Steaming

[WJTW]

I read about this method to remove creases in one of the threads. I am quite curious about how this method works. How does the steam help remove the creases? How efficient is it in removing the creases?

Anyway, what else (if any) can this method do for clothes?

WJTW

 

[STYLESTUDENT]

There have been previous threads on this point, but steaming is far gentler and causes less damage than commercial pressing. No scorch markets or crushed fabric. I still have my shirts laundered but steaming wool trousers and jackets removes wrinkles. Just hold the steamer close to the fabric and pass over it several times. Wrinkles will go away. You might also brush the fabric with a good quality clothes brush simultaneously. Again, based on previous posts, I now use the Jiffy handheld ESteamer and trashed my old Rowenta (the Jiffy costs about $50 from allbrands.com). The Jiffy produces ample steam.

 

[bch]

Steamers are great for:

Casual shirts, esp. linen or silk;
Khakis, unless you need a crease; after a steaming, they'll look like they will anyway after wearing them for a couple hours;
Knit polo shirts, they look like they did when you bought them, it takes about 2 minutes per shirt;
Suits, jackets, pants

You still need an iron for dress shirts and anything that you need a defined crease

 

[AlanC]

Steamers are also great for sport/suit coats, removing wear wrinkles and lapel creases.

Also, they are wonderful on ties. I bought a great Talbott regimental tie at a thrift shop recently ($1) largely as a steamer experiment. It was wadded, wrinkled and creased like you wouldn't believe. I fired up the steamer, after a short time under the steam the tie looks pretty much like you'd find in the store. Amazing. I wish I'd taken a "before" picture of it.

Get thee a steamer.

 

[Heron]

Does anyone use their steamer on their ties?

 

[justbrowsing]

Does anyone use their steamer on their ties?

I have steamed a couple old ties that were unwearable due to the amount of wrinkles. Although no one would confuse them with new ties, both were refreshed to presentable condition. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable doing it regularly out of fear and respect for errant water droplets.

 

[bch]

Yeah, ties work out well too. I have taken ties off after work, thrown them in the back seat, where some have sat for days, weeks even. (Don't anybody call the tie police on me, please.) They look brand new after some steam.

 

[Jill]

If you unpack three weeks worth of clothes from a suitcase, hang everything up and fire up a 1500W steamer you can steam out all the wrinkles in 20 minutes, let them hang loosely in a room with a fan going overnight and hang them in the closet the next morning.

...if you are smart you can feign stupidity, bat your eyelashes for a moment or two and get Chuck to do it for you.

 

[imageWIS]

If you unpack three weeks worth of clothes from a suitcase, hang everything up and fire up a 1500W steamer you can steam out all the wrinkles in 20 minutes, let them hang loosely in a room with a fan going overnight and hang them in the closet the next morning. ...if you are smart you can feign stupidity, bat your eyelashes for a moment or two and get Chuck to do it for you.

Jon.

 

[WJTW]

Thanks for the information, everyone. I think I really should get a steamer. Meanwhile, are there any substitute methods for steaming without an actual steamer? Someone mentioned that one can hang the clothes around the bathroom, turn on the shower to maximum heat and close all doors and windows and wait 15-20 mins. How efficient is this method compared to an actual steamer. I believe speed-wise, the steamer could be faster, but how about their ability to remove creases? I always thought the shower will not be able to produce the same amount of steam as a real steamer to be as efficient, though. How about simply running an iron over the clothes, without the iron actually touching it? Does it even work?

: Speaking of ironing, is steaming gentler than ironing? Thanks, WJTW

 

[NewYorkBuck]

I always thought the shower will not be able to produce the same amount of steam as a real steamer to be as efficient, though.

It wont. I bought a Jiffy. Amount of steam is unreal. Never looked back.

 

[Carlo]

Steaming versus ironing - would you rather sit in a steamroom or be tossed naked onto a hot skillet?

Methinx steamroom would cause less wear on you.

$150 or so retail for a good steamer will save you thousands in dry cleaning you don't need. Suits have far more wearings than cleanings in their lifespan.

I will do some time lapse pics of terribly wrinkled suits being steamed to illustrate this when I get the time. Trust me, I sell clothes, not steamers so my near maniacal insistence that everyone buy a steamer is benevolent in nature.

 

[Parker]

I highly recommend the Jiffy E-steamer: small, good amount of steam, and relatively inexpensive. I had to steam my new Chan suit that arrived in a FedEx box last week.

Took the fold marks out in about 2 min of steaming.

 

[Carlo]

I tells ya and I tells ya

 

[hermes]

i have a rowenta commercial steamer
one of the best purchases i ever made
on top of suits, pants and raw denim jeans, i can even do drapes and upholstery with the thing