Don’t Sleep On This: Mini Steamers

Last week I found myself doing something I thought I’d never do: agreeing with James Kennedy of Vanderpump Rules. If you don’t watch the show (well, you should probably watch the show because even Rihanna’s given it her stamp of approval), he’s not the most likable person—and that’s saying a lot because all the cast members are pretty insufferable. He doesn’t do a lot of things right like, for instance, naming his DJ night “See You Next Tuesday” and being an obnoxious drunk. But, while we followed the crew on a recent trip to Mexico, Kennedy pulled out the one thing every 20-something should own: a mini steamer.  

“I travel with my mini steamer wherever I go,” he confesses. Same! I announced to no one. “You just go up and down with a real swift motion.” It really is THAT easy! I agreed. We also see him doing what he calls his signature trick, which is spraying cologne on his clothes before he steams. Ingenious! Something else I never thought I’d find myself saying about anything related to Kennedy. To really drive in how convenient the pint-sized device is, the camera pans to Sur manager Peter Madrigal dragging his iron back and forth and forth and back on a board. Kennedy: 1, Peter: 0.  

Ironing is one of those basic life skills you learn how to do growing up. My mom taught me how to properly make creases in pants, how to carefully creep my way around a collar, even how to iron pleated skirts without ruining them. I was no Michael B. Jordan, but I tried. I brought those (admittedly faded) lessons with me into my 20-somethings when I got an office job and couldn’t rely on my mom to “do me a favor” and iron my clothes alongside her own anymore. I ironed, but only in dire situations. I didn’t own an ironing board, so I was forced to use my dining table as a substitute. (God help me if there were crumbs left over from a meal the night before.) Let’s just say, the setup and the process, combined with the fact that I am not and will never be a morning person, made me resent every wrinkle that dared form on my clothes. 

Enter: the mini steamer. I discovered the wonders of the device a couple of months ago, and, like Kennedy, have been forever changed since. There’s no bulky board necessary, it’s handheld and takes up very little space, it's extremely lightweight, takes seconds to warm up, and instantly makes your pieces go from sloppy to adult-adjacent. You can’t create creases in fabric like with irons, but I’m not exactly wearing clothes that require creases, so that’s not high on my list of concerns. You can even take a page out of Kennedy’s life-hack book and spritz your favorite fragrance if you want your scent to last. 

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