Corby Classic Trouser Press

I remember my father coming home from work each evening and beginning the ritual of “changing out of his suit”. This was the 1950s and memories of clothes rationing were still strong, so clothes, any clothes, were looked after and made to last. I think this is why I’ve always been unable to dispose of any clothes until they actually fall off my back! My father’s suit would be removed, brushed and checked for any marks or necessary repairs and the ...
...would be carefully straightened and laid between the mattress and the bed base to be ‘pressed’ overnight.

The system worked well and cost nothing, but had its drawbacks, not least of which was the certainty of a row if there was someone in the bed at the time. A trouser press could have saved a lot of trouble.

The principle of the press is very simple. Straighten your trousers (I usually do this by putting all four of ... more

I remember my father coming home from work each evening and beginning the ritual of “changing out of his suit”. This was the 1950s and memories of clothes rationing were still strong, so clothes, any clothes, were looked after and made to last. I think this is why I’ve always been unable to dispose of any clothes until they actually fall off my back! My father’s suit would be removed, brushed and checked for any marks or necessary repairs and the jacket would be hung up to air. The trousers would be carefully straightened and laid between the mattress and the bed base to be ‘pressed’ overnight.

The system worked well and cost nothing, but had its drawbacks, not least of which was the certainty of a row if there was someone in the bed at the time. A trouser press could have saved a lot of trouble.

The principle of the press is very simple. Straighten your trousers (I usually do this by putting all four of the leg seams together) and lay them flat on the board which folds out from the press, making certain the creases are in line. When you’ve got them straight press a side lever down whilst gently pulling the body of the trousers and the board will be tightened back against the heating pad on the body of the press. The timer is then set for 15 minutes (barely worn), 30 minutes (normal wear) or 45 minutes (someone asked if my knees were pregnant) and that’s all there is to it. Power consumption is minimal. The timer pings as it automatically turns off the heat and the trousers are ready to wear.

Provided that you’ve put the trousers into the press correctly the legs will look as though they’ve just come back from dry cleaning or laundering. If you put them into the press incorrectly you’ll end up with tram lines running down the front of your trousers and the only way of successfully removing these is a trip to the dry cleaner or the washing machine. In the sixteen years that we’ve had the press this has happened a couple of times, but it was down to ‘our’ (i.e. ‘his’) carelessness and was no fault of the press. Even repeated use of the press doesn’t leave the trousers looking shiny, which does happen with regular ironing.

Incorporated in the press is the ‘Corby Stretcher Bar System’ which removes those annoying wrinkles at the back of the knee. I’d love to know how this works, because it really is very clever. There’s also a sprung section at the bottom of the heating pad to absorb turn-ups and hems so that they’re not left looking all flat and shiny, but to take advantage of this you do need to be able to get the trousers a good way into the press. If you’ve got short legs it might not be possible.

The press also has a sturdy plastic hanger at the back to take a jacket as well as a pull-out tie bar at the side, but these always remind me of a hotel bedroom and do increase the amount of space required. Unless wall-mounted the press stands on two feet which are at right angles to the body. In the basic Classic model these are plastic and not very stable particularly if the press is stood on a deep-pile carpet and it’s easy for the press to be knocked over by children or energetic dogs. You would need space of approximately 55cm square close to a power point to accommodate the press safely.

After several stubbed toes and one collapse we decided to wall-mount the press.
Wall-mounting kits are available and, to my mind, make the press much safer in use. You need wall space of 94cm high by 39cm wide (53cm if you wish to use the pull-out tie bar). The shelf at the top of the press is 11cm deep so it’s quite possible to wall-mount the press in a passage-way. You will, however, lose the use of the hanger.

There are disadvantages. This is not a substitute for dry cleaning or washing. If dirty clothes are pressed the dirt is harder to remove and the life of the garment is shortened. Remember too that only the legs are pressed and the creases on the body stay: having perfectly pressed legs and a creased body can look most odd. I’ve found too that the best results are obtained when you’re pressing trousers made from natural fabrics rather than man-made fibres because there is more natural humidity in the man-made fibres and this aids the pressing process.

The press comes in a choice of colours – black ash, mahogany and walnut wood effects as well as white. We chose the mahogany; well, actually it was the only one available at the time, and it looks perfectly acceptable. It’s functional rather than decorative. There’s no regular maintenance required and the press has been trouble-free for sixteen years.

Prices? Well, all those years ago we paid £60, but the cheapest price I’ve been able to find at the moment is £108.94 at the Co-op per www.comparestoreprices.co.uk. Either way, I’d say it was money well spent!

 

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