If you want to remove wrinkles from your clothes, a hand-held iron is probably your first thought. However, it may not be the most effective way to get your laundry looking smooth and fresh. Many laundry services and dry cleaners prefer to use a steam press to remove wrinkles quickly and completely. Here's what you need to know about these options.

Conventional Iron

Irons are handheld appliances with a limited surface area. They have both dry and steam settings, but because their water reservoirs are small, ironing clothes that need steam often requires refilling the reservoir repeatedly. The one benefit of a conventional iron is fine control for smoothing tight corners, but be careful because moving too slowly or leaving the iron in one place for too long can burn or melt fabric.

Steam Press

A steam press is a larger machine with a surface area many times the size of a conventional iron. It is designed with multiple safety features to avoid burning clothing, and is on a timer, so you'll know when your clothes are done. Each press takes only a few seconds to remove wrinkles from large areas of fabric; two or three presses smooths out a shirt or a pair of slacks. It also has a larger water tank than a conventional iron for less frequent refills. Professional laundry services use a steam press because it allows them to process much larger volumes of clothing quickly and minimizes the risk of any damage.

If you need laundry services in Anchorage, AK, choose Mayfield's Quality Cleaners. The family-owned and -operated business offers free pickup and drop-off for their dry cleaning and laundry services, as well as same-day or next-day service. They even provide specialty services like leather cleaning and clothing alterations. Additionally, the disabled veteran-owned and -operated company offers free U.S. flag cleaning. To make arrangements, call (907) 277-4620 or send a message online.