Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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The PurSteam garment steamer is a true stand-out thanks to its ability to get wrinkles out of every kind of fabric. Read More
The Jiffy has a large water receptacle and is sturdy and capable of eliminating most wrinkles. Read More
The Magictec Travel Steamer is compact, easy to use, and fast to heat up. It also gets out most wrinkles. Read More
The Hilife has a large water receptacle and a wider steam head. Simply twist the top off, fill it with water, and you’re ready to go. Read More
The Conair Complete Steam portable steamer is easy to fill and use. The operating instructions are among the simplest and clearest available. Read More
Clothes steamers have been a part of the fashion industry for ages, and in recent years the rest of us have discovered their greatness. Steam irons are heavy, hot, require a horizontal surface like an ironing board, and can easily burn or melt delicate fabrics. From pro-grade, upright steamers to portable handheld models, the best clothes steamers are much less awkward than old-fashioned ironing.
We researched and tested popular models to find the best steamer for clothes. The PurSteam (available at Amazon) is our favorite overall, removing stubborn wrinkles on all the fabrics we tried, beating my long-term favorite J-2000M Jiffy Stand-Up Steamer. However, there are plenty of great clothes steamers in our guide to pick from.
Not only does the PurSteam get all the wrinkles out, but it's also easy to operate.
Large water receptacle
Removes wrinkles from wool, cotton, and polyester
Challenging to travel with
For testing, we wanted to see how well the steamers performed on everyday wrinkles on a variety of different fabrics.
I’m Marcia Layton Turner, a freelance writer and a busy mom of two kids and two dogs—which means I don’t have much time to spend on getting dressed. I love natural fabrics like linen and hate leaving the house already wrinkled, so I probably use a clothing steamer more than the average person. I still iron from time to time, on larger household items like curtains and tablecloths that are unwieldy to hang and steam. On shirts, skirts, pants, and dresses, my steamer is my go-to appliance.
We researched popular garment steamers, some from general garment care companies, and others from specialty brands. We spent a couple of weeks testing them on four fabrics: wool, 100% cotton, polyester/rayon, and the legendarily wrinkly linen. We tested them on everyday wrinkles, on t-shirts, and on challenging items like wool skirts and linen tablecloths.
We assembled each steamer, taking notes on which were easy to put together. We tested them on fabric we had dampened and purposely wrinkled. For travel steamers, we packed them away in a suitcase to confirm they were, indeed, travel-friendly.
Although removing wrinkles is the primary purpose of a steamer, we also judged how hard it was to assemble each model, assessed how much water they could hold, how easy they were to clean, and how convenient they were to store or to pack for a trip.
When I turned to clothing steamers, I went all in. I invested in an expensive, commercial-grade stand-up steamer, but you don’t have to. This testing process proved that you can find effective stand-up and handheld garment steamers for an affordable price point. But there are still differences you’ll want to be aware of.
Some of the factors you should consider when choosing a new garment steamer include:
How do you intend to use your steamer? If you travel a lot, it makes sense to get a handheld model that fits in your suitcase. If you want an alternative to everyday ironing (or you’re a professional) then you’ll likely want a more heavy-duty, stand-up model that allows you to hang clothes on the unit while you steam them.
One common feature is varying steam settings. Heavier fabrics tend to need more steam than lightweight items. Do you need several minutes of continuous steaming or only a few puffs here and there? Adjusting steam settings isn’t essential in my experience, but you may want the option.
Some models also come with extra steam heads with options like simultaneous de-linting, or other accessories and add-ons.
Most of the steamers were primarily plastic, which suggests they won’t last forever. However, even among plastic steamers, some were more durable than others.
Two important factors in steamer performance are how quickly it gets up to speed and how long it can go. If you’re in a hurry, you’ll want a model that heats up quickly. If you have a ton of laundry to de-wrinkle, you’ll want a model that can hold a lot of water for longer steaming times.
The best clothes steamers can be more versatile than steam irons. They don’t require special surfaces to work, and they also don’t often damage clothing like an iron can. (Still, check your care instructions, and don’t use it on just any material.)
I was raised as an iron girl, meaning I was never exposed to the possibility of wrinkle relief that a steamer can provide. Despite being a late bloomer when it comes to clothing steamers, I’ve embraced them wholeheartedly. After too many singed shirts, melted scarves, and discolored napkins thanks to a too-hot iron, I’ve converted.
Using a steamer is pretty straightforward. Like an iron, make sure it’s filled with water, then turn it on. Once the water is hot and it’s generating steam, hold the steamer head up to the fabric and drag it down while gently tugging on the fabric for a little bit of tension.
Marcia Layton Turner has written for Woman’s Day, Health, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Businessweek, US News & World Reports, and more. She currently writes for Forbes.
Michael Garrett Steele has been writing and editing professionally since 2013, and has been a part of Reviewed since 2020. An MFA in music composition, Garrett has lent audio expertise to everyone from Independence Community College to Bethesda Softworks, informing reviews of audio equipment and services. Garrett also covers tech, drawing on experience working everywhere from IT helpdesks to enterprise architecture sales. Steele has also become a go-to reviewer for minor plumbing fixtures since covering bidets for Reviewed in early 2020.
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