Can the new steaming appliances help?
The Fabric Freshener from Whirlpool, which costs $199, won t take out stains, but it removes odors and relaxes wrinkles. How does it work? There s a Dacron twill garment bag, attached to a base, that stands about five feet tall. You pour water into a receptacle in the base, hang one or two garments in the bag, zip it up, press a button, and you re set. You don t need plumbing or venting, so you can set it up anywhere, even in a walk-in closet. There are three cycles heavy-duty, normal, and delicate. Silks and rayons are freshened in 20 minutes; wools, polyesters, and cottons in half an hour. The whole thing collapses to the size of small vacuum, plus it s lightweight, and easy to move around. But some people like to leave it standing in a laundry room or bedroom so it s ready to use. Can the Fabric Freshener smooth out wrinkle-prone fabrics like linen and heavy cotton? For serious wrinkles, the freshener comes with special weights that look like giant plastic-covered hair clips. You at
