Before you deal with the issue of choice, you need to understand, and why is it even needed in the house, the steamer for clothes? After all, there is such a service, as dry cleaning, in which there is a special equipment that allows you to bring in the proper form of any thing. Not knowing what opportunities a steamer has, there is no point in starting a conversation about the criteria for choosing a product.
Features of
-
steamers The ability to iron out any thing, regardless of its size. Often housewives are faced with the problem of ironing massive and heavy products from various, sometimes rather dense, fabrics. There is no sense in explaining how much time and effort it takes to work, for example, with outer clothing or wide drapes. A traditional ironing board in such cases helps a little, since it is designed to work with relatively small products. With the help of a steamer, you can process the thing right on the spot, without removing it from the shoulders or curtains. Convenience and time savings are available! - The thermal effect on the fabric is excluded( especially with regard to synthetics, which often becomes unusable due to "burnout"), since there is no direct contact between the hot working part of the iron and it. The product is processed by a "contactless" method.
- With the steamer, you can smooth out any, even the most "difficult" fold, since the fabric, irrespective of its appearance, is "softened" with steam. It turns out that this product easily solves one of the most painful and time-consuming for the hostess issues.
- The fleecy fabrics do not lose their appearance after such treatment, on the contrary, they are only "refreshing", while the traditional pile iron knocks down that does not add any attractiveness.
- Fur products are further cleaned of microscopic particles of dirt that are always present on the villi as a result of dust settling. The iron can not give such an effect.
- A special difficulty is ironing clothes on which there are various decorative elements( beads, crystals, sequins and the like).The rough impact of the iron leads to their damage. The steamer is not afraid of them. The same applies to things that have different inserts, for example, leather, plastic or other kind of fabric.
- The steamer brings any thing into its original form. With it, you can get rid of bubbles on the "knees" and "elbows" of products, as steam restores the structure of the material.
And if you consider that you do not have to waste time on a campaign for dry cleaning and waiting for the order, then intensely advertise the steamer simply does not make sense - every woman has already understood everything. It remains to answer the question - what to look for when buying?
Selection criteria
Purpose
All similar devices are divided into household and professional. The latter are more durable, since they are designed for intensive operation and a minimum of care by the staff of the same dry cleaners. For home it is more expedient to purchase products for domestic use. They are more compact, and they are somewhat cheaper. Although there is no clear distinction between these "classes" - the destination is determined by the capabilities of the steamers and the availability of certain functions.
Power of
This is not entirely correct, because first you need to determine if the amount of steam produced is sufficient? But these indicators are interrelated, therefore, experts recommend that for qualitative processing of things purchase models from 1.5 kW.This guarantees a minimum of drop formation, which is undesirable for some tissues.
Capacity of the
water tank The time of the continuous operation of the device depends on this. A 200-ml boiler will provide the steamer with a capacity of 6 to 8 minutes( depending on the model), a 3-liter steamer for several hours. Therefore, it is necessary to be guided by the amount of work to be done in order not to waste time on "refueling".
Design
Hand-made models are suitable for several small things or one massive. The size of the boiler does not allow for the continuous processing of large volumes - it is often necessary to take breaks.
Given the compactness of such devices( the tank is combined with a handle), they are convenient on the road, business trip, on vacation and so on. In general - for rapid ironing, "on the go."
At home, vertical models are more appropriate. The kit includes the boiler itself, various nozzles and a connecting hose( for steam supply).
Number of
modes As a rule, most low-cost devices have only 1 mode of operation. Although the quality of processing in some cases will be much lower, because the hostess has to iron things from different tissues. It makes sense to pay more, but buy a "universal" steamer, which allows you to choose the optimal mode( the ability to switch).
Additional functions of
As already mentioned, their set depends on the specific model. For example, the supply of steam under pressure. This makes it possible to carry out a "wet" cleaning. There are special nozzles that allow processing the most inaccessible places.
Warranty and technical support
Serious Manufacturer is confident in the reliability of its products, therefore it is better not to pay attention to devices with a warranty period of 1 year.
In addition, buying any equipment, you need to foresee the worst - how and what to repair it? That's about it and it's worth asking the Seller - are there spare parts for sale, where is the service( accredited)?
The range of steamers, as well as the manufacturers, is quite large. So that the reader can navigate the cost of these devices, we give some data.
"Super Jet"
Manual, boiler for 200 ml, capacity 1,2 kW, operating modes - 1. The price is from 1450 rubles.
"Tobi"
Vertical, 1 mode, capacity of 4 liters, power 1.5 kW.The price is from 3 450 rubles.
"GM"
There is a humidification function.1 mode, 1.8 kW, boiler for 2.3 liters. The price is 4 100 rubles.
Useful advices
- Any device that uses water during operation is prone to such an "ailment" as the formation of scale on the internal walls of pipelines, containers, especially if the liquid is heated. To extend the maintenance-free lifespan of the steamer( taking into account the quality of the water supply), it is advisable to purchase specially prepared water for it. It is cheap - about 80 rubles for a 5-liter bottle.
- When choosing an instrument, you need to determine what you need to get from it. Manufacturers supply steamers with a variety of additional functions, for which you naturally need to pay. Will they all be in demand in practice? For example, the humidification of air in the room. Is not this duplication of any other product in the house? And with what clothes do you have to deal? If the family is accustomed to mostly wear jeans and sweaters, then it makes no sense to purchase an expensive model for complex ironing.
