2 sue maker of clothes steamers

A company behind a portable clothes steamer is in hot water after the devices exploded on two women who were trying to get wrinkles out of their garments, according to a new lawsuit.

Patricia Schere was steaming a piece of clothing in her Kansas home last year when scalding water began to spew from the portable steamer that she bought on Amazon.com. The hot water spilled on Schere, hitting her on the top of her foot, causing third-degree burns.

Freshman college student Stella Rue received a similar My Little Steamer unit as a graduation gift, and was using it for the first time to get some wrinkles out of a garment when it spewed scalding water and burned her left thigh.

Their lawsuit was filed in Brooklyn Federal Court because the business being sued is based in Ronkonkoma, L.I.

The suit says that not only were the victims injured by a defective product, but the company knew the steamer was a safety hazard. Company executives had to look no further than the internet for negative product reviews that featured tales of steamer mishaps, according to court papers.

Even so, a video promoting the product touts its reliability.

“No Spitting. No Staining. No Burning. No Worries,” an announcer says.

“If you’re going to design a product that uses hot steam, you have a responsibility to design and manufacture the product to be safe,” said Orin Kurtz, a lawyer for the burn victims. “Ingenious designs failed with flying colors. Our clients have suffered grievous injuries and they will not stop until this company is held accountable.”

A company rep couldn’t be reached for comment.