Buying a steam iron generator means you will come up against a whole load of terms and features which may mean very little to you so we have put together this short glossary of steam iron generator terms.
Steam Pressure: All pressure is measured in ‘bars’ the higher the number, the higher the pressure. High pressure is a benefit when talking about steam generator irons as a greater pressure will drive the steam deeper into the material. With a high-pressure machine, it is usually possible to iron both sides at once thus cutting down the time spent ironing.
G/Min: This is the amount of actual steam emitted from the steam iron generator measured in grams per minute. A high g/min is desirable because it gives a much greater flexibility in the type of material that can be ironed satisfactorily.
Continuous Steam: This is the amount of steam produced continuously, some steam iron generators have a boost or ‘Turbo’ feature which will increase this momentarily.
Heat Up Time: The amount of time taken for the steam generator to heat the water to operating temperature. A low figure is good as this means less time waiting.
Vertical Steam: Many top-end steam iron generators have the ability to send out steam while the machine is in an upright position thus allowing you to ‘iron’ clothes on the hangar or things like curtains in situ.
Water Tank: This is generally referred to as size, i.e. 1.8 litres. This is the amount of water the steam iron generator will hold, more is better as you will not have to keep refilling it. Also, look for machines that can be refilled continuously as you will have less waiting time for a refill to heat up.
Sole Plate: This is the part of the steam-generating iron that makes contact with your clothes, many machines have stainless steel sole plates but the higher end machines feature ceramic materials which are very hardwearing, super slick and very smooth.
