"It was the oldest sound in the world. Souls flying away." The Secret Life of Bees

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Adventures in steaming


I spent most of the day today in my PJ's, catching up on laundry and other fun stuff. When it comes to wrinkles, I have always been a 'throw it in the dryer for a few minutes' kind of gal. I actually just bought an iron this past year. Ben came home one day a couple of weeks ago with a clothes steamer from Macy's in tow. I thought that maybe he was trying to tell me something about the state of my clothes, but it turns out he needed it to steam his bread (so that the outside doesn't cook faster than the inside). His bread baking obsession has risen to a whole new level (haha). I have been reading about how steaming clothes is much better for the article of clothing than ironing it, so I decided to give it a try.

Things did not start off well. As you can see below, we went through quite the process. I had to stop and snap this picture because the whole situation was hilarious. Yes, those are tongs. Yes, Ben has on gloves.

By the end (we steamed 16 or 18 pieces), I think we had it figured out (kind of). Some pieces were pretty tricky though.

So, what is the best method? Do you just hang it up, apply steam, and hope for the best (it seems like without tools, like gloves and tongs, that's all you can do)? Give me some tips!

I did finally get dressed:) I wore this out to get my hair done and over to a friends house for dinner. I picked this chemise up at the anthropologie party a few day ago. I have never tried the chemise as a dress look until now. I think I like it!

10 comments:

  1. lol, you had me in stitches with the thongs and gloves (i know it was ben), it looked like fun! and i never knew they sold hand steamers for bread. Whoa! I'm learning so much from your blog, first spinning lessons and now steaming lessons. And that chemise dress looks darling! may have to check that out. as for me, I'm not a fan of ironing, i just hang my clothes in the bathroom and take a hot shower.

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  2. LOL, tongs and gloves, oh my! I hate ironing with a passion, so I keep meaning to borrow my mother's steamer and use it once and a while, but I've been too lazy and a little scared of the whole process to be honest. This post is only making me more so I think! ;) But thank you for sharing and making me laugh!

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  3. I've always wanted a steamer :( But like you I'm one of those that just tosses it in the dryer. Sometimes I am just in a hurry. But this is much better than lugging out the Ironing Board and the Iron Ugh! What a hassle, what a thoughtful gesture. And a Pratical one as well, Looks like you had fun :) Or Did You? LOL

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  4. Ooooh, I'm sort of in the market for a steamer. Seems like a very useful piece of gadgetry (tongs aside). :-)

    Nice work with the Brume chemise, by the way! It's such a cute frock that it would be a shame to keep it indoors all the time.

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  5. Lisa - I myself was in stitches! We were both laughing at the whole situation!

    Anjali - You are welcome:) I also hate ironing and I was hoping that steaming would be easier.......

    Gabby - It actually was fun. We made the most of it and we both found it pretty hysterical. By the end, I started to like the steamer - it got much easier:)

    JG - Thank you! I agree, the chemise deserves to worn outdoors! Yes, I think that a steamer can be very useful when you know what you're doing (I'm getting there).

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  6. i LOVE my steamer. we use it daily. it is hard to get the hang of it. i've found that many items are easier to steam from the inside, that way, the steam literally fills the sweater/dress/top etc., and as you go along many surrounding wrinkles just fall out. also, ask your favorite salesperson at a retail store how they steam things so well. once a girl at j crew showed me her steaming tips and it was super helpful.

    now, i steam more often than i iron.

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  7. I have to know more about this steamer for bread. My fella is obsessed with baking bread, too. (not that I'm complaining!)

    The Auspicious Life

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  8. Ms. Mindless - Thank you! I actually found out today that someone I work with used to work at Banana Republic and she said that same exact thing - to steam from the inside. I'm sure I will get the hang of it soon:)

    Linda - Same here. His obsession does get a little bit out of control at times, but I love bread, so it works out! The steamer is actually just a basic clothes steamer. He picked it up on clearance from Macy's. He tried it for the bread a few times (just opening up the oven during the baking process and applying steam to the outside of the bread), but it didn't work out very well. He just uses a water bottle now to spritz the bread.

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  9. I love my little clothes steamer and use it in lieu of ironing. Lol, to see those tongs being used I just had to giggle. When working with delicate fabrics try to move over the wrinkles quickly, and don't fret about water spots, they will disappear rather quickly. Oh and try to us filtered, or distilled water. It helps keep the steamer from getting salt build up in the hose and the steamer head which are super hard to clean out.

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  10. Great! Thinks for the tips Andiea! I think I'm ready to give it another try:)

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