Just realized my $15 portable steamer is better than ironing on the road

I spent $15 on a tiny handheld steamer from a drugstore in Chicago last summer before a work trip. I thought it would be a waste because I always just used hotel irons. But it saved me from wrinkled shirts in hostels where there's no ironing board at all. It also works for freshening up jackets between wears which cuts down on laundry costs. Has anyone else found a cheap travel gadget that actually beats the usual method?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_gonzalez461mo agoMost Upvoted

Hotel irons are free and way more powerful though.

daniel4701mo ago

No question hotel irons have way more heat behind them. That's why they can actually get stubborn wrinkles out in one pass instead of having to hover over a travel iron for ten minutes. Plus you can usually crank up the steam setting on those things until they basically spit out a cloud. Only downside is you never know what someone else did with that iron before you, so you have to check the soleplate for melted plastic or worse. But for straight power and zero cost, nothing beats it for a quick touch-up before a meeting.

jackson.matthew23d ago

Oh man, totally agree with you and @daniel470 on this one. I had the exact same thing happen with a little $10 travel steamer I grabbed at an airport gift shop once because my suitcase got crushed and all my shirts looked like garbage. That thing has saved me more times than I can count, especially in those cheap hostels where the iron looks like it's been through a war. The fact that hotel irons have that raw power is nice and all, but I'll take a steamer I can trust won't leave brown water stains on my white button-down any day. Plus when you're in a hurry, just zapping the wrinkles out without setting up a whole ironing board is a lifesaver.