Wherever in your house your laundry appliances may be located, it's mighty convenient to have a designated place nearby to iron clothes. An ironing center lets you do just that while avoiding clutter. It consists of a narrow cabinet with an ironing board that unfolds for use. The cabinet is designed to fit into a wall cavity between two studs or be surface-mounted on the wall; it's pre-wired with an electrical system to power an iron, so it should be located near an outlet.

To figure out where to insert an ironing center into a wall, you might have to do some detective work to find a wall with a cavity free of plumbing lines and near a power source. If there's no electrical outlet, you'll have to hire an electrician to add a new one, which will add to the cost. To locate a surface-mounted unit, simply find a wall near an electrical outlet for the power source.

A carpenter will charge $665 to install an ironing center, but if you have experience with carpentry and electrical work, you can buy the unit for $550 and install it, saving 17 percent.

Ironing centers are sold at home centers and online at www.ironaway.com, where you can see a larger selection and download installation instructions for either a recessed or surface-mounted unit.