The Rowenta Steam 'n Press and Who it is Really Designed For

I am not a fan of the dry cleaner. There is nothing that annoys me more than having to drop off five shirts and usually a pair of pants or a suit once a week. After dropping a quick $20 (I do not even want to know about the Mrs.' dry cleaning bill.) I am on my way and arrive home to shirts that are sometimes good enough to pass my expectations.

So, what can you do about it? Well, for one, you can get a bottle of starch and do your own shirts. You will quickly shoot this idea down because of the time consuming nature that it involves. You can purchase one of those $350.00 press machines that look so great until you realize they cost more than some homes. Which leaves you with the option of looking wrinkled or paying the dry cleaner bill every single week.

Until now, sort of. Rowenta has developed a Steam and Press that is supposed to help with the wrinkle problem. The problem is that it is good for nothing more than travel or small wrinkles. Try an entire shirt with the Rowenta and you will still be pressing three days from now and you will end up with a funny looking shirt.

Yet there is an instance where the Steam and Press can make a big difference in your appearance; when traveling. We all know that no matter how well you pack, when you open up the suitcase you are going to find wrinkles. It just happens. The Steam and Press takes care of the problem. The Rowenta doubles as an iron and a steamer so you can iron any shirts that require an iron. Then you can use the steamer in order to take care of the wrinkles that cannot be ironed. Both work very well and operate just like any iron or steamer. In other words, simply add water, plug in, and turn the dial to tell the machine what you want it to do. The Steam and Press also has the now standard safety feature of turning off if not used for a certain period of time.

The difference between this machine and some others is that there is a temperature dial that allows you to set the iron to a certain degree depending on what type of fabric you are working on. A great touch. The Steam and Press also separates itself by having a removeable water tank and a built in fabric and lint brush. Both are nice touches and work well.

But the main question on your mind is how well the steam and press portion of the Rowenta works. The Steam and Press portion works quite well. But there are two things to know. For one, the process will take some time since the Rowenta face is not as big as an iron's. Secondly, you can select a vertical steam or a burst of steam. The vertical steam should usually be used since it can be used on hanging clothes.

The Steam and Press is not a bad piece of equipment, but I have one big problem with it. Quite simply, you do not need it. Any nice hotel will have an in room iron these days and you can still place wrinkled clothing in the bathroom and crank up the hot water in order to create a steam bath of your own. The Rowenta is also not big enough to use on a frequent basis. So, tell me, when would you use this?

I used it once (My parents have one that they actually use somewhat frequently, but they also will spend a month on the road at a time.) and would not have had my parents not insisted that I try it. I would have simply used the shower steam and in five minutes had a good looking shirt.

I cannot recommend something that you might use twice a year. I also have a hard time recommending something that involves spending money when there is a free option available in most places. The Rowenta Steam and Press does a good enough of a job, but why do you need it?