Going green: IOC officials giving away LPG-fuelled iron boxes to launderers in Coimbatore on Thursday. | Photo Credit: S. SIVA SARAVANAN more-in Now your neighbourhood istriwala can no longer cite lack of power as an excuse for delay in pressing your clothes or issue a meek apology for the coal spark-inflicted holes in your costly clothes. Add to that, disadvantages of pollution, risks of respiratory problems and cancer to the launderer. Replacing the conventional coal-fired and electric iron boxes, an eco-friendly iron box fuelled by Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was on Thursday launched here by the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) after a good response in Maharastra and Kerala, officials said. These LPG-powered iron boxes will be handy for commercial launderers and those who press clothes on push carts on road sides. The LPG-fuelled irons are eco-friendly and have no side-effects, compared to conventional coal-fired iron boxes. In the conventional variety, launderers inhale carbon dioxide emitted by it for a prolonged duration, resulting in respiratory problems. Moreover, it is cost effective. Pressing one garment is about one-third that of coal-fired box and one-sixth of an electric iron’s cost, said Indane officials. There is more. For instance, a launderer can iron 1,100 garments using a 5-kg cylinder and 4,500 with a 19-kg commercial cylinder. However, LPG-powered irons are a bit costlier initially. Slightly heavier Indane has sourced three models between ?2,500 and ?7,000. While conventional irons weigh about 6 kg, the LPG-fuelled one weighs 6.5 kg. “Women who handle the conventional irons can easily handle this as well. Five and 19 kg cylinders are freely available across the counters with all Indane distributors,” said officials. Many launderers were given LPG irons along with a 5 kg commercial cylinder here on Thursday.

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