A garment care system comprising a base unit, a hand held unit and a hose cord connecting the base unit and the hand held unit, wherein the base unit is adapted to provide a first driving signal which reflects an operating state of the garment care system; wherein the hand held unit comprises: output means for providing visual or audible output information reflecting said operating state; and a unit which comprises at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device, for generating an input signal having a level depending on a state of said at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device, wherein the hose cord comprises a single communications wire for carrying said first driving signal from the base unit to the hand held unit for driving the output means, wherein the first driving signal serves as the operating supply for the output means, and for carrying the input signal from the hand held unit to the base unit, wherein the unit has an output that is permanently coupled to the single communications wire and the output means is permanently coupled to the single communications wire, wherein the base unit further comprises: a coupling means for coupling or decoupling the first driving signal to or from the communications wire, thereby to operate the output means when the first driving signal is coupled to the communications wire; and a controller for: a) measuring the signal level on the communications wire when the first driving signal is de-coupled; b) retrieving, from said signal level, said state of said at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device; and c) controlling the garment care system in dependence on said retrieved state. wherein the base unit is adapted to provide a first driving signal which reflects an operating state of the garment care system; wherein the hand held unit comprises: output means for providing visual or audible output information reflecting said operating state; and a unit which comprises at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device, for generating an input signal having a level depending on a state of said at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device, output means for providing visual or audible output information reflecting said operating state; and a unit which comprises at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device, for generating an input signal having a level depending on a state of said at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device, wherein the hose cord comprises a single communications wire for carrying said first driving signal from the base unit to the hand held unit for driving the output means, wherein the first driving signal serves as the operating supply for the output means, and for carrying the input signal from the hand held unit to the base unit, wherein the unit has an output that is permanently coupled to the single communications wire and the output means is permanently coupled to the single communications wire, wherein the base unit further comprises: a coupling means for coupling or decoupling the first driving signal to or from the communications wire, thereby to operate the output means when the first driving signal is coupled to the communications wire; and a controller for: a) measuring the signal level on the communications wire when the first driving signal is de-coupled; b) retrieving, from said signal level, said state of said at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device; and c) controlling the garment care system in dependence on said retrieved state. a coupling means for coupling or decoupling the first driving signal to or from the communications wire, thereby to operate the output means when the first driving signal is coupled to the communications wire; and a controller for: a) measuring the signal level on the communications wire when the first driving signal is de-coupled; b) retrieving, from said signal level, said state of said at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device; and c) controlling the garment care system in dependence on said retrieved state. a) measuring the signal level on the communications wire when the first driving signal is de-coupled; b) retrieving, from said signal level, said state of said at least one sensor and/or at least one user input device; and c) controlling the garment care system in dependence on said retrieved state.