The average steam iron lasts about seven years. If you buy a
reliable brand, empty the reservoir after use and periodically descale it, your
iron might work a bit longer. If you use it daily (as I do) you can expect it
to fail sooner. I’ve run through my fair share of irons. They all serve me
well, and then one day they just stop heating up. Until this week. My seven-year-and-one-month-old
Rowenta iron, which used to make a soft “bink” sound when it turned on and a “pop”
when it turned off, suddenly began saying “bink-pop-bink-pop-bink-pop” until I
unplugged it. I waited a few minutes, plugged it in again, and the same thing
happened. I replaced it with an identical model, but it cost almost exactly
twice what I paid for the old one. Rowentas are made in Germany, so it could be
tariffs. Or inflation. Probably both.






