Air fryers are all over social media feeds. And so are garment steamers. Is it useful? It depends on how quickly you need garments to be ready for the office.
There is a difference between a garment steamer and a traditional iron. The former is compact and comes with a small water chamber, so it’s meant to tackle a few clothes, that is, whatever your wardrobe is for the day. It is easy to store and, most importantly, it can handle delicate fabrics very well.
A traditional iron is good for tackling a huge load coming out of a washing machine or if you want to iron for the entire week, or like have a sharp crease on trousers or a formal shirt, since you get access to an ironing board, allowing you to press down clothes, ensuring there is enough heat transfer. With garment steamers, you can get a crease here and there but it will not be as crisp as what traditional irons can achieve. But garment steamers manage to loosen fabric and smooth out creases easily and quite fast. Be it silk, wool, synthetics or velvet, garment steamers are effective.
That brings us to the Philips 5000 Series handheld steamer (On-The-Go STH5030/20), which is a 1,400-watt machine. It’s important to mention the water tank capacity here. There are two containers in the box — 120ml and 200ml. This is unique. The other element you need to check is the steam plate. There is a ceramic coating. The entire plate heats up evenly and works almost like a regular iron. Philips also wins with its run time of 10 to 15 minutes, depending on whether you are using it on regular or power mode.
All garment steamers allow vertical ironing, that is, you place clothes on hangers and then go about the job. Then there are those that can also handle regular ironing. One more important factor to check — steam per gram, that is, how much steam the machine can force out. Here you get 24g/min. Go for a higher figure because this will help iron thick materials.
The device has a biggish plate and generates enough steam. If you want to iron your jacket or delicates, it does the job well. The ceramic coating ensures that the metal plate won’t burn your clothes.
Make the call
If you are looking for a machine that delivers more watts, Hamilton Beach Professional can also be your choice; it can reach 1,740 watts. As far as drawbacks go, there is no lint filter in the box.
Garment steamers are definitely useful, especially if a particular suit needs to be used often and you want it to look crisp. Delicate fabrics or fabrics with plenty of intricate patterns can do with the Philips 5000 Series handheld steamer. Armed with it, you can de-rumple creased clothes in minutes