Rowenta says to empty after use. I think it depends on the mineral content of your water. Rowenta wants tap water not distilled water. I have a high mineral content. If i leave water in the iron, therevwill be the dreaded brown sludge the next time i use m. Do yourself a favor, empty the iron and use the self clean function often. I sew a lot. Rowenta is my iron of choice. I have one that is 10 years old now and still does a great job.

We have a Rowenta Perfect Steam Station for a couple of years, I think. We really like it, as we hate ironing but have to do it. What we love is that it not only irons well, but the steam function is so good that we got rid of our standalone garment steamer. Ours doesn't require continually emptying, but it's rather pricey. We got it at a Costco special event as it was significantly cheaper.

I have had 2 Rowentas in the last few years and both of them worked on an off after awhile, the problem was where the cord attaches inside the body somehow becomes detached or twisted. I took it apart and looked in but could not find the problem. Finally just threw them away and will not buy this brand again.

Bought a brand new Rowenta a few weeks ago. Follow directions to a tee and it leaks no matter what I do. I use regular tap water, empty after use, etc., etc. This is the 2nd Rowenta I've owned and the 2nd one to leak. Went back to my faithful Black and Decker. No problems whatsoever.

Just bought a Laurastar Lift Plus that was $300 off on Amazon. Still expensive. But my board is in the basement and it's a hassle to go down there to iron a piece or two. The Laurastar can be used vertically so I have it in my bedroom where I can iron a garment hung on a tall dresser. It's not very heavy, so when I have a number of things to iron, I can just carry it down to the basement. The ironing is amazing, especially compared to my leaky aging stem iron, even when done vertically. For me it's a garment steamer and iron in one, which helps justify the huge cost.