Keeping your steamer clean is the best way to ensure it does not give off any weird smells, nor does it give off weird odors on your clothes. A steamer will help remove any wrinkles from your clothes, as well as help keep the fabric’s smell fresh.
Cleaning upholstery is one of the best uses of a clothes steamer, as it breaks down stains, deodorizes fabrics, and disinfects to get that deep-down cleaning. Now that you know all of the uses of the clothing steamer, check out these other clean hacks that will simplify your home-cleaning chores.
Garment steamers are something you can use for a lot more than getting wrinkles out of clothes. They make clothes last longer, and they remove some of the wear from ironing and washing them often. Garment steamers can be used on drapes to help remove odors and to help free creases, can be used to declutter furniture, and can even be used for disinfecting. Garment steamers are not only convenient for cleaning and disinfecting a variety of surfaces, but they also give you a healthier, less expensive way of deodorizing, disinfecting, and breaking down fat, dust, and grime.
While the standard-sized clothes steamer is a convenient tool to eliminate wrinkles and old smells from both washable clothes that are dry-cleaned only, a clothes steamer can be used to do a lot more around your home. Steaming clothes does not just eliminate unappealing wrinkles; the best clothes steamers also declutter clothes, killing bacteria and removing allergens. You have likely used a clothes steamer to get rid of wrinkles on freshly-hung drapes or new bedding. When someone is sick and has spent lots of time on a couch, use a clothes steamer to disinfect pillows and furniture.
If you find that there is a ground-in stain in your carpet, on your car seat, or in your furniture’s upholstery, the steam from your clothes steamer will help to loosen up that carpeted stain, making removing it a lot easier.
Another good tip for using a good clothes steamer to safely get rid of stubborn smells like sweat or mildew from fabrics is to fill the tank of the steamer half full with water and half vodka. A good way to clean that part of your steamer is to add one part vinegar to two parts water in your steamer tank and run it until roughly half the solution is removed from the tank. To use your steamer, just fill up the water tank with cold water and make sure that all parts are secured properly to prevent any leaks.
Both will get the job done by vaporizing nasty smells, but a steamer is slightly easier to use for the task. When trying to get rid of smells, I used nearly all the water in my steamer on a single piece of clothing. If hanging a garment in my bathroom does not do the trick, then I step up…aka…hand-steaming.
If the garment is a little more delicate, like a hand-washed one, or one that is only sanitized, then try hanging it in the bathroom. Give the garment good washing and drying with your favorite fragrance detergent and a cloth softener/dryer sheet. Be sure to pack some essential oils, dryer sheets, and Nori Clothes Steamer to ensure your clothes are as fresh as possible and smell great.
Simply add a few drops of your essential oils to your steamers water reservoir, and you will have smelling-fresh clothes with each use. Add, Ironing Water to a garment steamer or iron to get that perfect finish on fabric, plus add some Fabric Fresh Classic.
A hand-held clothing steamer is ideal to quickly and easily removing stains, spills and smells from clothing. From keeping your car’s interior looking and feeling clean, to helping out with those scary home cleaning tasks, a clothes steamer is a must-have item for anyone who has a serious home cleaning arsenal. A steamer can be used to safely eliminate smell-causing bacteria from clothes that cannot traditionally be washed.
You can purchase products that you can safely add to the steamer tank while using it, to help ensure the smell goes away and that your clothes are cleaned in the steamer tank. Your steamer may develop mold from use to use, and making sure that you let it fully dry between uses, and cleaning it frequently, can help to keep it clean and ready for use. That does not mean that you have to rush out and replace your steamer once it starts smelling funky, it is always best to take time and first attempt to clean the steamer using vinegar and water, as well as properly clean your hose. Steaming can also help to remove stains and sticky spots, you can even decrease with your steamer, no chemicals needed.
Dry cleaning is a more expensive option, but the solvents used to wash your clothes should remove any off-putting smells, too. Spraying has been the not-so-secret hack that the performing world has used to remove smells from costumes that cannot be washed or have no time to wash in between shows. Well, friends, there are plenty of ways to remove odors without sticking the clothes in the wash. Similar to the above method, if a scent is coming just from a single area of your clothing, such as your underarms, then just try to mist that area.
To make sure the vinegar does not affect your garment, you may want to turn the garment inside out and just spray one tiny, discrete spot to test. If the smell sticks around for several days, or if it is a particularly bad odor, then spritzing your clothing with plain, clear vodka works wonderfully.
The alcohol in the vodka in half measures may increase the steamer disinfecting powers, and the smell quickly disappears along with the steam, taking any lingering scents away. Simply keep your steamer approximately six inches from the clothing and move it back and forth until your garment is wrinkle-free and smelling fresh.