Can Steam Irons Be Used As Dry Irons?

The general view is that steam emitted from a steam iron can help to penetrate deep into the fabric. Hence, it is supposed to be effective in getting rid of wrinkles. As a result, there is hardly any dry iron models that are available these days. Almost all clothes irons that you see in the shops would be of the steam variety.

But what if you just want a dry iron? Given the limited options, can a steam iron be used as a dry iron then? The short answer is yes!

Turn Steam Iron Into Dry Iron

A good thing with a steam iron is that you can shut off the steam function and iron with an empty water tank. That basically enables you to use a steam iron as a dry iron. I do that all the time when I don’t require any steam output for some of my garments.

Furthermore, there is always a spray bottle to fall back on if I want to wet my clothes to get rid of the wrinkles. You don’t always have to fill up the iron water tank to get a spray mist. Going back to the old-fashion spray bottle works too. The reason for leaving your steam iron dry is to avoid leakages and the odd puff of steam which could happen at times even if you have the steam function disabled.

Hence, if you really want to ensure your steam iron functions as a dry iron, leave the water out of the tank. It is also a good practice to empty the tank each time you have finished with your ironing.

Is It A Perfect Substitute?

While you certainly can use steam irons as dry irons, they may not necessarily be a perfect substitute. There are differences between a steam vs dry iron which could be a problem for some. It depends on what you are using the iron for.

One of the notable differences is the soleplate. A steam iron will naturally have plenty of steam holes on its soleplate while a dry one would possess a totally flat surface. If you are simply using it to iron clothes, it may not be a big problem. But if you are using it for art and craft or other purposes whereby the steam holes could be evident on the item that you are pressing, then a steam iron may not work as a substitute for a dry iron.

Therefore, you will have to consider the uses for the iron that you are buying. Simply shutting off the steam function and emptying the water tank may not be enough if the steam holes on the soleplate could mar your ironing results.

Where To Get A Dry Iron

The choices are not many and you do have to look harder for it because steam irons are the trend now. But you can still try your luck on the big retails sites such as Amazon and Walmart. If those fail to turn up anything positive, you can also look for one on Aliexpress.

It is indeed unfortunate for dry iron fans. I know there are many who still prefer to iron without the steam. Moreover, all the bad experiences of leakages, spits, and dirty water stains on clothes would have turned more than a handful away from steam irons. So, the steam feature is pretty useless for these people but unfortunately, there are just not enough dry iron models in the market anymore to give buyers more choices.