Clothing care - ironing vs steaming

I’ve heard good things about steam cabinets for your closet… if you have an extra $1,000 burning a hole in the pocket! :slight_smile:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Samsung-76-in-AirDresser-Clothing-Care-Electric-Dryer-System-with-Steam-Refresh-and-Sanitize-in-Mirror-Finish-DF60A8500CG/318369305

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I don’t do it often but I love to iron- it is so satisfying for me, lol. Conair steamer works really well, too- especially on the online clothing orders as pointed out by @BunsenBurner.
I like linen clothing in summer but sometimes the wrinkles are too much and a quick steam is easy peasy.

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I travel with a small spray bottle (the travel size section in WalMart has them) for any wrinkles from packing. It has a super fine mist (has to be super fine mist) which will take wrinkles out easily (similar to steamer but no heat). Fill with water and squirt (not to wet)–smooth with fingers and done.

I don’t iron or steam anything these days but used to have a Conair steamer that worked well and a large (well not THAT large) tabletop press that was great for shirts and table cloths.

As for whether a fabric type should be wrinkle free (like the crepe) you really have to test it. They are not all made alike. The only way you can tell is to wad the fabric in your hand and hold it 10 seconds to see how much it actually holds a wrinkle.

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My mother used to make me iron all of my clothes for the school week on Sundays. I hated it! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to enjoy ironing. I enjoy the solitary chore, the smell of starch (weird, I know), and the overall neatness of ironed clothes.

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When we moved almost 30 years ago, somehow we moved 2 irons (maybe one was a wedding present?) but no ironing board (we had a junky one from garage sale). For daughter’s orchestra concerts, we ironed her long black dress on the dining room table pads (heat resistant).

I noticed this week there is an ironing board sent to our basement long ago. Keeping it for now, but we even when my husband and I were working we only purchased clothing that could look decent after a trip through the dryer or a trip to the dry cleaner.

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D1 and D2 both have steamers and love them. We still have an iron, but I don’t iron any clothes for me. I only iron shirts for H if he has to go in the office and the boss is there or wants a nicer shirt for going out. I really don’t iron much at all any longer.

I remember my grandmother doing this. She was one of those who ironed a LOT. She had 8 kids. I don’t know if she ironed all of their clothes or not, but I have lots of memories of her with by the ironing board, watching the soaps.

I need to dust off my iron! 80 napkins are waiting to be ironed for the wedding dinner. :slight_smile:

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In the past, ironing was not just for vanity. A pass with a hot iron kills a lot of things that could be still lurking in that clothesline-dried pillowcase.

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I have both an iron and a little cheapie steamer from amazon. If I really want something ironed well, I’ll use the regular iron - if it’s just a few tiny wrinkles, the steamer is okay.

I iron all the table cloths and cloth napkins for our large, Thanksgiving dinners. That’s the main use for the iron/iron board. Could really get away w/a steamer if not for that!

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I have a Jiffy steamer that works great for larger items such as new curtains and tablecloths. It’s packed away now but will soon be getting a lot of use.

My current iron is a Rowenta which has done a better job than any other I’ve owned, not that I use it much these days. Before H retired, he took his shirts to the cleaners since they could do a better job and with medium starch the shirts stayed crisp looking all day.

I thought I wanted a mangle, but so many reviews have been bad or at least not very good that it’s hard to justify the cost. I may try an oversized presser iron because the main things I want it for are pillowcases, napkins and sewing projects. If I can’t find a good one, then I’ll just get a heat proof pad for the counter in the laundry room and iron on it vs the ironing board.

The place where we have our vacation house has one dry cleaner/laundry. That cleaner will take sheets and pillow cases and wash, starch (light) and iron the bedding. It is so nice to sleep on these linens in the summer. It’s also $$$$ and I think of it as a splurge. Plus, I only send my bedding.

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I think that steaming is more effective than ironing :star_struck:. In addition, steaming is gentle on fabric, so you don’t have to worry about damaging your clothes. Steaming is also much quicker than ironing, so you can get through your laundry pile in no time. If you’re looking for a more efficient way to deal with wrinkles, steaming is the way to go :+1:

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Napkins–paper is okay.

I only iron clothes in the summer. I steam sometimes also. But if I get out my iron, I iron all the stuff.

Honestly I mostly wear work out clothes and they don’t need ironing. But in my imaginary life, I go places that require wrinkle free clothes :joy:

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I never liked ironing, but when we did not want to spend the money on laundered/starched shirts for hubby, I would have him select the shirt he wanted for the next day, and only iron one a night! Once we moved up in the world, his shirts when to the cleaners.

I now rarely iron. Husband’s khaki shorts need ironing, but they are quick. I may run an iron over a cotton t-shirt of mine when then get squished in the drawer! I had to iron my GD’s eyelet dresses for a family photo as like @BunsenBurner mention above, they were shipped in a tiny bag, so needed a bit of elbow grease to get the wrinkles out. When I went to get the iron out, I found that my husband, who attempted to iron his shorts himself when I wasn’t home, had obviously gone over the button, so the sole plate needed cleaning. I keep the Rowena cleaner, but it was dried out. Amazon came to the rescue and the iron looks almost as good as new.

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I may have posted this on another thread? I was a serial ironer in the 90’s when my daughter was growing up. Pants…yes creased down the middle. All clothing, check. Bedding, check. Then daughter came home and asked me not to iron and crease her pants anymore, kids were making fun of her at school. I eased up on the center crease, but continued my obsessive ways.

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I sew so of course I press. And I much prefer to wear natural fabrics-cotton, linen, rayon, etc.-so that requires ironing. Steamers work okay on I guess but I think ironing is better. Crisper. I never ironed my husband’s shirts. He’s a grown-up, if he wants ironed shirts he can iron them himself. He’s never ironed my shirts either.

I always think it’s funny to read reviews by people who bought clothing online that say the item came out of the package a wrinkled mess so they returned it.

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@Singswimsew DH never learned to iron so I would just do it for him, but I felt I was setting a bad example for our son (men can iron too!). Like you said, he’s a grown-up! I gave DH an ironing tutorial and now only iron my things and the odd table linen (e.g. runners, napkins, etc).

I use wrinkle releaser spray even though it’s probably 99.9% water. I did iron when my kids were younger and I was working. Although I feel I’ve failed my young adult children because they definitely don’t iron; I’ve scolded them when they are at home and preparing to go out and their nice clothes are a wrinkled mess. I make them stand with their arms out while I give them a fast spritz.

When I was in college, most of my classes were in the Ag building. A big percentage of the male students wore starched wrangler jeans with a sharp pressed seam (and a button down Oxford shirt with a polo underneath). I’m sure they had them professionally pressed. Not sure if the starched wranglers is still a thing for that demographic.

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