HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire an ironer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Ironing services need no licence in the UK. Here is how to check an individual ironer, agree the price, and what happens if something is damaged.

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TWO WAYS TO BUY THIS

Which do you need?

An individual by the hour

An ironer comes to your house for a set number of hours and irons what you hand over, in the order you ask. You pay a rate per hour and supply the iron and board; an individual under the threshold adds no VAT.

A company for the job

A firm collects your basket, irons it at its premises and returns it on hangers, priced per item or per bag. It sends drivers and staff, works to a written price list and, once registered, shows VAT on the bill.

What changes

A rate per hour against a price per item; one person in your home against a team you may never meet; your instructions on each shirt against a printed price list; no VAT from a small individual against VAT on the firm's receipt.

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an ironer in five steps

  1. Decide where the ironing happensIn your home by the hour, or collected and returned per item.
  2. Agree the price methodBy the hour, with the rate, a minimum booking and a list of what is ironed first; or per item from a firm's price list.
  3. Flag delicate fabricsSilk, linen, wool and printed fabrics need care.
  4. Ask what happens if something is scorchedWho pays, and how much.
  5. Check the first batchCollars, cuffs, creases, before booking regularly.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Ironing for other households is unregulated in all four UK nations — no register lists ironers and no licence is needed. The checks are references, a clear price, and how the ironer treats your clothes.

Ring a current customer and check the first batch closely.

Reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

An ironer trading as a business must carry out the work on your clothes with reasonable care and skill (section 49). If it falls short, section 55 lets you require the work to be done again at their cost within a reasonable time; if that cannot fix it, you can ask for a price reduction.

Keep the ticket or order confirmation and raise problems as soon as you see them. legislation.gov.uk →

Basic criminal record check (self-requested)

There is no legal duty on an ironer here. Still, a person working alone in your home can get a basic check on themselves — DBS in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland — to show you.

Ask whether they have one from the last year, and see it. gov.uk →

Your items in their care — insurance

No register sets insurance for an ironer. Ask whether their cover includes customers' clothes, when they are collected while they hold them or carry them, and what they pay out if something is lost or ruined.

Ask for the policy terms or the compensation limit in writing before handing over anything valuable.

VAT

Ironing is standard-rated at 20%. An individual ironer working by the hour in your home is usually under the £90,000 registration threshold, charges no VAT and has no VAT number to give. A collection-and-return firm above it must add 20% to the per-item price and show it on the receipt.

Ask whether the ironer or the firm is VAT-registered; only a registered business should add VAT. gov.uk →

“Do you iron in my home or collect the ironing?”

A good answer: Either, with the price method for each.

“How do you charge for ironing — by the hour or per item?”

A good answer: One method: a rate per hour with the minimum booking, or a per-item price list.

“How do you iron delicate fabrics?”

A good answer: Lower heat, a pressing cloth, steam, and asking when unsure.

“What happens if an item is scorched or shiny after ironing?”

A good answer: An apology and compensation, agreed in advance.

“Will the same ironer come each time?”

A good answer: Yes, or a named alternative.

“Do you hang or fold, and do you supply hangers?”

A good answer: A clear answer, with any hanger charge.

“Can you show me a recent basic check?”

A good answer: A certificate in their name, if they work alone in your home.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends: the ironer you met, or a firm's driver with the ironing done by staff at its premises, employed or subcontracted
  • The firm's VAT number, with VAT shown apart from the per-item prices
  • Shirts, bedding and delicates priced if different, and what happens if an item is damaged
  • Collection and delivery charges, and hangers or bags supplied
  • Booked by the hour instead: the rate per hour, the minimum booking, and which basket or rooms are done first

Walk away if

  • No price method agreed
  • Ironing everything on one heat
  • No answer on scorched items
  • A different person each time with no notice
  • Cash with no receipt for regular work
  • No list of items collected
LOW
£13
TYPICAL
£16
HIGH
£20

What an ironer costs: £13–£20 per hour

Ironing is charged by the hour in your home or per item for collection, with bedding and delicate items sometimes priced separately. Ironing Service price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Ironers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. Agree the workWhere, how charged, what is included.
  2. SortGarments sorted by fabric and heat.
  3. IronEach item to its label, with steam or a pressing cloth as needed.
  4. FinishHung or folded as agreed.
  5. Return or hand backItems counted back to you.

Pressing cloth
A cloth between iron and fabric to prevent shine.
Steam press
Pressing with steam for heavier fabrics.
Per-item price
A fixed charge per shirt, sheet or garment.
Hourly rate
A charge for time spent ironing.
Shine
A glossy mark from too much heat.
Collection round
Regular pick-up and drop-off.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the first batchCollars, cuffs, pleats, no shine or scorch marks.
Count collected items backAgainst the list.
Keep receiptsEspecially for regular weekly work.
Write the reviewYour account of the pressed clothes helps the next person choose. If they fell short, use the make-it-right step before the review is published.

STEP 1Raise the ironing with them in writingSay what was agreed and what happened. If the ironing missed the standard of reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49), the remedy is a repeat at no cost or a price reduction.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for an ironer starts with a choice: send it to them first to fix, with us following it through, then publish the review.
STEP 3No regulator — use the consumer helplineA complaint about the ironing has no register or ombudsman behind it. Ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland; they can pass a case to Trading Standards.
STEP 4If money is still owedYou can take the ironer to the small claims route — the county court small claims track up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure in the sheriff court up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an ironer: questions people ask

Ironing for customers needs no licence anywhere in the UK.

No law requires one, but an individual can request their own basic check — DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI — and show it to you.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must use reasonable care and skill. Ask for a redo or a price reduction, and agree compensation for ruined items.

£13 to £20 an hour, typically around £16. Collection and per-item pricing change the total. Hourly and per-item ironing prices are in the ironing service price guide; your town above brings up ironers near you.

Per item is easier to check; hourly suits mixed loads. If hourly, agree the rate, the minimum booking and which items come first.

At 20% only if the ironer is VAT-registered.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in personal & lifestyle

How to hire: Laundry ServiceHow to hire: Dry Cleaning Pickup & DeliveryHow to hire: Home OrganiserHow to hire: Decluttering ServiceHow to hire: House SitterHow to hire: Errand RunnerHow to hire: Personal AssistantHow to hire: Tailor / SeamstressAll 701 hiring guides →

Ironers near you

Ironers in LondonIroners in ManchesterIroners in BirminghamIroners in GlasgowIroners in BelfastAll ironers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  3. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  4. mygov.scot — Level 1 (basic) disclosure
  5. nidirect — apply online for a basic check (AccessNI)
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register