You are about to enter the season in which everybody you know is throwing a party. From graduation parties, bridal showers, and weddings, you’re going. It is not like you to miss a party. You may even attend a funeral or two.
The problem? Your fancy clothing supply is limited. And by fancy, we mean clothing that can’t be cleaned in a standard washer and dryer. The upside? The clothing items you do have matches and can be interchanged to create many different outfits. That is when they are clean.
Taking your clothes to a local dry cleaner, like Prestige Cleaners, is the ideal solution. But after every use? That could get expensive.
You need a solution that allows you to DIY clean your fancy clothes in between trips to the dry cleaner.
Voila! Introducing the steam cleaner.
I know what you’re thinking. How can steam clean clothes? How can steam get that wine stain out of my fancy-schmancy skirt? How can steam kill that funky odor that smells like I stored my fancy shirt in my sneakers?
We have the answers. Keep reading to find out more about steam cleaning.
How Do Steam Cleaners Work?
For most, steam cleaners are easy to use. You pour water into a reservoir or tank. It is here that the water is pressurized and heated. Optimal temperatures are slightly over 200 degrees. This is usually the temperature that produces dry steam. You are then ready to scan your clothing while releasing steam through one of the attachments for the product.
The steam produced and applied to clothing relaxes the fibers of fabrics, helping to eliminate wrinkles.
Can Steam Cleaners Eliminate Odors Too?
After attending a few summer parties all around Arizona, your fancy clothing may have a funky smell. Of course, it’s always best to let the professional dry cleaners take care of that odor for you. But if you don’t have time and need to re-wear the clothing soon, steaming is an option.
Yes, steam cleaners can eliminate odors. It does so because of the heat produced and applied to the fabric. Steam can do a lot of great things for your fancy clothes. Reports, like that from The Laundress, state steaming kills odor-causing bacteria and germs. It also eases allergies because steaming gets rid of the allergens that attract dust mites.
Get this; steam cleaning is effective at eliminating E.coli, listeria, and even salmonella.
Because steaming only uses the power of heat and water, it is the safest method of cleaning clothes, if the heat level stays around 200 degrees. If it gets too hot, it can leave burn marks on your clothing. If it doesn’t get hot enough, your clothes will remain wrinkled and a not-so-hot mess.
Other Benefits of Steam Cleaning
While nothing lasts forever, steam cleaning can extend the life of your clothing. A washer and dryer are just too aggressive for some fabrics, causing them to break down faster than if you were to pay for dry cleaning. Most dry cleaners use a chemical to assist in the cleaning process. Therefore, you can’t dry clean too often.
Steam cleaning appears to be the happy medium between the two methods.
Steam Cleaning vs. Dry Cleaning
Just like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to both steam cleaning and dry cleaning. If you choose steam cleaning, you are responsible for purchasing the cleaner, using it correctly, storing it, etc. With dry cleaning, you drop off your clothing one day and pick it up another.
The professionals do all the work. You pay for their service, but doing so allows you to focus on everything else in your life, not dirty clothing. Steam cleaning can remove stains, easy to remove stains. But what about those deep, greasy, oily stains? With these, dry cleaning methods that use chemicals are best.
The word chemical does not always mean harsh. At Prestige, we have been using eco-friendly solutions that are gentle on clothing and the environment for many years. We are proud to say we were the first company to do so.
In the end, the correct choice may be not to choose at all. Instead, use both methods. In between dry-cleaning drop-offs, you can use your steam cleaner at home.
Discuss steam cleaning with your professional dry cleaner. Together, you can develop a cleaning plan that will keep you looking your best in your fancy clothes.