Which steam cleaner to choose? Depending on the method of operation, such devices are divided into two types – handheld and vertical. A handheld garment steamer has small dimensions and is ideal for ironing in hard-to-reach places, while the vertical version is larger in size, heavier, and looks like a vacuum cleaner. Which model to choose is up to you; the result will be impressive in any case.
Compared to an iron, the steam cleaner, as this device is also called, has a number of advantages, and the main one is gentler ironing. The fact is that an iron supplies steam in pulses, which causes creases, shiny spots, and stretching of the fabric. In contrast, the steam cleaner produces steam continuously, without deforming the fabric fibers.
Due to this feature, such a device is especially indispensable when smoothing items made of leather, knitwear, velvet, corduroy, artificial and natural fur, combined fabrics, as well as items trimmed with rhinestones, beads, or lace.
Another advantage is the speed of ironing. Garment steamers are ready to work just half a minute after switching on, whereas heating an iron takes much longer. Moreover, the ironing process using such devices does not require any extra effort.
Furthermore, ironing with a regular iron inevitably involves using an ironing board, which takes up a lot of space and, as a rule, does not fit into the interior at all. On the contrary, if you buy a steam cleaner, you can iron clothes without taking them off hangers, which is very convenient if you have no place for an ironing board.
Along with the main functions, steamers have a whole set of additional ones: with their help you can easily remove stubborn stains and unpleasant odors, destroy dust mites and pathogenic microbes, clean suede shoes and restore the pristine appearance of shiny elements of upholstered furniture. If desired, compact models of such devices can even be used as a kettle or a mini-inhaler.
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