Dryer with 'steam' feature...is it worth the additional cost?

[IngridN]

I'm thinking about replacing my 15 year old dryer for a couple of reasons. Was at Home Depot Saturday on another errand, but took a few minutes to check out their dryers. LG's basic large capacity model is $900. When I asked the salesperson what the diff was between that one and their $1500 model, he said the 'steam feature.' OK, and what does that do for me? He says you won't have to iron your clothes anymore. I'm sure it has a few more bells and whistles that I could care less about, but that one intrigued me and if it works, may be worth the additional $600 .

Does anyone have a dryer with this feature and does it really, really work? I'm sure it will get those clothes that are acceptable w/o ironing looking better, but will it do anything for those 100% cotton clothes that come out a wrinkled mess? Anything else I should know about this feature before I succumb?

Ingrid

 

[NWL]

I have a LG washer and dryer set with the "Steam" feature on both. I use the Steam Wash feature on the WASHER to clean and refresh items that can't be washed - area rugs, dog bed inserts, etc. I love it!

My main use of the Steam feature on the DRYER is to fluff up the clothes that I left overnight/for a few days in the dryer so they are not as wrinkled when I take them out. It does not eliminate your need to iron some clothes.

I use the washer feature more than the dryer feature, but I'm glad I have both.

Cheers!

 

[JudyH]

My son uses his steam feature every morning so he won't have to iron pants and shirt. Course, I haven't seen him at work.....

 

[Rose Pink]

My Bosch dryer came with a water hose. Weird, I thought. I've never intentionally used it but once I had some clothes come out of the dryer much wetter than when I put them in. I realized I had accidentally dialed it to "touch up" which is one of the steam features and it had dampened my clothes to the point of being drippy.

 

[Elan]

I can't imagine the steam results are that much different than employing the old bachelor's trick of pulling one's shirts out of the dryer and hanging them when they were still a little damp. If so, it's better than letting them tumble completely dry, but it's no substitute for ironing. There's a huge difference, IMO, between a non-wrinkled pinpoint shirt, and one with nice pressed creases down the sleeves.

 

[Patri]

I can't imagine the steam results are that much different than employing the old bachelor's trick of pulling one's shirts out of the dryer and hanging them when they were still a little damp. If so, it's better than letting them tumble completely dry, but it's no substitute for ironing. There's a huge difference, IMO, between a non-wrinkled pinpoint shirt, and one with nice pressed creases down the sleeves.

Perhaps so, but after someone has been in the shirt for an hour, they all look the same.
I have not ironed for years. Earlier in our married life, I found out my husband's executive boss's wife did not iron his shirts (nor did he). She said if she took them out of the dryer soon enough, they didn't need it. Bingo. That was good for us too. Both men climbed the corporate ladder.

Oh, I guess I do iron special clothing that absolutely needs it, but you'd be surprised how rarely that occurs.

 

[DebBrown]

I wouldn't pay for it. I wouldn't pay $900 for the regular model either!

We just bought a new dryer a few weeks ago. It was a low end Whirlpool but I love it. I'm not sure why but I no longer need fabric softener sheets. I always had to use them with my older dryer or I had a big static problem. Now the clothes seem to dry super fast without any issues. Maybe its because the dryer has a bigger capacity and the clothes get more air circulation.

Deb

 

[IngridN]

Thanks all...I think I'll stick with the base model. The steam feature would not be useful to me.

Ingrid

 

[Whirl]

Thanks all...I think I'll stick with the base model. The steam feature would not be useful to me.

Ingrid

I also have the LG basic dryer ( and washer)...although I still wonder if I should ahve gotten the steam features. Reviews seamed to imply that the level of wrinkle removal that you would get, would not eliminate the need to iron ( which I detest) if a "well-pressed" garment is your standard....and thus would still end up at the cleaners.... Reasonbly wrinkle free seemed a realizable expectation, however....ok for the weekend, I guess.

FYI, I wash all sorts of "non-washables" in my front-loading washing machine. The best think is all my kids stuffed animals and pillows. I just toss them in and then dry them, finishing on a low/fluff cycle....They can get pretty awful, especially if they get sick on their favorite sleeping companinion....Ready by bedtime....