BENEFITS OF A GARMENT STEAMER OVER A PRESSING IRON
A garment steamer is a great option to straighten out your clothes, much like an iron. It works by turning regular tap water into steam, allowing you to blow the steam onto your wrinkled material. The steam works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fabric consequently eliminating the wrinkles. Clothes steamers have been marketed as a quick and easy alternative to ironing. There are two main processes that a steamer undergoes to turn the unit from a tank of cold water to a wrinkle loosening machine.
THE HEATING PROCESS
The garment steamer works similarly to an electric kettle, being that the two are largely the same in a certain sense. The clothes steamer comes equipped with a tank which is meant to hold a set volume of water. Beneath (or around) the water tank is a heating element which causes the water to boil hence releasing steam. Unlike the electric kettle; however, many clothes steamers allow you to choose just how hot the tank’s water will get through the use of heat settings. This determines how much steam comes out of the unit allowing you to apply as much heat as you need to work with any given piece of fabric without having to worry about the fabric getting damaged in some way.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
After the water in the tank has heated to the point where it produces the desired level of steam, the steam is then transferred to the clothing of choice through a pipe or hose and then out through the unit’s head when the trigger is pulled.
Unlike a steam iron, the amount of steam produced by a steamer is extremely large. While an iron has a few small holes in it located at its base, a garment steamer’s head is covered with more holes than its solid material. As such, it focuses less on physically pressing the material and more on producing large amounts of steam.
GARMENT STEAMER OR IRON?
So you may possibly be thinking that you already have an iron that can straighten out your fabrics and you could be right. However, the garment steamer provides some benefits that may not be found with your traditional pressing iron as outlined by Audrey of theironingroom.com.
No Ironing Board Needed
Even though you have the money to spare for an ironing board, you might not have space for it due to its size. It is hard to store and keep it entirely hidden from view and yet, easy to access each time you need to use it. While you can always opt for a small ironing board, a smaller surface area can make the task much tougher and longer to complete. On the other hand, a garment steamer does not require an ironing board and needing very little space to operate.
Makes the Task Easier
Ironing is not as easy as it may sound. There is a learning curve even if you are prepared to learn and it also takes patience to get the techniques right so that you will have a perfectly ironed shirt or pants. Compared to ironing, steaming is much simpler. You just grab the steam head and let the steam do the job as you slowly move it over your clothes. There is little to learn and practice when it comes to steaming.
It Is Faster
With a fabric steamer, you don’t have to lay your garment totally flat on a surface. You also don’t need to keep repositioning your clothes like you do when you iron. This makes the process quicker. In fact, you can save a lot of time if you have a powerful clothes steamer that generates a high steam output that can get rid of wrinkles quickly.
Other Uses
Besides being used for fabric straightening, a steamer can also be used to get rid of dust mites and bed bugs. The steam is hot enough to kill these creatures and it is easy to run the steamer through every inch of your mattress.
Although the Garment steamer has its advantages over the traditional iron, the iron cannot be overlooked as it still poses its own set of advantages, such as producing more sharp and crisp results. However, the objective is the same in getting rid of wrinkles, but the results may differ. If you are in need of something that works quickly with little expertise then the garment steamer is the best for you. Click the link below to shop our high quality Midea Garment Steamer below!
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