Use of LPG, which until recently was confined to kitchen and for cooking only, is now being tried to power iron box.

Indian Oil Corporation has made a beginning by launching it here on Thursday, after tremendous response for the LPG powered iron box in Maharashtra and Kerala.

Alexie Joseph, Senior Area Manager, IOCL - LPG, Coimbatore said, “The LPG-fuelled iron-box will not only prove to be handy for the commercial roadside launderer, but is eco-friendly and economical as well. The istriwala can press 1,300 garments using a 5-kg commercial cylinder.”

“A Pune-based company developed this product. IOC has sourced three-models of these irons priced between ₹2,500 and ₹7,000 for distribution. At 6.5 kg, the iron box is slightly heavier than the 6-kg conventional iron box.

The cylinder is connected to the iron box using an insulated gas tube. The heat can be controlled using the switch on the iron box.

Stating that the LPG-fuelled iron box has been rolled out in Tiruchi besides Coimbatore, Joseph said IOCL is reaching out to istriwalas to promote this eco-friendly tool. Launderers can produce an identity card and get the cylinder, she added.