Life-changing products: the steamer

I have a confession. I really hate ironing. I think the last time I wrestled with the ironing board, I was 9 months pregnant ironing muslin cloths.

I’m also not very good at it. We live in a hard water area and I have ruined things just by ironing them - the iron spits out little bits of limescale and dirt that marks the fabric. I’m sure I would get better with practice but I just don’t want to (don’t tell my Mum, she loves ironing and is excellent at it, she even irons her socks - I did not inherit the ironing gene).

But I do realise that we can’t always live in jersey material or polyester or cheesecloth (how 70s). I like other fabrics and often they do get creased (even if they’ve been hanging in the wardrobe). And creased clothing, well, it doesn’t give the best impression.

Exceptions apply to Mums of tiny babies - you are completely let off the ironing hook!

In order to look put together every day - and this was my main aim when I started on my style journey after the early Mum days - takes a little bit of effort. And that means a touch of standing in front of a mirror, some basic makeup, hair tidying/taming (I learnt last week that washing your hair everyday is actually a good thing - Philip Kingsley said), neat nails - and clothes that don’t look like you’ve scrumpled them into a ball.

Enter the handheld steamer! I invested in mine about 2 years ago and I’ve never looked back. It’s quite fun to use, it’s quick and easy. All you need is water, a plug socket, your clothes on a normal hanger on a hook or hung on the top of the door or the door handle. No fancy equipment necessary, just make sure your socket is near enough to the hook/door.

You can shop around on Amazon or John Lewis. The Amazon link below is an affiliate link and the exact steamer I own is no longer available, but this one has good reviews and is under £30.

I’d love to know if you buy one, let me know in the comments!

HAPPINESS IS A HANDHELD GARMENT STEAMER