Whether you’re spring cleaning to freshen up the house or just don’t want to bother with the ironing board for your clothes, vertical steaming is a fast, easy and convenient way to get fabrics looking their best. Vertical steaming allows you to remove creases and wrinkles, as well as freshen fabrics like curtains, linens and drapes after the long months of winter.
Still, many people shy away from vertical steam, because they don’t feel they get as good of a result as they do on the board. In truth though, with the proper technique, you can get fabrics fresh and pressed with phenomenal results. Here’s how:
- First, make sure your iron is capable of doing vertical steam.
You can easily check your Black & Decker iron by looking at the symbols on the side near the soleplate; the vertical steam icon will look similar to the one shown at the top of this post. - Fill your iron with water to the MAX fill mark on the water tank.
- Hang the garment to be steamed on a clothes hanger.
Curtains or drapes can be steamed once they are hung; linens and bedding can be hung up on a line or draped over a bar. - Turn the fabric select dial to appropriate setting (between 4 and 6) for your fabric.
For an easy fabric reference, your iron should have a fabric guide toward the back of the iron—typically near the heel rest. You can also find an easy fabric setting guide on our blog. - Once the iron is heated, you are ready to steam.
If your iron has variable steam, set the steam level according to your fabric; Smart Steam® irons will set the steam level automatically with your fabric setting, so you can skip to the next step. - As you steam, you want to hold the iron close to (but not touching) the fabric—just keep it within a few inches.
- Pull the fabric tight with your free hand and pump the steam button as you move the iron over the fabric.
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