On rushed mornings, the last thing I want to do is drag my space-hogging ironing board out from the closet, unfold it, plug in my iron, and wait 10 minutes for it to heat up. Instead, I wind up choosing something a little less wrinkled than the clothing I initially had in mind. So I decided to buy a fabric steamer, the Rowenta 1400-Watt Pro Compact Steamer ($50), and see if I might become a convert.
My steamer is so compact, I can easily slide it under my bed when not in use. When I'm in a rush, I can conveniently pull it out and plug it in. Within two minutes, the little machine is gurgling away and ready for action. The set comes with a door hook, where I can hang the wide steam-head brush and hangers for my clothing.
The steamer has a fabric hose with a 360-degree swivel base, so you can steam at any angle — and you don't need to lay your apparel on a flat surface like an ironing board, either. Better yet, it can be used on any type of fabric. So every once in a while, I steam my curtains to keep them looking prim; they don't even have to be removed from their rods! I've also used my steamer to banish wrinkles from my sofa's skirted slipcover and even things like fabric bags and pillowcases — all tasks I'd never try with an iron.
I've had this baby for three months now, and probably use it every other day, a drastic increase from my biannual ironing. So there, I'm officially a convert. I don't know how I got through life without my magical fabric steamer, but I can say with 100 percent certainty that I'll never go back. Join the club: you (and your wrinkly laundry) will thank me.
You've picked out the perfect place settings and arranged a 
I consider myself a modern woman, but I'll admit it: I iron my husband's clothes. If I didn't, he'd go to work a wrinkly mess, and that bothers me a lot more than a few minutes' ironing time. It's not as if we're completely gender stereotyped when it comes to household tasks. He does a great job cleaning the kitchen (and cooking), and I'm pretty handy with a weed whacker and hedge clippers. And luckily, I don't mind ironing — on the contrary, I find it rather meditative. 
If we had our way, we'd eliminate ironing from our schedules entirely by pawning the task off on the men in our lives. But let's face it, that'll never happen. So, here's a trick for cutting your ironing time in half. Cover your ironing board with aluminum foil. The metal conducts heat, and will reflect the heat of your iron so that your garment's fibers are heated on both sides as you iron. You may have actually come across some ironing board covers with a metallic lining; these are based on the same concept. Simple science!
