It didnt hinder the performance of the steamer, but it did terrify the cat. An includedcrease tool sets out to solve a steamers biggest flaw: It cant create creases. COPYRIGHT THE E.W. Anam Ahmed is a professional copywriter and essayist based in Toronto. The tilt-and go feature was slightly awkward compared to its rolling competitors. Also unlike the others, it doesnt have a power switch but turns on immediately when plugged in. The Steamfastdidnt come with a hanger attachment, which was a non-issue since the head for the pole was the exact same make as the PureSteam and functioned well for placing hangers. Bonus: a few editors brought this guy home to see how it held up to bigger, non-apparel items. The removable water tank was a breeze to refill, and a longer-than-usual cord made it easy to use in a variety of spaces, like a hotel room without many outlets. Then we set the steamers on them. The best feature, however, is the steamers small size. In our test, we could reach the top of these shorterdrapes to steam out any wrinkles. Handy AccessoriesThanks to the 8-foot power cord on this portable fabric steamer, you won't have any trouble reaching your curtains and hanging garments. The price tag may be a bit higher than the others, but in terms of build quality, the Jiffy clearly stands out. Clothes steamers arent just great for smoothing clothes and other fabrics they actually have another secret use. At 1.2 pounds, its easy to tuck away inside a travel bag. One full tank could get about eight shirts done. Good Housekeeping, Buy The Best 10, Easy Get Product, My Trail Co. It also comes with a steam bonnet to place over the head of the iron to prevent burns. It takes about three minutes to heat up, and you dont know its ready unless you press the handle, which is the only way to emit steam, unlike the others that steam continually. The BEAUTURAL is one of the fastest steamers to heat up in only 30 seconds. For a total of 19 minutes, it steamed much longer than the rest of the other handheld steamers. Plus, it can be stored in luggage, making travel simple and convenient. A cotton mens dress shirt took around four minutes to straighten out. The design has a very wide steam head, which is a bonus for being able to go over larger sections quickly, but also slightly sacrifices the ability for precision depending on what was being ironed; for shirt pockets, it required a little extra work. Again, the Steamfast and the PureSteam XL were highly comparable to one another. The design itself is extremely sturdy. Wide Base DesignYou won't have to worry about this clothes steamer tipping over, as it's made using a wide base design. For anything taller than this, we recommend using the handheld steamers or taking your drapes off the hanging rods for better accessibility. Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in a category. For those times when you want to steam a lot of clothes or very large garments, its vital to have a clothes steamer that can run for a long period of time on a single water tank. Each steamer has a water tank that you fill with water. Each shirt only required a slow pass with the steam head about one time with some touch-ups on problem areas like pockets or collars. Youll want to hold off on buying from Conair and Shark, but the others will do the job if youre not picky. In fact, its simplicity was welcomed after piecing together the extras that came with the others brands. The drapes were about 33 x 53 inches and were steamed while hanging on the curtain rod. We identified the majority of the available to purchase. Hilife Steamer is a superb pick for anybody who is searching for the very best travel steamers for clothing. There are also two adjustable steam settings, an automatic shut-off feature and a handy lint brush. For drapes, it worked well and steamed out the wrinkles without difficulty. The water chamber is clear, which lets you seehow much water is left in the steam cycle. He thoroughly enjoys discovering the best, whether its ingredients or equipment, and finding products that can stand the rigors of daily use. Some models, like the Conair and the Shark, were either too much hassle or didnt provide enough steaming power. It performed well with all the fabrics, and it did it fast. Both are decent picks, giving about 40 minutes of steam time and effectively steaming your clothes. These tests were done in a home with the average consumer in mind and werent meant to cater to any factory or commercial settings where you can just be steaming for hours on end. Ad Choices, The Best Handheld Steamer Will Make All Your Wrinkles and Problems Disappear, 2 Other Handheld Clothes Steamers We Like, The fashion closet's favorite travel steamer comes from none other than the inventor of the "Miracle Mop" (yes, it's same "Joy". The creases were visible but not as defined as those created with a typical iron. DWYM Home Experts plus When it was done steaming as though it was breathing a huge sigh of relief it whooshed out one last puff of air and then was done. It steams your clothes and gets the wrinkles out. The result is a ranking of the best of the best . Along with user reviews from Amazon. " It features a 240-milliliter water tank and a 700-watt motor. Its also critical when storage space is a concern. The Rowenta DR8120 Handleld Steamer heats up in just 40 seconds, while the PurSteam Garment Steamer is ready to go in 90 seconds. Its lightweight and portable, which means you can use it at home and on vacation. But the favored method of wrinkle eradication on nearly all professional photo shoots and in the GQ fashion closetthe solve that's quick enough for the harried pace of weekday mornings and effective enough to make a differenceis a clothes steamer. Having a sturdy place to hang your garments makes it convenient to steam. We didnt have to move it much when in use, but when it was time to wheel it away, the job was simple. The product comes with three attachments: a fabric brush, a crease attachment, and a lint pad. What We Liked: Thanks to its lightweight design, this clothes steamer is portable and easy to take on business trips. It comes with two brush attachments, which worked better on clothing, but we still had to do over-wrinkled areas several times. Weve got to hand it to Jiffy their steamers are impressive. Its not for heavy-duty or high-volume garment steaming, but it will get you through your touch-ups and typical needs. The Hilifes tank has a 240-milliliter capacity, which gives about 14 minutes of steam; however, during our testing, the amount of steam lessened at the 11-minute mark. "You can steam horizontally or vertically just like an iron!"). When deciding which clothes steamer to purchase, check to see whether it comes with a built-in hanger for your clothes. The Rowenta DR8120 Handleld Steame offers around 26 minutes of non-stop steaming on each full tank of water. If youre into bells and whistles, this is a viable option, but overall gave an average performance. This is especially important if youre planning on steaming your clothes in the morning before work. Not only did the J-2000 have the longest steam time at 100 minutes, but it steamed with more power than the rest. None of our reviews are sponsored. If you plan on using your clothes steamer for large volumes of clothes, either at home or for light commercial use, youll need one that has a large water tank that is easy to fill. Great build quality without frills -- an excellent choice for a standing steamer. The BEAUTURAL handheld steamer has a lot of power for a two-pound unit. Steaming clothes and fabrics also has an added benefit aside from getting rid of wrinkles: the hot steam helps to freshen up the fabrics and get rid of dust mites and germs, in addition to odors such as smoke or food smells. So we put all three to the test on each one of these steamers. It also worked well on wool, even with the steaming power being a little weaker. The PureSteam heated up in 60 seconds, even though it advertised 45. The Rowenta has no automatic shut-off it just simply stops when water runs out and surprisingly, it has no power button, so to shut the unit off, you need to pull out the plug. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. The steam time was determinedby filling up the reservoir of each machine and letting it warm up. Lord Eagle Beginner Ergonomic Compact Hand Mixer, 4. Steam cleaners are also effective for large pieces of fabric, such as curtains, because they take much less time to heat up and rid fabric of wrinkles than an iron. The URPOWER heats up quickly, another bonus for when youre on the go and need something steamed fast. The auto turn-off is a nice bonus too; if youre rushed and forget to turn it off, this feature prevents overheating and causing a house fire (unfortunately, we know someone this happened to). The PurSteam Full Size Garment Steamer has a clothes hook where you can hang your own clothes hanger. We found the BEAUTURAL to be the best handheld steamer available. It comes with a fabric brush, creaser, and soft cushion brush. Again, that pressed look couldnt be achieved with any steamer except for the Shark Press and Refresh, but the shirts were considered finished when they looked good enough to wear to your company dinner party. What We Liked: With portable fabric steamer, youll be able to iron your clothes at a distance of 9.2 feet! When its plugged in, it starts buzzing loudly and steam initially dribbled out the front. All of the standing steamers tested were more or less effective in de-wrinkling clothes, but the Jiffy was considerably more powerful, more efficient, and less of a hassle. Of the three clothes steamers that we tested for this 2021 update, we preferred the BEAUTURAL over the Hilife and Rowenta. If you need something with a larger tank to steam lots of clothes, its older sibling, the Jiffy J-2000, wins our pick for the best standing steamer. The concept seems awesome in theory. With the body of a cashier's bar-code scanner, it's exceedingly easy to hold and operate the Rowenta device. The press pads attach using adjustable handle straps that loop around the edges of the door. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. What We Liked: Not only does this clothes steamer remove wrinkles, but it also eliminates odors and freshens fabric. Just like a tea kettle, the water inside comes to a boil and pumps steam out through the vent holes". It doesn't leak when turned horizontally, and it comes with a host of useful extras, such as a steaming "pad" which hangs on the back of a bathroom door to provide a nice cushion when you want to apply ever-so-light pressure. We used the same size large mens cotton dress shirt for every steamer to measure the results. Get anything Jiffy and your clothes will look like new. Its not a walk in the park to set up, and takes some skill to start using to its full effect. There's turning your shower into a Turkish sauna and hanging your clothes on the back of the bathroom door to score the sweet ambient steam (the favored technique of lifehack listicles across every corner of the internet). The heating chamber is clear, and the bubbles can be seen while the device is heating up. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-ready videos to electric live events, GQ meets millions of modern men where they live, creating the moments that create conversations. When the tank was about three-quarters of the way empty, it started making loud gurgling noises. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. She has been writing on technology, travel, parenting and business for over 10 years. Look for a model with an attachable fabric brush that is good for brushing away lint, hairs, and loose threads. It gave 40 minutes of steam time, and it took about five minutes to iron one shirt, making it seem slightly less powerful than its competitors. If you're looking to invest in the tricked-out Cadillac of steam machines, but don't want to be the guy who owns an upright standing model, the Shark is the way to go. This is particularly useful if you plan on steaming delicate fabrics such as silks and satins. Testing Jiffys standing unit, the J-2000 was a no-brainer since it was rated very well by customer reviews, and fared well in Wirecutters review for heavy use. Lastly, the Rowenta weighs a little over 3 pounds, so its tiring to hold it for more than a few minutes. The PureSteam XLand the Steamfast were actually verysimilar in design, also both clocking in at 1500 watts. The extra steam time also allows for assurance that you wont have to rush while steaming and prolongs the time between refills. For such a big machine, it has a surprisingly small tank with a 6.76-ounce capacity, which delivers about 10 minutes of steam. The 10-foot cord was also a nice feature, giving some extra play in the ability to move around with the steamer. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. The design is comfortable, and the twist-off reservoir is easy to use. The steam bonnet takes some fiddling when removed to fit other parts onto it. Since the steam that is emitted from the handheld device eliminates 99.9 of germs, you can also use it to steam your bedding and living room furniture. And from the mist emerged one winner: The Rowenta X-Cel. The barebones design might make it seem like its missing something, but even without any attachments, the Jiffy didnt sufferin performance. Built to last many years, for a fairly reasonable price. Our team of experts spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing, and researching products so you don't have to.Learn more. This mobile steamer is user friendly. The hose of the Rowenta became noticeably hot but never too hot to use. Its also designed with an effective carrying handle, which madetransporting to and from the sink much less awkward than its competitors. The way clothes steamers work is almost magical. Plus, the ironing board takes up a lot of room because of its awkward shape. Clothes steamers are compact yet powerful, so you can smooth out fabrics in a matter of minutes. It boasts a 60-second heat-up time, which in reality took closer to 90 seconds. The shirts were deemed finished when all the wrinkles on the front, back and sleeves had been steamed out. They took copious notes on the performance of these steamers with an eye toward the following: portability, ergonomics, speed (crucial for a fashion shoot, or a guy in danger of missing his train), strength and modulation of steam, ease of water re-filling, and more. The BEAUTURAL has a unique lint-brush attachment that works well on suits. The mesh covering on the outside of the hose kept it from getting hot to the touch. Instead of touching the fabrics surface like an iron, a clothes steamer actually smooths out the wrinkles without ever making contact with the material. And unlike the majority of the others, for a smaller unit, it packed a lot of power. Portability is an important feature to consider, especially if you plan on taking your steamer to work or with you while you travel. Conair Hand Held Fabric Steamer with Dual Heat, 18. In actual practice, its more or less a hassle. Its slightly bigger than some of the other options, but its quality makes up for where it lacks in compactness. It eventually ironed out wrinkles but took a very long time. Filling the tinywater tank on this unit is difficult. In a steamer, you want dependable and effective, not quirky, and difficult to get to know, which is exactly what the Shark Press and Refresh was. It has a delicate setting and a turbo setting, which shoots out steam in full force, and enables you to steam wrinkles out of the sheerest and sturdiest fabrics. For that, ironing just cant be beat. If you are looking to save some space, then look to handhelds. That basically means you can flip the Jiffy on along with your favorite movie, and the run time will be the same. Its not the most powerful machine amongst the ones we tested so didnt get top pick, but its simple and effective for the price. There's ironing, which is a real pain, even if you use GQ legend Jim Moore's can't-fail 90-second technique. All of our reviews are unsponsored, so we earn money by using affiliate links. Set up was incredibly easy, and it made the actual steaming an enjoyable processtoo. The handle has an easy grip and the unit comes with the ability to remove lint. Because the steamer is pretty small, the water chamber is also small, but it will still give you around nine minutes of steam, which isnt too shabby. This unit takes one minute 20 seconds to start producing steam, which is relatively quick compared to the competition. Another bonus feature is the power switch, essentially a large foot pedal thats stepped on to activate the steamer. Much of our selection was narrowed down by searching retailers such as Amazon to find the best-rated products. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. You want steam power, a simple, no hassle experience and quality, thats what Jiffy will give you. The ExtremeSteam is definitely a looker, slightly resembling the Star Trek Enterprise. With a total steam time of nearly 20 minutes, it blows the other steamers out of the water. When youve got large garments, upholstery, curtains, furniture slipcovers and other home furnishings that have wrinkles, a clothes steamer is your best option. Moreover, theres the high-temperature steam setting to get rid of bacteria, mites, germs, and flu in an instant. The BEAUTURAL has a removable fill tank that can hold 8.79 ounces (259.95 milliliters) the largest of the other two and during testing, the steam lasted a good 12 minutes before sputtering out. The Epica is compact, so you can pop it into your suitcase for travel. But once its given a few tries, it actually proves itself to be revolutionary: Because of the vertical press pad and leaning against the door, its a steamer that can create sharp creases. Not every steamer steams equally you can actually go wrong with this purchase. Its a great size for travel, with an acceptabletradeoff in steam power. Simply remove the nozzle to fill the steamer at your tap, plug it in, and turn it on. To find out we donned our whistle necklaces and rapid-fire chest-passed a dozen handheld steamers to the hard-working members of the GQ Fashion Closet. While it is a little on the pricier end in the handheld category, its a solid machine all around that warrants the price. This standing model performs very well, heats up in about two minutes, and gets 90 minutes of steam on one full tank. There is no risk of burning the material, unlike with an iron, because you dont actually make contact. Anam earned a master's degree from the University of Toronto and a bachelor's degree from Queen's University. This little guy was a pleasant surprise. You wont be going wrong if you choose this option, but you wont be getting top tier in terms of quality. The wide steam stream, which starts flowing steadily after just 45 seconds, made for easy application and distribution, and made quick work of long-sleeved shirts. We looked at the top 18 and dug through the reviews from 111 of the most popular review sites including and more. Like other steamers we previously tested, this handheld steamer resembles a sci-fi laser gun and weighs two pounds, which we felt was just comfortable enough to hold for long stretches of time. If you dont like ironing and have lots of stuff to steam, the Jiffy might the answer youre looking for. With portable fabric steamer, you'll be able to iron your clothes at a distance of 9.2 feet! The Rowenta has your back: turn it upside down and you won't spill a drop ("First steamer we try that does not leak," enthused one fashion assistant. Many clothes steamers stand upright, so they are great for storing in closets and small spaces. User reviews mention their Jiffy steamers lasted for years, mainly due to their sturdy design. The steam is hot and works well, but you do get more than what you paid for. What We Liked: Since this clothes steamer is gentle, its safe to use on all fabrics. Standing steamers are your go-to for big projects and lots of work. The water can be seen heating up right away in the small chamber. Heres the bad news, the low-heat setting was like feeling the steam coming off a cooling cup of coffee. Sometimes you have to wait in between each garment while the iron heats up. For a standing steamer the Jiffy J-2000 powered through garments like no others, and the Jiffy ESTEAM performed just as well in the handheld class. The heated bar (called the "Wrinkle Eraser") at the top worked well for pressing collars or particularly stubborn areas. We wanted to test the gamut of steamers in the way most people use them and decided to test both handheld and standing steamers. The steamer has 700 watts, so it took two and a half minutes to heat up and start producing steam. They loved the triggered control system, as well as two setting options (lighter steam for delicate clothes and "turbo"extra milky steamfor heavier fabrics). All rights reserved. The steamer has a lock on the trigger to allow you to decide if you want constant steam, or to be able to press the trigger down and only have it steam when pressed. Its a lightweight steamer that produces plenty of steam to get your clothes wrinkle-free in minutes. First impressions on appearance arent leaning in the ESTEAMs favor, but it grew on us. Aside from being fairly difficult to take out of the box, the Rowenta made for an easy set-up. All of this seems great, but the Rowenta has a few issues. The steam then actually relaxes the fibers in the fabric so they no longer wrinkle. But what's the best steam machine out there? Very effective at removing wrinkles and comes with a tank that provides a whopping 100 minutes of steam time. It sort of looks like a stylized coffee pot. The handle stayed cool while heating, a bonus for comfort level on an already well-designed machine. This steamer produces gushes of steam for such a lightweight unit. One fashion editor refreshed her curtains, and a social media editor opted to steam his couch cushions instead of dry-cleaning them. The hanger head has a handy slot where the steamer head is stored. The PurSteam was decent, but nothing makes it really stand out. The Hilife steamer is a little portable model thats good for steaming out wrinkles from clothes that have been packed in a suitcase. Because of its lower power and ineffectiveness, we do not recommend theConairExtremeSteam, no matter how cool it looks. After testing the results on the cotton dress shirt, large cotton mens t-shirts were steamed to see how many shirts the steamers could steam on one full tank. The unit has a large detachable 10-ounce water tank that produces 18 minutes of continuous steam. Standing steamers were not ideal for ironing drapestaller than 53 inches, since it can be a stretch to reach the very top. At 1200 watts, the BEAUTURAL was the fastest in heating up 30 seconds and has a trigger lock for controlling continuous steam or steam bursts. The Steamfast only sort of lived up to its name, getting the job done at a moderate pace. Dress shirts were steamed in about four minutes, whilethe silk dress required only one pass of the steamer to remove wrinkles. Your Best Digs saves you time and money with reviews of the products you need. The only downside of the Rowenta is that it's a little on the hefty side, and at 11 inches tall it's a bit bigger than anything anyone other than a professional stylist would ever take on the road (if you're looking for something carry-on-friendly, see below). Bryan is our cooking and kitchen expert, with more than 15 years of experience of cooking and testing kitchen products. One of the reasons why clothes steamers are preferable to irons is that they heat up and are ready to use very quickly. It has a switch for the steamer to do continuous steam or steam bursts, but it slips too easily because its located just beneath the trigger. Just be sure to work on small sections at a time because you want the wallpaper to remain moist while you remove it. The high-heat setting wasnt better. Vertical steamers are easy to move around to where you need them, while small hand-held steamers are portable, making them a breeze to use anywhere in your home. If youre concerned about chemicals interacting with your clothes, youll want to make sure that the clothes steamer uses 100% water in the water tank, instead of added chemicals. The attachments were an added bonus if you like getting fancy; we could take them or leave them. All products featured on GQ are independently selected by our editors. Long Power CordYou'll get 15 minutes of continuous steam with this portable fabric steamer. . The Epica tends to sputter upon the initial plugin, but it quickly recovers and starts steaming in two minutes. The finished shirt wasnt completely wrinkle-free, and it had water spots from the Hilifes frequent spitting. The tests to measure effectiveness on t-shirts, dress shirts, silk and drapes were done separately. We wrinkled and steamed silk dresses and shirts to test effectiveness of each machine. For an entire month they toted them to cover shoots, generating over a half million gallons of raw steam (give or take some puffs). Our experts reviewed the top 18 and also dug through the reviews from 111 of the most popular review sites including and more. The pole connected firmly into the base and stood over five feet tall the tallest pole of all the machines making steaming even more convenient. The brush tool works well in steaming shirts, and the lint brush is great for lifting lint or pet hair from suits and pants while steaming at the same time. Two of the brands we included were just to test brand variety, although they didnt rank above four stars: the Conair ExtremeSteam and the Steamfast SF-407. The steamers crease clip cant compete with an iron for creasing pants. It tackled a wool sweater with no issue and took on any garment with simplicity, getting the wrinkles out easily. Don't just take for granted what one reviewer says. The Rowenta IS6200 steamed out wrinkles well from all fabrics. The iron bar is neatbut dangerous, and the concept of the press pad is innovative but imperfect. Learn more. It also has a high and a low heat setting. Steamers are also perfect for hard-to-iron fabrics, such as screen-printed materials or suit jackets. They were finished when allwrinkles were removed. The strap got stuck once, and we thought wed have a press pad stuck to our door forever, but it eventually came free. It has a lot of steaming power and was able to de-wrinkle shirts with ease, and the wrinkle remover acted basically as a quasi-iron. Youll spend a lot of time getting frustrated and not a lot of time actually ironing your clothes, so wed opt out on this choice. When you purchase an item through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The steam head dribbled a small amount of water from the holes at first, which created some water spots on the shirts if the fabric was touched. The Rowenta comes with a crease clip, brush, steam cover to protect fabrics from water impurities, and a nifty door hook for hanging the clothing you want to steam. There was some initial concernthat the tube for the steam was inflexible and was going to make it difficult to maneuver around the garments, but once the machine heated up, the tube warmed and became more bendable. In all, it gave 10 minutes of steaming time on one fill. The Jiffy ESTEAM handheld steamer provides almost as much power as the larger J-2000 Jiffy Steamer, but it did so in a compact unit. The steam head is fairly wide with six holes, which provided just the right amount of steaming power.