A portable garment steamer frees you from the space constraints of an ironing board. PHOTO | LYNET IGADWAH
For the frequent traveller, one of the sights one would want to avoid is to open the suitcase for a change of clothes only to find most of the clothes crumpled and needing ironing.
It is worse if you are rushing into a formal meeting straight from the airport and want to look your best, yet are constrained for time.
The thing is, most clothes become wrinkled almost as soon as you shove that last item into your bag. But you do not need to worry anymore.
These days, there are a range of hand-held fabric steamers on the market that are not only cost effective but also take up less suitcase space.
The beauty with the appliance is that it can be used on clothes placed on a hanger of any fabric type including chiffon and nylon, to get rid of those annoying wrinkles.
It is the steam that is produced that actually removes the wrinkles off the fabric. The steam penetrates the fabric, loosens the wrinkles then smoothens them out.
“Best of all, portable garment steamer frees you from the space constraints of an ironing board,” says Eddie Karanja, the director at Edka Limited, a company that imports portable steam iron boxes from India.
He adds that using the fabric steamer is much easier than ironing on a flat surface as you only need to hang the garment against a wall before getting down to work.
If you are a frequent traveler, forget about rolling clothes when packing them to prevent creasing. Owning a portable steam iron box is the way to go.
While most local hotels offer laundry services, only a few provide free ironing services for their guests, whether frequent or new.
One would normally have to send their clothes top housekeeping and then sit there waiting for them to return the clothes.
Woe unto you if you are in a hurry because this can sometimes take forever.
Since free ironing services remains a rarity, unless you are lucky to be in a hotel where they have an iron box in the room, it is wise check into a hotel armed with the portable steam iron.
Karanja says the portable fabric steamer is not only ideal for travel, but can also be used at home and in the commercial setting.
There is an array of designs available in the market and one only needs to pick the one that best suits them.
Attachments
For example, there is the Jiffy Esteam travel steamer, which is a simple tea-kettle style apparatus but is devoid of fun bushes and lint-remover.
The Rowenta pro-compact model is ideal for home use and produces a good amount of continuous steam from its oversized water tank (240ml).
It has an assortment of tools including a lint pad, upholstery brush, crease attachment and fabric brush.
When considering which design of appliance to purchase, it is vital to consider if what you pick has an on/off button or temperature control options.
It is also wise to consider beforehand if the item comes with attachments such as lint brushes, and fabric combs and their relevance to your use.
But regardless of the designs, it is a given that a portable fabric steamer is much better than the conventional iron boxes.
Apart from working on the creases, the garment steamer works as a sterilizer as it brings the clothes to considerable high temperatures, helpful get rid of allergens and bacteria.
“They are particularly effective in pressing heavy fabrics that have been left for a number of days inside the closet without being worn,” says Karanja.
In the house, a garment steamer come in handy for pressing curtains, offering a level of convenience that regular irons simply do not.
The convenience is due to the fact that the appliances can be used both horizontally and vertically, unlike the iron box that can only be used horizontally.
While the conventional iron generally offers a combination of both steam and heat, the fabric steamer gives out constant steam.
What this means is that it is easy to ruin your garments while straightening the garment especially if you leave it on one spot for a long time or simply fail to use it correctly.
Cost
On the other hand, the steamer provides a steady flow of steam to un-wrinkle your items of clothing properly and evenly.
The only demerit of the garment steamers is that they are costly compared to the conventional iron box.
In the local supermarkets, a garment steamer could retail at Sh7,000 while the convectional iron box could cost as low as Sh900.
Karanja displayed the steamer irons at the just-concluded Homes and Gardens 2016 fair at the Sarit Centre in Nairobi where he was selling the portable fabric steamer at a discounted price.
