Advice on buying a steamer?

retro ruth

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Staff member
Hello VFGers

I'd like to buy a garment steamer, can anyone give me some advice? I've never used one.

I'd love one to buy a proper professional one, but financially it doesn't make sense right now to spend £300+ But I do see home or domestic steamers for less than £100. Can anyone tell me if these are the worth buying, are they effective or would be wasting my money?

In case anyone has used them, HomePure and Tobi, are the two brands I see most often here in the UK. But I also see them being sold used quite often on ebay having been 'used once or twice', so I wondered if they are not very good! Wardrobe Princess and Cutie Pie Family Steamer are others I've looked at at under £100

There are also hand held 'travel' steamers which are very cheap and was wondering if these are any good - better than nothing? I also don't have much space so this might be a good 'for now' option.

Any general advice on garment steamers would be much appreciated.

Many many thanks in advance.

Ruth
 
Hi Ruth,

Funny, but I asked the very same question on the forum last week! I've just bought a Super Steamer which cost £99 including delivery. The original price was about £250 so it's a good deal. Here's the link:

http://www.supersteamer.co.uk/?gcid=S18394x011-brand&keyword=super%20steamer

I've only tried steaming a linen dress so far but it took the creases out no problem. Just make sure you read all the instructions carefully and make sure you keep the hose upright. Not sure whether it will work for really deep creases in very old clothes and again, I've not tried it out often enough to recommend it really but you can certainly follow the link and find out more.

Good luck with your search! :sunshine:
 
Well, I'm here in the U.S., so I don't know if this brand would be available over there or not. I use a Shark steamer that I bought at a price reduction from Target two or three years ago. It must have been a customer return or a "floor model," as it seemed to have a couple of small, unnecessary parts missing; thus the price markdown. It cost me around $45 or $50 USD. And I really like it. You don't have to use distilled water in it, and it heats up fast.

Prior to that I had a HomeMedics unit, which I hated and which died on my just after the warranty expired. Of course.....
 
I've had a Jiffy steamer for about 5 years and love it. Not familiar with the UK brands. I wasn't impressed with the travel stemer I tried previously, or with the Rowenta iron that supposedly could double as a steamer.

With any steamer, you have to be carefull using it on satins - if it sputters it can leave water spots. If you end up getting a steamer that's a bit sputtery, it will help to put an old nylon around the head. And Louise is right about keeping the hose upright - it's when the head gets lower than the reservoir that it's likely to spit.
 
Thanks so much everyone, that's all really helpful advice. Especially to know travel steamers probably not worth the trouble. And the nylon hose trick.

i think you can get Jiffy's here, but they fall into the 'too expensive for now' category.
 
Ruth, I started this exact same thread years ago - being in the UK makes it tricky I think as we just don't have the same brands available. In the end I decided that a cheap steamer would be a false economy (I've made enough of them to know!) that I would end up cursing. So I searched ebay regularly and in the end found an affordable second-hand Propress for around £75. That was two years ago and I use it very regularly, it has never spat on my clothes and I wouldn't be without it. Would buy another without hesitation. My two-year-old daughter is terrified of it, but that's another story...

sarah-jane
 
Ah thanks, Sarah-Jane, that's exactly what I was wondering - the false economy question. I'd love to find a Propress! I hope I have the same luck finding one.

Thanks again to everyone for their input, it's really helped my decision making.

Ruth
 
I am not in the UK, BUT I advise against the hand held, economy models. I have had all types and the one that I use now which is a home version of a full size professional steamer is the best and the most powerful. I firmly believe that you get what you pay for in this purchase. The hand held units are not as good as getting out tough wrinkles and take much longer to finish a garment. They leak, sputter and you have to refill them constantly. The larger floor models are well worth the price and you can likely find a home model that will work wonders for a moderate price.

A word of advice though, even if your model allows for tap water, I still reccommend distilled water if you are going to use it on a regular basis. It will keep the calcium and mineral build up from clogging up your reservior. It is really a hassle to clean the build up out.

Also, what the others said about satin is definitely true. If it drips or spits you will get water rings. This is also true for some acetates and chiffons. It is a fabulous tool though and I would not go without mine.
 
Thanks for that ArgonneGirl - again very helpful.

I'm very glad I asked about this, this has all been so useful.

I have now ruled out a hand-held travel steamer, and my choice boils down (pardon the pun) to a buying new cheaper/domestic floor steamer (such as Louise's supersteamer), or hanging on to find an affordable second hand Propress or similar top-end professional model.

I think the second-hand Propress option is best, just depends on a lucky find. While the cheaper steamers aimed at home-users could well be okay for my needs, without a definite recommendation, it could so easily turn out to be a purchase I regret.

But I'd be very interested to hear how you get on with your SuperSteamer in time, Louise

SuperThanks!!!
 
Hi Ruth,

Don't worry, I'm certainly not offended ;) I'd never purchased a clothes steamer before and didn't want to spend over £100 in case it was a disappointment. I figured I could buy a more expensive version later. Anyhow, I can now report that I've used the steamer a couple of times and it seems to work fine on linen and velvet. I received my lovely green velvet dress from Jody of Couture Allure this morning and the creases came out beautifully.

I've tried it on satin and silk - very carefully, but it didn't work very effectively on those fabrics at all so I've used my trusty iron and ironing board with a muslin cloth over the top to protect the fabric - result!

So, the SuperSteamer appears to be working beautifully but only on those two fabrics I've tried so far - linen and velvet.

Hope this doesn't add to your confusion in making your choice but I thought it best to follow on with that bit of extra information. Hope it helps.
 
Thanks Louise, not confusing at all, very helpful!

Glad you weren't offended :) I also don't want want to spend over £100, and I really did want to know how well the SuperSteamer performs. If I can't find a secondhand Propress for a good price, I may well buy one.

I wish there were a Which? report on garment steamers...
 
Originally posted by GoldenAge
I wish there were a Which? report on garment steamers...

I agree! I looked online for something but to no avail and some of the reviews I've read are both good and bad for the same steamer - not very helpful :clueless:
 
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