Best clothes steamers 2023 UK

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Refresh your wardrobe with our tried and tested handheld and upright garment steamers Handheld Clothes Steamer

This article was updated in October to reflect the latest prices and deals. We also added two new clothes steamers to our list of recommendations. We'll continue to update this article throughout November.

If you're still using a traditional iron to get the creases out of your clothes, it’s high time you tried a quicker, more effective garment steamer.

The best clothes steamers will leave any item in your wardrobe looking pristine in minutes. There is plenty of choice on the market, including handheld options for travelling pros, and there’s a model to suit all budgets.

The GHI team tried and tested market-leading garment steamers on a range of fabrics, from delicate silk to hardy linen. These are our top picks:

Steaming is the modern way to enjoy fresh, crease-free clothes. Garment steamers heat up in seconds and are easy to use, including on soft furnishings like sheets and curtains. Most offer a range of settings so you can adapt the power to your fabric and avoid any damage. Best of all, there’s no need to faff around with an ironing board!

Handheld models are useful for keeping clothes crisp on-the-go, quick touch-ups and storing in smaller bedrooms. They’re so popular you’ll find 11 in our roundup.

The GHI put a range of market-leading garment steamers to the test. Our experts timed how long each model took to heat up, before judging how quickly and effectively it steamed a linen suit, a silk evening dress, a cotton and polycotton shirt and a viscose top.

They considered how easy and comfortable each garment steamer felt to use and noted if it dripped or spat. Its manoeuvrability, controls and overall design were also taken into account before awarding a final score.

We've listed our best buys below, along with a guide on the clothes steamer features to look for.

No matter what fabric was thrown at it, this steamer took it in its stride. It rapidly steamed through a large pile of clothes, thanks to its big tank and wide head, and it left everything bone dry.

It proved powerful, but not too strong for delicate fabric, and our polycotton shirt emerged looking as crisp as if it had been ironed. It comes with a generous array of accessories too, including a folding hanger, and has wheels for easy transportation.

However, there was no light to indicate when it was ready to use and no way of controlling the steam. It spat occasionally, too, but we’re being picky.

If you’re frequently on the move and pressed for time, look to this handheld model. It heated up in an impressive 29 seconds and its wide head made quick work of almost all creases, across all fabrics.

However, it proved too cumbersome to tackle intricate areas and the trigger switch can’t be locked, meaning you have to hold it down while steaming.

Despite its small capacity, we were pleasantly surprised by how long its water lasted before requiring a refill. There aren’t many included accessories, but the protective glove is a bonus.

The compact F10 gave a brilliant performance, eradicating all creases from every fabric except cotton (although it still did a good job). It preheated quickly and its smaller head offered better manoeuvrability than some of its competitors, allowing it to cover every nook and cranny.

It offers two power modes and comes with plenty of useful accessories, including a collar press. Its short power cable limited our reach and it took a little longer than expected to steam linen and silk, but those were our only niggles.

This handheld steamer will rid your clothes of wrinkles for a reasonable price. It quickly smoothed creases from all materials tested and left our polycotton shirt looking freshly ironed. It comes with a one year guarantee and is a fraction of the cost of many of its counterparts.

However, it spat sometimes and its short head risks burning your fingers if not handled carefully. It started straining slightly after about two minutes and, despite its speed, our silk, linen and cotton clothes were all left a little damp.

This colourful, slimline garment steamer would make a great holiday companion, quickly heating up and removing creases from warm-weather favourites including viscose, silk and cotton.

It took longer to achieve pristine results on our linen garments, however, and it spat a little, meaning it’s best used when your clothes have time to dry. With a full tank our tester said it felt heavy too. But for an on-the-go steamer, it’s surprisingly effective.

Our tester praised the “powerful steam output” of this device, which removed “each and every crease” from viscose and silk garments quickly and effectively, thanks to the larger head. Other materials – including linen and cotton – required another sweep to be 100% crease-free, but the end results were equally impressive.

It reached optimum temperature quickly and we didn't have to worry about spitting, making it ideal for last-minute touch-ups. The travel-friendly compact design was also a highlight, while the additional magnetic accessory attachments – including pads to assist with everything from lint removal and fragrancing clothing – scored highly with our expert, who added that it would be a great first time steamer for all fabrics.

This standing home steamer boasts an impressive 1.8L tank for 60 minutes of continuous steaming, making it great for larger loads, family use and even small businesses. There are two steam levels to choose from (900W and 1750W), plus an additional brush for delicate fabrics such as silk, though it’s worth noting that this isn’t safe for use on leather or suede. Despite that, it “excelled” on each material tested, removing every crease – even viscose.

The integrated hanger and hooks proved popular with our tester, enabling effortless steaming, though the lack of castor wheels compromises the manoeuvrability somewhat. The large tank is easy to fill, but the indicator light and water line can be difficult to see due to awkward positioning. While this was one of the more premium devices tested, our expert felt the performance justified the higher price point.

If you find holding down a trigger uncomfortable, this upright steamer may please as you simply turn on a dial for a continuous stream of steam. This effectively banished creases across most fabrics (as usual, linen needed a few extra sweeps and there were some visible watermarks when finished), and its large steaming head means you can cover more material in one go.

Its hanging system is sturdy, and the detachable water tank is easy to fill, although we found it emptied more quickly than some uprights. There’s also no way of knowing when it’s ready to steam, or when it has reached a new setting, and the dial markings aren’t the clearest. Overall, though, it's quick-heating and convenient.

This super-speedy garment steamer heated up in a blistering 15 seconds. It was also fast at removing creases, performing particularly well on polycotton, and all clothes were left dry. It struggled to remove deep-set wrinkles in cotton and viscose, but it was able to lighten the latter.

Its collapsible head can be folded down but it’s a little short, meaning we occasionally caught our fingers in the steam. There’s also no lock, so the trigger has to be held down continually.

Compact, lightweight and ready to use in just 30 seconds, this hand steamer is great for both travelling and day-to-day use. Though the functionality appears relatively stripped back, it offers everything you need – two heat settings, vertical steaming capabilities and a brush attachment for finer fabrics.

The device was quick to remove creases when steaming viscose, linen, silk, cotton and polycotton, though some small creases may require a second sweep. The water tank is easy to fill and the trigger switch is both simple and comfortable to use – even over longer periods.

The device did leave items a little damp which, while not unusual, means we’d recommend using in advance of wear to ensure any water residue has the chance to dry.

The DT9100 left our viscose garments looking brand new and successfully rid linen of all wrinkles. Three steam settings cater to different fabrics, but it wasn’t powerful enough to smooth silk and cotton fully. Our silk dress was left wet and there were some damp patches on the linen suit too.

Its large head made it harder to reach into tricky areas and there was some spitting. That said, it took just over 30 seconds to heat up, which is handy for one-off touch-ups.

With its scented steam, this steamer will make your clothes feel and smell fresh in between washes. It banished creases in one sweep from lightweight fabrics such as viscose and silk, but look elsewhere if your wardrobe is exclusively cottons and linens, as it struggled on these.

Our tester enjoyed its spit-free design, easy-to-fit opaque tank and long swivel cord but found it quite heavy and ill-balanced to use.

If you’re just travelling with a carry-on but still want to squeeze in a clothes steamer, this foldable, compact design may be just the ticket. It’s lightweight, and still impressed with its performance, heating up in four minutes, and removing creases reliably – especially from cotton and viscose. It struggled with linen though, leaving our garments smarter but not entirely crease-free.

Testers found it spat at times, and it’s hard to see when you need to refill the tank. The steam sometimes came out in bursts too, rather than in a continuous stream. But we wouldn’t expect a foldable design to rival the performance of a standard steamer, so overall our testers were still pleased with this neat design.

There are two types of garment steamer: upright and handheld. Both designs do the same job but there are a few key differences.

Upright steamers are powerful and best suited to heavy duty jobs. They have large water tanks built into their base, allowing you to keep steaming for longer, and usually feature built-in hangers. However, they tend to be bulky, less portable and more expensive.

Handheld steamers are much lighter and more compact, making them far easier to carry around with you. They have smaller water tanks but tend to be more affordable.

There are several features that set top-of-the-range garment steamers apart from sub-par models.

High-performing fabric steamers preheat in under a minute for quick and effective touch-ups, though those with larger tanks (typically the larger upright steamers) will naturally take a little longer to get to temperature.

Look for a large water tank if you’ve got a big pile of clothes to plough through, as it will ensure you don’t have to keep stopping and refilling.

If you plan on using your clothes steamer for one-off occasions or touch-ups, a smaller tank will suffice, ideally with a transparent casing so you know when to refill it.

A trigger lock is another useful tool, as it means you can enjoy continuous steam without having to hold your finger down.

The best fabric steamers offer a range of steam settings, allowing you to alter the power depending on the delicacy of the fabric – whether that be cotton, linen, silk or viscose.

Others offer features and attachments such as brushes to refresh upholstery, lint removers and scent infusers, to use on a variety of garments.

Included accessories such as travel bags and folding hangers can also be useful, particularly if you're looking for a handheld steamer to take travelling.

It’s worth considering your needs and the energy usage of your clothes steamer prior to purchasing. If you plan to use your steamer for a couple of items, then a light energy, handheld device will do just fine.

For larger loads, you may require a higher wattage standing steamer.

Look for a device that offers automatic shut off, meaning when the water runs out or if the device gets too hot, the machine will turn itself off to prevent damage.

Millie is our food, wine and spirits writer, with five years’ experience writing product reviews, buying guides, breaking news and about the latest trends. Millie has also reviewed countless restaurants and written travel features for British GQ, The Telegraph and the Independent, and has interviewed a number of leading chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Raymond Blanc. Founder of creative catering brand @grazeandgorge, Millie also spends her time creating seasonal recipes and tablescape content, as well as planning her next golden retriever-friendly getaway and rearranging her own home bar cart (... again).

Hannah is our senior homes writer, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys. Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah helps to uncover the best cleaning hacks too, with a focus on easy, natural solutions. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more. Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe. You can find Hannah on Instagram on @sewnbyhan

Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.

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