A hideaway ironing board is a kind of ironing board that is built into a wall, cabinet, or countertop so that it can be easily stowed when it is not in use. The most common kind of hideaway ironing board comes with its own small cabinet that closes around the board to conceal it. There are other kinds, however, that are built into a pocket in a wall or under a counter. These kinds of ironing boards slide out of their storage space much in the same way that an installed cutting board slides out of the underside of a kitchen counter. A third kind of built-in ironing board is built into a mobile laundry stand that offers storage for supplies such as detergents and stain sprays, while also offering surfaces for sorting, folding, and ironing.
Sometimes the cabinets that are used to surround a hideaway ironing board are also designed with a certain amount of storage capacity. These models usually have enough space to store the iron, a spray bottle, and a few other small supplies. Some of the most well-outfitted cabinets also provide an outlet for the iron and a small lamp that can be used to illuminate the ironing board surface. This is especially useful for people who do their laundry and ironing in the basements of their homes where natural light might be lacking.
While the most common hideaway ironing board is the model described just above, there are similar models that are built to fold against a wall that do not have a surrounding cabinet. These models may be designed with a sort of kick stand that is used to steady the built-in ironing board when it is in use. Some people believe a hideaway ironing board with a wood cabinet is aesthetically more pleasing than one that simply hangs against the wall in plain sight when it is not in use.
Hideaway ironing board models that slide into a wall or counter pocket or are part of a laundry stand are the least common. The one drawback to a built-in ironing board that slides in and out of place is that a pocket has to be created to accommodate it, which can be more difficult than simply hanging an ironing board cabinet on a wall. The laundry stand, on the other hand, requires no installation whatsoever.
