A reader on Mama’s FaceBook page recently asked this question:
Do you think it’s worth the investment to get a professional style steam press to do our ironing? What do you use?
This is an excellent question: Is a professional-grade iron with the money? And my answer?
It depends.
If you are considering a professional steam iron for your home use, answer these questions to help you make the right decision.
Do you need your clothes to have a professional finish?
Professional finish: a crisp, clean look to a pressed garment; seams are pressed well and pleats are crisp.
Many of you have jobs or attend events that require well-pressed clothes. I’m not talking about a pair of khakis you would wear on the weekend. Clothes that require a professional finish are men’s dress shirts or a woman’s blouse.
If you consistently wear clothes that require this type of finished look, then you’d benefit from a steam iron. It’s practically impossible to obtain a professional finish with an iron from Wal-Mart or Target. They simply do not have the capacity to provide this type of job.
A professional iron can distribute a large amount of steam, which is why they usually have a separate boiler. Pleats are crisp and seams are well-pressed because of the large amount of steam a professional-grade iron can produce.
Do you iron clothes at least every other week?
It you consistently iron clothes every week or every other week, a professional steam iron would be hugely beneficial.
A steam iron makes pressing clothes tremendously easier. The actual iron head isn’t nearly as heavy as a lower cost iron. Because of that, the iron literally glides across the fabric. As a result, you can iron more efficiently and get through your ironing stack faster.
As I previously stated, a professional iron has a separate boiler to hold the water it uses for steam. That eliminates having to fill up the iron every 3 or 4 shirts. I can iron an enormous stack of clothes and never re-fill the water reservoir.
Do you use your iron for crafts or sewing?
Most for-home-use irons have an automatic shut-off. While this is great for not burning down the house, it can be a pain if you need the iron to stay on for several hours while you complete a sewing project.
It’s hard to find an iron that does not have the auto shut-off feature in Target. However, a professional-grade iron rarely has this feature which makes it perfect for crafters and the sewing crowd.
Re-cap
In my case, I couldn’t get by without a nice, professional-grade steam iron. I iron a lot of clothes (both for my family and for other clients). And I want our clothes to have a professional finish to them. If I’m going to go to the trouble to iron something, I want it to look dynamite when I’m finished!
Because I iron at least once every other week and because of the look I need our clothes to have, it only makes sense for us to own a professional steam iron.
However, you have to assess your own needs. If you only occasionally need to iron a button-down shirt or the infrequent pair of dress pants, you can easily get by with a lower cost iron.
So I’m curious. What kind of iron do you own? Does it meet your needs or do you think you need to upgrade?
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Thanks so much for this! I am definitely going to make the investment as I absolutely HATE ironing, but I always have a lot to do! Cheers!
You’ll be thrilled! Yes, ironing is definitely not my favorite thing to do either, but a nice iron at least makes it better. 😉
Thanks for asking the question!
-Lauren
Hi Mama! I just wanted to let you know I linked to you today!
Thank you!! You know I appreciate it 😉
Ironing is ok, and if i am going to do I want the clothes to look good. I purchased a Rowenta a couple of months ago and I love it. Now I need a new ironing board. I say if you want the wrinkles out and with ease I would suggest yes get yourself a good iron. I am thinking that soon I might want to upgrade.
Cathy, I purchased this Rowenta ironing board from Amazon 2 years ago. I LOVE it. No more rocking, rickety boards at our house. If you have a professional iron that has the boiler on the bottom, you’ll need a sturdy board for it to sit on.
I hear good things about the Rowenta iron! Glad you like yours!
in an industrial environment also your advice is great – we tried going cheap sometimes but when it comes to the iron and its sue the higher quality ones are worth the bit extra – they last
https://www.charm-tex.com/steam-iron.html