – it’s built into the handle and will definitely need refilling if you’re steaming multiple items – but it’s incredibly easy to fill, mainly because Tefal have had the foresight to make it removable from the main body of the steamer. I’ve tried so many iron products and they’ve either been ineffective or resulted in constipation,” writes one buyer. “But Active Iron actually works with no miserable side effects. I no longer feel constantly tired, and love the fact that it’s gentle enough to take on an empty stomach.” Another woman, who says she suffers from acid reflux and anaemia, writes: “They aren’t the best taste, but I have found these tablets to boost my system without any harsh stomach pains so they deserve 5 stars.” Breville’s iron isn’t called the DiamondXpress for no reason: you’ll find actual crushed diamonds in the soleplate, which Breville says improves longevity as well as glide. The iron is light and has a slightly smaller soleplate than some of the others we tested; however, the soleplate is wide and multi-directional which makes it very easy to manoeuvre around an ironing board. It was also one of the most stable irons in a standing position and has a nice, soft handle that feels comfortable in the hand. There’s also plenty of steam produced, making it easy to remove wrinkles without too much effort.
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