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I spent about $40 on my Conair model. It works well and I use it everyday, but I see steamers with better features and stability for just a bit more. The wife bought it and didn't do any research prior but we lucked out and got a decent model.
Look for models with a steam board or with clips to hold garments taught while you steam. Mine only has a hook for a hangar and my garment twists and twirls while I'm steaming it.
When I've been reading about steamers lately, they all are saying that the steam kills odors and cleans 99.9% of the material. So my question is, do you wash you items less when you use a steamer?
Typically I will just steam things I wouldn't wash. Blazers, suits and pants, the occasional sweater or tie depending on the material. I wash all my dress shirts and make sure to hang them immediately out of the dryer to avoid wrinkles. Otherwise, I hang them in the bathroom while I shower to help loosen up minor wrinkles. But I'm lazy when it comes to the ironing/de-wrinkling of clothes.
"You don't need money to dress better than you do" - Salvatore Romano
Yes, I steam everything. Cuts down on dry-cleaning. In fact, I've only been to the dry cleaners twice in my entire life. I steam all of my jackets regularly, probably every 3rd or 4th wear. Wool gets washed once in a while with Woolite or baby shampoo and air dried. Between washings, they get steamed. Sometimes I'll wear shirts twice before laundering if I didn't sweat as long as I steam them between wearings. This is possible because I wear undershirts.
I do my sweaters in the washing machine, inside a mesh laundry bag, on delicate setting. With literally just a few drops of Dr. Bronner's soap. The mesh bag is really useful as it prevents any pulling or stretching of the fibers by the washing machine blades. I got mine for just a few dollars at Target. Similar to this, but mine is branded by Tide:
As far as steamers go, I've been looking at some of the hand-held steamers (which are loads cheaper). Most of them seem to get fairly decent reviews. I was in Bed, Bath & Beyond today to buy some cedar hang-ups for my closet and saw one for $20. I might have to pick it up sooner or later.
I really really suggest investing in an upright steamer. The portable ones are convenient for travel, but they don't output as much steam and the reservoir is much smaller. I bought mine for $40 at Costco, I believe.
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