Garment Steamers?

[Drappa]

Sorry if this has been asked before, I couldn't find it in the search.

I was wondering if anyone here uses a garment steamer, and if so, which one is the best to buy?
I am beyond tired of having dry cleaners look at my dresses sceptically and tell me I need to sign a risk-form. Some of my clothes have no fabric tags, so I don't know if they can be handwashed, and after having shrunk some rayon I am a bit paranoid. I keep reading that steaming is good for freshening up clothes and also sanitizing them, but most garment steamers I look at have bad reviews.
I've now narrowed it down to Jiffy (bit pricey though) and Fridja - any thoughts? Would it be a waste of money?

 

[moonmatrix]

have a decent one that was a gift from last Christmas. Not top of the line but I love it and it is going very strong!! It has both the regular atachment and the suit presser thingy. one sec will look at the brand for you. It is Conair. I seriously swear by this. i hate to iron my vintage, I refuse actually. Not sure if they have the Conair in the Uk but it is seriously worht checking. this thing takes the wrinkinkles out of everything I I hang on it and even my Beau's suits.

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

OK my 2 cents on this
I would buy a high output commercial steamer. I used to work retail and they worked great and were used a lot and rarely went kaput. I would not get a little hand held home job I remember trying to use one before a friend got married and it was worthless. Sorry I don't have any brand names for you Drappa but look for one that has a gallon water holder on the bottom and a pole to hole the garment while you steam and watch your hands our you will get a burn.

haha that does say B U R N not bum as it appears

 

[rue]

My mother says that Rowenta http://www.shoprowenta.com/?trk_src...|ADW|rowenta&gclid=COSHifHjq6UCFU465QodiUfrZA is the best brand. She also said that you can use a steam iron, but I don't know if it would work the same for vintage clothing.

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp02481-0379.html

This looks exactly like what we used to use.

 

[Foofoogal]

Must of read my mind. I was just thinking about finding out about them today.
I have a cashmere pullover I am wanting to get the wrinkles out of to list.
I know noone will get my Rowenta iron. If the steamer works half as good as the iron it will work for me. Thanks for asking this ?

 

[Tomasso]

Jiffy are well thought of...





http://www.jiffysteamer.com/

 

[NancyLouise]

The only steamer I've used is my Rowenta DG5030 (http://www.shoprowenta.com/detail/ROW+DG5030/DG5030_Pressure_Iron_and_Steamer) It has worked perfectly for me, has a pretty large capacity - at least from what I'm used to with regular steam irons. The steam output is really great. It actually has set off my smoke alarm a few times haha...

 

[Drappa]

Thanks for all the responses! I am glad to hear it's been working out well for some of you, and I have been looking at the Rowenta, but can't seem to find them in the UK at the moment. I will have to save up for one, but am considering the Jiffy if I can convince the husband

NancyLouise, I have seen those but have always been a bit confused about what they are, as they look like a normal iron? Do they not iron, but steam instead?

 

[LittleMissPussyCat]

I normally just hang the garment and use a steam iron to steam it.

 

[Tatum]

I have a Rowenta handheld that I bought when my 6-year-old Conair died, and I love it. Also small enough to travel with!

 

[moonmatrix]

good to know my conair may last 6 years lol.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

I have a Home Touch steamer purchased from Costco. I think it was about $40, and I would not be without it. It heats up in no time, has abundant steam, and a nice size water tank. For steaming vintage things, corduroy, velvet, hubby's suit coats, etc. it works like an absolute charm. It also helps with putting off dry cleaning, too, because the steam is so hot it really spruces up things nicely. I keep mine (it sits on the floor with a long rod and a hanger holder) right next to the closet. For many things, this saves getting out the ironing board and iron, and the steamer heats up way faster than the iron. And you don't have to worry about it cooling down before you can put it away... just switch it off and kick it back to its corner.

 

[Tatum]

good to know my conair may last 6 years lol.

Yup! I forgot until this weekend that there is another one, about 5 years old, that I gave to my friend in Savannah...he was using it yesterday!

 

[NancyLouise]

Drappa, it does both ironing and steaming. You would be holding up the iron as you steam. There is a long cord from the iron to the water tank and a dial for controlling steam output. A LOT of steam comes out and the water tank is pretty large too. I've never been very spoiled with irons or had a steamer so this is a great combination for me.

NancyLouise, I have seen those but have always been a bit confused about what they are, as they look like a normal iron? Do they not iron, but steam instead?

 

[~Kate~]

My mom bought a Tobi steamer a couple years ago but never used it. Luckily she passed it on to me I use it on all my delicate vintage clothing. It works quite well. The only complaint I have is that sometimes the steam doesn't come out as consistently as I would prefer.

 

[Grateful1]

I've had a Jiffy J-2 steamer for about 12 years and it's still going strong. It might be a little pricey, but it paid for itself a long time ago both in saved time and lower dry cleaning bills.

 

[colporterw]

One of the advantages of a garment steamer is letting you save a bundle on your dry cleaning bills.
Jiffy Steamers have been pretty much the mainstay in the garment steamer market. Rowenta and Conair are also other competing brands, just to name a couple. One steamer model that is particularly suited for consumers today is the travel garment steamer--a handheld steamer that you can take with you when traveling out of town. It really makes a difference when touching up your clothing and removing all of the crinkles that were made during transit, especially in business suits, evening gowns, etc.

 

[Undertow]

Have to agree with Land-o-lakes gal - try to get one with its own pole that holds up the steamer head. I have a decent Conair version but it requires you hang a hook on the back of a door to hold the steamer head. Quite inconvenient if you plan to steam many articles at once, or somewhere other than a doorway.

I can't recommend steamers enough, btw. I don't launder each article of clothing every time I wear it (suits, wool slacks, cotton slacks, work shirts, etc) and a steamer does a great job getting out wrinkles and eliminating any odors. They're also very gentle on these articles as opposed to constant laundering and ironing.

 

[labricoleuse]

I work in a theatrical costume shop, and we have three Jiffy steamers which get an enormous amount of use. Wardrobe uses them to steam out the costumes in a show sometimes up to 4 times a day (on matinee days), our archivists use them freshen vintage and antique donation to be photographed for our study collection, our stock manager uses them to freshen costumes that folks are renting, and I use them sometimes for production applications (blocking felt hats, setting human hair wigs, activating thermoplastics for weird item construction). Point being, we use them A TON.

They are the type with the gallon reservoir and the standing pole that holds the steamer attachments.

I have worked here for 6 years and in that time we have replaced one of them because someone accidentally dropped it down a flight of stairs. Other than that, anything that happens in normal wear and tear (once someone accidentally put the cap on the reservoir too tight and stripped the threading), you can just order the replacement part like a new reservoir cap and/or jug.

If your husband wears suits you could mention that not only does it work to freshen dresses, but also jackets/vests/pants which cuts down more on household dry cleaning needs.