Can Steam Iron Burn Clothes? The Right Answer You Need To Know
Who would have wanted to go to work, school, or to the mall with crumpled clothes? Nobody does. Crumpled clothes may give an impression that you are lazy. It may also appear as if you are wearing old, worn-out, and dirty clothes. Wearing clothes that have no creases and wrinkles will give you a boost of confidence. That is because you are aware that you look presentable and neat no matter where you go.
Having wrinkle-free clothes, however, is best achieved with the help of heat using the process called ironing. As the name implies, a clothes iron is needed in order to do the procedure. An iron is a small, hand-held home appliance that is commonly made of metal. Generally speaking, the appliance is allowed to produce heat and is pressed over the clothes. Wrinkles, creases, and any crimps present are stretched with the help of the heat coming from the iron, as well as with the assistance of the iron’s weight.
The Ironing Problem
However, ironing clothes is not as easy as it seems. Since heat is applied, there is a possibility that you might burn some parts of your clothes that you are ironing. That is because of the fact that you might have applied too much heat. It is also possible that you left the iron on the area for too long. There are also certain clothes that need special care while ironing like spraying the garment with a little amount of water. No matter what the reason may be, the sad thing is that you have already damaged your favorite shirt, pants, skirt, or sweater.
Fortunately, most clothing manufacturers place ironing instruction labels on the tags of the clothes. With the help of those, you will be able to determine if the clothing can be ironed safely or not. They also show you if you can iron the clothes on the front side or not. Likewise, the labels will also help you determine the right amount of heat that you need to use.
Different Types of Steam Irons
As an overview, traditional clothes iron uses dry heat in order for them to function properly. Nowadays, you can already find clothes irons that are able to produce water vapors. They are designed in order to meet the needs of clothes that cannot tolerate dry heat. Those products are the so-called steam irons. The steam is incorporated in order to have a smooth fiber. Thus, you no longer have to go back and forth to the creased or wrinkled area.
The first type is the so-called regular steam iron. It looks like the traditional clothes iron, but there is a water compartment. With this type, you will be able to choose between dry and wet ironing methods. The second type is the garment steamer. It is the type that is only used for wet ironing processes. It has a large compartment for water and uses pressure in order to release steam.
However, the big questions are, “Can steam iron burn clothes?”. “Was it able to resolve the main problem encountered when using the traditional dry iron?”
Can Steam Iron Burn Clothes?
Generally speaking, steam irons are manufactured in order to make your ironing easier and faster. That is the reason why they are recommended to be used if you regularly iron plenty of clothes on a daily or weekly basis. When it comes to accidentally burning clothes, according to experts, such will be a case-to-case basis.
If you are going to use a regular steam iron, the incident may still happen. That is due to the fact that the appliance still has a direct contact with the garment. However, the scorched part of the clothes will not be as severe as the one produced by the dry iron.
That is because clothing was only exposed to the regular steam iron at a lesser time. Thus, the burnt area can still be removed by certain methods like rubbing it with distilled vinegar. Nevertheless, in order to prevent burning clothes when using this type of steam iron, it is always best for you to use a continuous iron gliding motion with little pressure.
In contrast with the regular steam irons, garment steamers are the best products if you need a “No” answer to the question “Can steam iron burn clothes?”. The main reason is that the steam or vapor coming from the product is solely responsible for removing creases and wrinkles.
Also, the distance of the iron from the clothing does not have to be very near. That is because the steam is pressurized. Thus, it is able to reach a flexed-arm-length distance. Nevertheless, there are already steam iron manufacturers that have incorporated advanced safety features, like automatic shut-off, on their products.
Conclusion
Steam ironing is a great choice for individuals who are always on the rush, as well as for those who have bulks of clothes to iron. With regards to the question, “Can steam iron burn clothes?”, since steam irons still involve heat and electricity, it is still possible for regular steam irons if you will not use it properly. For garment steamers, the incident of burning of clothes is less likely to happen.
