Ironing clothes is a time-consuming, tedious chore. If you don’t have the time to set up the ironing board but you want your garments, curtains, drapes, or linens to look and smell fresh, then the vertical steam feature on your iron can do the trick. It effectively smooths out wrinkles and creases and clears away mustiness.

Here’s a guide to using vertical steam with your iron. If you’re not sure whether your iron has this feature, refer to the user’s manual or look for an icon with an iron held in the vertical position with a cloud of steam coming out.

Fill the water tank to the maximum line and turn the iron on to heat.
Hang up the garments on a hanger or over a bar.
Set the fabric dial to the correct setting, depending on what type of material you’re steam ironing.
When the iron is hot enough, hold it vertically a few inches from the fabric.
While pulling the cloth tight, run the iron up and down and push the steam button continually.

With vertical steam, you’re saved the trouble of setting up a cumbersome ironing board, and you can quickly work out wrinkles in your clothes just before you head out the door.