【My Story with a Portable Steamer】 – A person who doesn’t like ironing clothes but loves wearing nice ones finally gives in to this thing
My name is Chloe, I'm in my early thirties and based in Los Angeles. For nearly eight years, I’ve worked as a photography assistant—a job that might seem glamorous from the outside, but is really a nonstop grind behind the scenes. I'm constantly moving: hauling gear, coordinating with clients, making sure models look presentable, and bouncing from one shoot to the next. It’s a constant push and pull between chaos and control. Honestly, most days I feel like I’m running on reserve power, just trying to stay functional. The one thing that helps me feel somewhat put together is making sure I look sharp—like I at least have one part of my life in order.
I never strive for particularly trendy outfits, but there is one thing I do care about: my clothes need to look neat. You can be ordinary, but they mustn't be wrinkled. For the photography industry, this is actually a basic courtesy. When a client sees you for the first time, they decide whether to trust you or not. In many cases, it's based on whether you look like a "reliable person".
So don't think I'm always so carefree. Before going out, I always make sure my clothes are neatly arranged. In the past, I used the most traditional iron and had an IKEA folding ironing board. Later, when I moved into this small apartment, the space became smaller and there was no room for that board. I started to be lazy and felt more and more annoyed—every day I had to get up 15 minutes earlier just to make a T-shirt or a shirt look decent. Even I myself felt tired.
The turning point came last October. For one week, I flew to Seattle, Chicago and Atlanta in a row, taking photos of three sets of products. On the morning of the third day, I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the hotel, looking at my shirt that was all wrinkled. Suddenly, I let out a swear word. That shirt was something I had specially brought, but it had been crushed by the suitcase all night and couldn't be worn at all. I searched the entire hotel room, only to find that there was no iron. That day, I really was folding my clothes while rushing into the meeting room.
After returning to LA, I immediately started searching online for "portable steamer". To be honest, at that time I even had a bit of disdain for this term: Portable steam ironing machine? It sounded like a useless product, neither as powerful as an iron, nor as professional as a dry cleaning shop. But at that time, my excitement was at its peak, and I thought, no matter what, I had to have one. At least I wouldn't make a fool of myself when traveling elsewhere.
Later, I came across the steamer from Nesugar Life on a website by accident. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly attracted me. Maybe it was the gray suit in the accompanying picture, which seemed to suggest that the clothes had been treated with care. I make purchasing decisions based on my gut feeling, and that was no exception that time. I didn't do much research and simply placed the order. On the day the item arrived, it changed some of my fundamental views on "clothing management".
【Let’s talk about the result – does the portable steamer really work?】
The answer is simple: Yes, it works and even more effectively than I imagined.
The one I have now weighs less than one kilogram. Its feel is similar to that of a DSLR lens, and the weight is just right. The entire machine is about the size of a water jug. It takes approximately 20–30 seconds to heat up and start producing steam after adding water, plugging in, and preheating. When I first tried it, I chose that "overwhelmingly impressive" white shirt and hung it behind the door of the room. Then I turned on the machine and started steaming.
At first, I was worried that the steam wasn't strong enough, so I took it slowly—keeping the nozzle 2 centimeters away from the clothes and sliding it gently. In just a few seconds, the most obvious wrinkles were significantly reduced. I didn't say it was as flat as a professional iron, but you know what? The "cleanliness" I used to have, which was overly stiff, turned into another kind of "smooth and natural" look. That shirt instantly went from being "kept in the bottom drawer" to "wearable for going out".
What surprised me the most was that I finished ironing the entire piece of clothing in less than three minutes. Three minutes! Previously, using an iron to achieve the same result would take me at least 10 minutes, and I would be in a complete mess.
【The key details that became clear after using it for a while】
To put it simply, when it comes to the steamer, you won't know its good points and shortcomings until you actually get to use it. I also fell into a trap at the beginning. The following points are the experiences I accumulated after using it for nearly half a year:
1.The water tank should not be too small, but neither should it be too large.
I initially favored the ultra-small model, but found that it ran out of water after just two minutes of using it. Frequent refilling was very annoying. Now this one has a water tank of approximately 200ml. It can handle three T-shirts and one pair of casual pants at a time, which is just right. Don't be greedy for size; otherwise, the entire portable device would become a joke.
2.A travel gadget, but don't expect all “travel-size” ones to work well.
The time I took it to Chicago for a fashion shoot, the entire crew rushed to use it in the morning. That day, the guesthouse we stayed in didn't have an iron, and I suddenly became the hero who saved the day. But later, I also tried another brand's “travel-size model” that claimed to be “light enough to be hung on the zipper of a backpack”, and the result was that the steam wasn't strong enough and it didn't spray evenly. It was like a big splash of water causing a thunder—it made quite a noise, but was of no use at all.
My current approach is: I specially prepare a flat storage bag and put the machine, the water measuring cup and a cleaning cloth inside it. I can take it out and put it back into my carry-on bag at any time. You need to find the "weight-effort" balance that suits you. If it's too lightweight, it might cause delays.
3.There is also a certain science to the direction and angle at which the steam is emitted.
When I first got the machine, I always had to lower my head to steam. Then I noticed that the hem of the clothes was always wet. Later, I realized that the nozzle should be tilted slightly upwards. The steam would "float" into the fabric, making it more even and drying faster. Now I basically steam the collar, shoulder lines, and sleeves first, and only then do I deal with the large areas of the hem and the overall smoothing.
【Who is the portable steamer suitable for?】
It's definitely not true to say that this thing is suitable for everyone. But I think the following types of people, if they haven't used it before, really should give it a try:
People who often travel and go on business trips
People with specific dress requirements
Renters or those living in small apartments
People who don’t want complicated setups
【How is the brand Nesugar?】
I wrote this article not to advertise for Nesugar, nor have I received any money from them. I bought one of their portable steamers from their official website, and at the time, it was purely out of impulse. But now that I have been using it for so long, I can say this: It's obvious that this brand is dedicated to making household appliances.
The entire packaging is very restrained, without any messy “brandyard” style clutter. Instead, it simply and directly expresses the product's functions. The instructions are also clear, and the operation logic is obvious at a glance. What's more, it doesn’t fail us—for over half a year, every time I use it, I feel that I am saving time instead of being punished by some “intelligent” device.
【Several "Life-Saving" Experiences in Real Life】
There were several particularly noteworthy usage experiences:
Once, on my way to a client's site in the morning, I took the grey trousers off the chair back and noticed that the part around my knees was wrinkled as if I hadn't slept well. I quickly used the steamer to fix it and it returned to its normal state. As a result, when the client saw me that day, the first thing he said was: “The way you paired these trousers today is really neat.”
The night before taking my girlfriend to meet her parents, she noticed that the waist of her dress was wrinkled. I immediately turned on the machine and fixed it in three minutes. I didn’t say much, she didn’t praise much, but I still remember the look she gave me.
One night at 11 o’clock, I had to attend a video conference and needed to show up. I noticed that my shirt was completely unpresentable. Using the steamer as a makeshift solution, I was able to sit in front of the camera as a decent person. At that moment, I truly appreciated not having left it at home to save space.
【Let me say a few sincere words here】
If you ask me whether this portable steamer is worth buying, I can only say this:
If your goal is to achieve a perfectly straight, freshly ironed look like that from a tailor—that’s not for you.
But if you want to quickly deal with clothing wrinkles, always maintain your dignity, and increase efficiency—then this is definitely a worthwhile gadget to have.
This won’t change the essence of your life, but it can save you a lot of time that would otherwise be spent “getting annoyed over a wrinkled piece of clothing”.
In this era that values efficiency and has an increasingly rapid pace, I would rather have more “tool-type products” like this, and fewer “overly fancy and useless smart junk”.
I still don’t enjoy ironing clothes, but I like this portable steamer because it makes me dislike the unpleasant task a little bit less.
