It’s been my experience that many things don’t perform as advertised and don’t seem like such a good deal when brought home and put to the test. But once in a while it’s just the opposite and a product’s performance actually exceeds expectations. This could be safely said for the recent purchase of a portable garment steamer.

I’ve had some experience ironing, starting out at an early age when I was able to earn twenty-five cents per piece to iron the family laundry. I didn’t do all of it (there were five of us) but enough to teach me that work wasn’t fun but a necessary evil in order to earn spending money. Ironing clothes isn’t an easy job… especially for an eight-year old.

Now they’ve got the portable steamer and I must say it’s a big improvement on the old-school ironing board and iron. For one thing, it’s portable and can be moved to wherever the job is. You can steam clean curtains and drapes, for example, still in place on the windows. It’s a very easy operation.

Dry cleaners are expensive and having your own steam cleaner can save a lot of money on dry cleaning costs. The portable, hand-held steamers are also easy to bring along when you’re traveling and can make quick work out of taking the wrinkles out of the clothes you’ve had packed in your suitcase. Hotel valet services aren’t cheap and having your own garment steamer alleviates the hassle and expense here too.

Another real plus is that these portable steamers work on all kinds of fabrics. They’re much gentler on your clothes than a normal steam iron. Silk, chiffon, cotton, denim, lace… all respond well to a gentle steaming.

Curtains and drapes are usually a pain to deal with because the have to be removed first and then normally taken off-site to be cleaned. With a portable steam cleaner this can be accomplished at a fraction of the cost and none of the aforementioned hassle. You can clean them in place quickly and easily.

There are a wide variety of portable garment steamer models available. They’re reasonably priced and many can be had for less than fifty dollars. They are a good choice because they’re useful for many different applications. A hand-held unit is especially handy if you travel much because suitcases seem to have a way of wrinkling clothes every time. Garment steamers also make a great gift for newlyweds and college students.

Bob Proctor has been writing articles for Ezines since 2006 and is an expert on seatbelt covers and seatbelt cutter

categories: clothes,fashion,appliances,product reviews,travel,shopping,home