steamed

I've had my eye on a garment steamer for a couple of years.

I've read about them, researched and day-dreamed while I slaved away with my regular 'ol steam iron. I was sure this magic wand would save me soooo much time. So...two weeks ago when the ward wanted to barrow some tablecloths and I wanted to iron them first I decided now was the time. I wasn't going to iron tablecloths one more time without a steamer to effortlessly remove all those pesky wrinkles.

Off to Kohls I went and wouldn't you know it, they were on sale. Cool. I hurried home, unwrapped my new steamer and started to steam. Except I didn't quite think that the wrinkles came out as effortlessly as I expected them to. In the end, yes it was a little faster than ironing, but had I ironed I could have used starch and I really think they would have looked better.

Which brings me to yesterday when 3 loads of my laundry were hanging up in the doorways surrounding my laundry room. I brought out the steamer again. Now is when it will shine. No more ironing a shirt before I get dressed in the morning. I'll steam it in the laundry room, up to the closet it goes ready to wear.

Shirt number one keeps twirling around as I steam it. If I put my left hand up to steady it, then I almost burn my hand. Not good.

Shirt number two twirls around on the top hook and at one point I turned the wand around with the shirt just as I realized the steam wand was on the other side of my face through the shirt. Not a good place for my face to be, I ducked.

Shirt number three. I'm back to my tablecloth thoughts of "Gee, these shirts just don't look crisp. They need some starch."

I've almost burned my hand. My face. The clothes don't look magically fresh and de-wrinkled. Could it be that this just isn't what I thought it would be? I was disappointed.

Shirt number four. I started and then as all three of the above problems started again I realized this just isn't worth the hastle. It isn't doing the job. I'd be better off ironing them.

bummer.

So I carry my laundry all wrinkled to my closet. I was getting mad because this thing was expensive. I waited over a year to spend the money on it. It's just too expensive to be a gadget in my laundry room. Then I remembered the original box that I threw in the extra bedroom. I never save stuff like that, I almost always get it out of the way and out on trash day. And low and behold, the receipt was inside the box.

Back to Kohls I went today. "Is it broken?" "No, it just doesn't work on the clothes like I thought it would." They gave me my money back no problem.

Don't you hate it when something you've wanted and waited for turns out to be not what you expected.

In fairness to my mom, I was taught to do all of the ironing one day a week. She would never hang a shirt in the closet w/out ironing it first. And I could watch a movie as I stand and do all my ironing. I know, I know. But I HATE IRONING. One shirt at a time is all I can handle.