Fort Bend Lifestyles and Homes Magazine May 2009: Historically Fort Bend - The History of Ironing, Sadirons, Flatirons, Mary Florence Potts

People have wanted a nice press on their clothing for centuries, first using hot, smooth rocks to flatten out the wrinkles. The first metal irons appeared in the 17th century. These irons —also called flatirons or sadirons—continued to be in widespread use until the early 20th century. Sadirons take their name from an earlier definition of sad meaning solid, dense, or heavy.

Sadirons were made in one piece and had metal handles. They usually weighed five to nine pounds and were heated on stoves or in fireplaces. These irons worked well but had some problems. First, the entire iron got very hot, including the handle. Women had to hold their sadiron with gloves or cloths to prevent burns. Second, there was no temperature control and one could easily find their clothes burned. When irons were heated in the fireplace, soot could also collect on the iron and be deposited on freshly-cleaned clothes. Finally, the irons would quickly cool down and then they would have to be reheated, making ironing a long chore.

In 1871, Mary Florence Potts invented an iron that had a removable wooden handle. The handle could be removed while the iron was heating which made the sadiron much safer. These irons were also pointed at both ends making it easier to iron in both directions. However, the “Mrs. Potts” irons still had all of the other sadiron problems.

Other options were “self heating” irons like charcoal or gasoline irons. Charcoal irons were hollow, and users filled them with hot coals to heat them. Some charcoal irons had a high spout-like opening to allow air across the coals and to keep smoke off the clothes being ironed. Air would be drawn across the coals by a bellows or by swinging the iron. Gasoline irons were heated by lighting gasoline stored in an attached tank. Other fuels such as alcohol were also used to heat irons. These “self heating irons” kept warmer longer and made the task of ironing clothes faster. However, they both had smelly fumes or smoke and had no temperature control.

The first electric iron was patented in 1882, but few homes had electricity available for this use. Use of electric irons did not find popularity until the beginning of the 20th century. These did not smell as much as the “self heating” irons and were lighter than sadirons but still had no temperature control. Irons with thermostats were not manufactured until the 1920s. These electric irons were a great improvement on the old sadiron. Gone were the burnt hands and burnt, smelly clothes, except in rare occasions. Now ironing was easier because electric irons were lighter and stayed hot. That is definitely better than using hot rocks.