You have to leave four seconds between shots to allow the temperature to build up. To steam vertically and remove wrinkles from hanging clothes and curtains, hold the iron close to the fabric (or a distance away, if the fabric is delicate) and press the steam-shot button. On its side it switched off after 28 seconds, and left upright on its heel it shut off after 7mins 50secs. It seemed really magical, and completely counter-intuitive that an iron could successfully smooth both cottons and synthetics at the same temperature, but the mystery was solved when I used my infra-red thermometer. The iron is always at 100ºC, which is basically the normal (low) temperature for synthetics.

Since the Russell Hobbs One Temperature Iron uses plenty of steam, and has an unusual soleplate, it can get creases out of cottons at a lower temperature. It’s definitely a good iron. It gave a nice effect on polyester and on wool, and an excellent result on my heavy cotton shirt. The snub nose point manoeuvred well around buttons. To avoid scale build-up, the iron needs to be cleaned once a month. It will require cleaning more frequently in a hard-water area. You fill the tank to the “max” mark, set the steam control to “no steam”, stand the iron on its heel, and switch it on. If you're starting out on your search for the best steam iron then there are a few factors you may want to consider when looking into the best ways to do washing and care for your laundry.What we like about this steam iron from Morphy Richards is that it offers that little bit more than a typical steam iron, which is why it gets our vote for the best steam iron for families.

There’s one single optimum temperature, which is ideal for different types of fabric so no more fussing about with different settings or waiting for it to heat up or cool down. Families with young children will benefit from the peace of mind that a safety auto shut off feature can give. This means that the iron turns itself off when it hasn’t been used for a certain length of time. It’s also a great feature for those who tend to wander off to answer the phone or door and forget they’ve left the iron on.There are four settings: no steam, steam, high steam and the self-cleaning button. When you turn on the Russell Hobbs One Temperature, the red light on the main body of the iron slowly pulses on and off as the iron heats. When it glows steadily, the iron is ready to use.