Should I Buy A Professional Iron?

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?