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Does It Really Do That: Mister Steamy

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Washing and drying your clothes takes long enough, not many people have time to get out the iron. But there's a product out there that claims to allow you to cross ironing off your chores list.

The company says Mister Steamy uses the power of steam to turn your dryer into a wrinkle-releasing machine. But does it really do that?

KDKA's Jennifer Antkowiak and a busy mom who hates to iron put it to the test.

"My worst chore in this house is ironing, and I would do anything not to have to iron again," says busy mom Janet Estocian.

Estocian is a stay at home mom of two. She and her husband own their own business, it's a busy family.

"My laundry is constantly built up. [I] never have time to do it… leaving clothes in the dryer, pulling them out, ironing them as I need them, living out of laundry baskets I have to say sometimes," said Estocian. "There's just the four of us, but it builds up pretty quick."

School uniforms are one of Estocian's biggest laundry headaches.

"My kids go to a private school and our school uniforms are constantly driving me crazy," said Estocian. "The pants are wrinkled every morning. I'm quickly ironing up just to make it look to people like their mother does care."

The infomercial says: "Need that shirt in a hurry? Mister Steamy is the fastest way to get wrinkles out, without getting the iron out! From cottons to polys to blends, let Mister Steamy get the wrinkles out for you."

Estocian had not seen any ads for Mister Steamy, so we took a look, and she was eager to try it out.

Mister Steamy is a green bumpy, rubber ball with an opening for you to add water that gets sucked up into foam. Holes in the bumps in the ball allow steam to escape and get to work on those wrinkles.

The product says it can be used in the entire dryer cycle, or thrown in later to freshen and de-wrinkle a load that's been left in the dryer for a while. That was a big draw to Estocian.

To see how Mister Steamy worked on different fabrics, she washed and dried two each of a variety of items.

"I have towels, my husband's work shirts, my son's pillow cases and school uniforms… pants that are constantly wrinkled and two uniform shirts," said Estocian.

They laid everything out to get a better look at the wrinkles. Then, following the directions to freshen and de-wrinkle a load of clothes, they filled Mister Steamy with four ounces of water and put half of that wrinkled laundry back into the dryer with Mister Steamy for 15 minutes on high heat.

According to the infomercial: "Dress shirts come out neat, and professional pants and slacks look new and pressed, and your kids' clothes are wrinkle-free. Even pillow cases and sheets come out hotel smooth."

Well, after going through the dryer with Mister Steamy, the pillow cases did come out a little less wrinkled and a little softer feeling. The towel seemed a little better.

1168 29:33 you don't seem to be thrilled with it. You wanted it to work!

"I really wanted it to work, but for clothes, the shirts, the school uniforms, the pants - I'd still have to iron," says Estocian. "It did do a nice job on the pillow case and the towel, but I don't iron those anyway."

Fresh-pressed looking clothes without an iron, does Mister Steamy do that for Estocian?

"I would have to say it wouldn't be worth the $20. Stick to the iron," she said.

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