How to Choose a Clothes Steamer

Steam cleaning your clothing is one of the oldest ways to get your garments looking great. Steam cleaning your clothing can protect the fabric of the clothing, whereas washing your clothing in a washing machine can cause the clothing to become damaged from the heat, or worse, shrink. Steam cleaning is the ideal method for expensive garments or pretty much anything that you might want to pressed. The overall design of the steamer has evolved a lot over the years, and if you are unfamiliar with steaming, you might already be used to taking your clothing to the cleaners. The great thing about getting the best clothes steamer is that you can save on money and not have to pay a professional.

But, if you have a little bit of know-how and some free time, you can simply steam your clothing by yourself at home. Steaming makes for an excellent way to get your clothes looking wrinkle-free. The overall process is a bit time consuming but the finished results will be worth it. Things like wool coats, expensive sports jerseys, and even pants can be steam cleaned with ease. You can also use steam cleaning a less intrusive way of ironing your clothing. A steamer will get the wrinkles out of your clothing just as easily. When you think of the dangers that an iron can present, a clothes steamer is a safer alternative.

Choosing a Steamer

Steam cleaners range from affordable to very expensive. Depending on what your needs are, you’ll want to choose the steam cleaner that is right for you. Choosing a steam cleaner depends a lot on what the application is going to be. If you are only going to be steaming a few garments, then a steamer might not be financially sound. But, if you are going to move from ironing to steaming a good portion of your clothing, then a steamer might be a good choice. You can use the steamer for more than making your clothes look and smell great. A steamer can also be used on other types of fabrics such as linens and bedding.

When you are looking for a steamer, you want to choose a model that has some sort of extensions with it. A good steamer will have a long reach so that you can make multiple up and down strokes on the fabric. A good-sized water tank is also a must to ensure that you’ll be able to steam your clothing for a longer period. Keep in mind that you'll need to clean your steamer after a few uses, so choose one that will be easy to clean and maintain.

How to Steam Clean

The first thing that you’ll notice about a steam cleaner is that the clothing is steamed in a downward motion. You’ll need a good deal of space to be able to hang the clothing pieces upward. Steaming your clothing is not particularly hard to do once you get the hang of things. But, it is going to take some getting used to. You’ll want to make sure that you are getting the strokes perfect. The clothing will begin to change and you’ll see a difference right away. The beauty of steam cleaning is that clothing looks remarkably better right away.

Having a steam cleaner is a great tool no matter the fabric. Not to mention the fact that a steam cleaner makes it a breeze to get your wool coats looking like new. Wool can be one of the most difficult fabrics to clean, so when you have something like a steam cleaner to make it easier, it helps. The increased quality and cleanliness of your garments will make the steam cleaner pay for itself in a small amount of time.

What Can You Steam Clean?

You can steam clean a number of garments such as dress shirts, wool pants, and even coats. Traditionally, an iron would cover many of these but the benefit of a steam cleaner is the reduced risk of burning. Steam cleaners are a great option for cleaning your drapes and other household linens as well. Washing can eventually cause damage to your linens, whereas the functionality of a steam cleaner will protect them. There is no wrong way to use a steam cleaner, but better quality models will give you more preferable results.

Steam cleaning is a great way to make your life more organized and clean. If you want to save money on pressing your garments without having to iron them, a steam cleaner will make the process easier and cost-effective.

Resources— BetterHomes&GardensThe Spruce

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