That toasted sandwich thing is VERY old...we used it in our dorm rooms in college..and I am VERY old. Funny about the ironing board (first, did you notice that there was no pad on that ironing board LOL) I asked this board recently about how they cover their ironing board...got good responses. I ended up making my own cover and I love it, but I put a layer of aluminium foil between the two commercial pads that were left over from previous covers I had purchased. It is the best cover/padding I have ever had! I am going to try the foil ball in the dryer today. I use the balls someone else mentioned..they soften, but do not de-static! And if I cannot keep using the same ball of foil, it will not be in my frugalistic bag of tricks.