Easily DIY A Cute Storage Solution To Keep Your Iron Tucked Away

When it comes to managing weekday mornings, many of us will gladly take all the help we can get; any convenience to make those first couple hours of the day easier can make a world of difference. That's especially true if you have to iron your clothes as part of your routine. Having a holder for your iron in a spot close to where you press your clothes makes the iron easy to access and replace, helping you to breeze through your morning. 

Iron holders are simple and inexpensive projects to upgrade the home that almost any DIYer can complete. There are several designs you can try, including this super-simple crafty cardboard style from YouTube channel Sonali's Creations. However, the most common construction is wood, and you only need essential tools and materials like plywood, screws, a drill, and a saw. While a jigsaw or scroll saw offers more flexibility with the shapes you cut, you can also finish this build with straight cuts from a table or miter saw. This storage solution only takes a few minutes to build, but you'll reap its benefits every morning.

A good way to start an iron holder build is to trace the iron's plate on the wood; the outline serves as a cut template for the holder's backing, which will attach to the wall. Next, stand the iron up as you would while storing it, and measure it from front to back and side to side. With those measurements, create a rectangular cut template for the base of the iron holder.

Place your iron on the base, and do a dry run to ensure it's wide and deep enough to hold the iron with the sides and back installed. If it is, you can cut out the sides and a slotted front panel; make the slot generous enough to accommodate the cord while still locking the iron in place. Rounding the slot's sides, as seen in the above DIY from the YouTube channel basicthings1644, creates a crisp, clean look that matches the arching shape of the back panel. To simplify the build, you can also make your iron holder with straight cuts using a table saw or miter saw, forming basic rectangular sides.

With the pieces cut, it's a straightforward assembly using wood screws. Drill pilot holes where you want to connect the panel sides to the adjoining panel edges to prevent splitting and install the screws. To bolster the hold, you can also line the connected edges with wood glue before screwing the panels together.

After constructing your bare-bones iron holder, you may want to add embellishments to get more style and functionality. Paint or stain is an obvious way to style the new addition — just remember that properly sealing the wood is a must, since this will protect it from residual moisture that may accidentally drip from the iron while in storage. Adding an arm to the side, meanwhile, can give you a spot to wrap the cord neatly. You can quickly build the arm out of leftover wood pieces or attach a metal hanging hook, like the Schlage Ives Ceiling Hook, for extra style points.

As you design your iron holder, don't forget your other ironing accessories, which can potentially find a home in this storage solution. With a few more wood pieces, you can make a side holder opposite the cord arm to hold starch, steamers, and other ironing accessories. All that's left after that is the ironing board, and you could even install under-shelf hooks like these National Hardware Ceiling Hooks under the iron holder to hang the board. (With the added weight, though, you should use appropriate wall anchors when mounting the iron holder to keep the storage system secure.) Pre-made iron holders with similar features are generally inexpensive, but with the ease it takes to DIY an attractive custom piece, this fun project is well worth anyone's consideration.