Our Top Tips When Buying A Steam Generator Iron
Who wants to spend more time ironing than necessary? A steam generator iron can help you get through the job more quickly and with less effort than a regular iron.
But with some models costing more than £250, they’re not cheap. Below we reveal when it’s worth paying more for a steam generator, and when you’d be better off sticking with a regular iron.
Ironing has to be one of the most boring household chores. A third of us admit to saving up all our ironing and setting aside time once a week to get through creased clothes. If you’re ironing pile is relatively small, opt for a steam iron, but if you’ve got a hefty pile and have enough storage space, go for a steam generator instead. Here, we’ll help you decide which one is best for you.
Regular irons are cheaper to buy and easier to store. Some of the best models produce huge amounts of steam and are more than a match for large laundry piles. These tend to be more expensive than the budget options available, but they’ll help you spend less time and effort at the ironing board.
The more steam you have to work with the faster you’ll get through your laundry pile. The best steam generators typically give out more than twice as much steam as conventional irons. Making them perfect if you regularly iron large loads of laundry. And need a lot of steam power to shift deep creases. Most steam irons also have self-cleaning systems and anti-calcium functions designed to prevent limescale from building up inside the iron and eventually clogging the steam vents. ‘Ironing water’ offers limescale protection, and is often worth investing in if you live in a hard water area. Over time, calcium in the water supply will form limescale, which clogs the steam vents.
Most new steam and generator irons include cleaning systems and anti-calcium functions. That are designed to prevent this calcium build-up from damaging the iron. Some have a changeable anti-calcium cartridge. Whilst others have a burst of steam or a dedicated anti-calcium button that you press when cleaning the iron to force limescale out of the vents.
Cut Your Ironing Time
Perfect for reducing large loads of ironing fast! The high pressure steam, along with the soleplate can deal with multiple layers of fabric at a time.
Powerful Vertical Steam
Perfect for vertical steaming curtains and decreasing suits and delicate clothing which you cannot directly iron on.
Fast Heat-Up
High pressure steam generators heat up in only 2 minutes so you are not waiting around to start ironing!
Long Lasting
Most come with an Anti-Calc lime scale collector that provides the easiest way to deal with hard water and extend the life of your machine and is available on most models.
No Interruptions
Fast heat up Steam Generators feature large water tanks so you can iron for hours without having to stop and refill.
Depending on your ironing routine, you may find one type of iron more suitable than another. So whether you have a huge pile of family laundry to get through. Or just want to get pressed and dressed fast. We hope that this guide will help you choose which iron suits you.
