Wrinkles don't stand a chance against these handheld and professional picks.
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You may be surprised to hear that garment steamers may just edge out the irons our grandmothers wielded for decades. Handheld or upright, clothes steamers are lighter to manage and don't require an ironing board that hogs precious closet space.
They are also more versatile. Steamers can de-wrinkle flowy and silky fabrics (even linen!) and formal suits without scorching, refresh garments between dry cleaning and smooth draperies and window treatments. Even the original 1935 player token shaped like an iron has been phased out of Monopoly — a sign of household trends to come?
A great clothes steamer is an excellent tool to have in your laundry arsenal, but there are a few things to consider before you pick one up like steam output, ease of use, and whether it can operate at different angles without dripping.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, our team has tested hundreds of laundry-related items including irons (even the best cordless irons), ironing boards, washers, dryers and, of course, clothes steamers. We test garment steamers on a range of fabrics, including natural and synthetic fibers, to measure heat-up time and gauge efficiency, ease of use and overall value.
At the end of this article, you'll find more info on how we test steamers in our Lab and with consumer testers. We also answer when a billow of steam is better than ironing (sequins, anyone?) and outline helpful shopping pointers.
The Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam is a Good Housekeeping Seal-holder for a reason. It's one of the best wrinkle removers we've ever tested. We like the two steam slots, ceramic faceplate for a smoother glide and five steam settings — from delicate to turbo — to meet any fabric need. Once it starts pumping, the steam is continuous, with no extra buttons to press.
We were especially impressed with how well the Turbo dewrinkled denim jeans and lined wool pants, unlike some other steamers we tested that couldn't handle thicker fabrics. On a lower setting, this worked magic on a cotton top with sequins and embellishments. It produced abundant billows of steam on all settings, pumping out from 11 grams per minute on low to 22 grams per minute on high. The 9-foot cord allowed us to maneuver freely around the garment. This model includes a three-in-one attachment to lift fibers, protect delicates and pull fabrics taut for better results, along with a built-in creaser to help achieve sharp pleats. Its large head may make it more difficult to store but that's an easy drawback to overlook, if you ask us.
The Conair brand, dating to 1959, has a long history in personal care products. We consider the brand's steamers to be wrinkle-removing champs. But this totable model, which earned a spot in our 2023 Best Cleaning & Organizing Awards, does even more.
Its head pivots to three positions to steam at an angle or flatten to tuck neatly into a suitcase. In the Cleaning Lab, we found this pretty sage steamer easy to use and totally packable. It heated up in 35 seconds to smooth even tricky fabrics like linen, and the dual voltage power is a plus for worldwide travel. It even comes with a folding hanger. What more could you need?
We got almost 5 ½ minutes of steam time from each water tank fill, and the little green goddess pumped out 16 grams of steam per minute, a very good performance for a steamer with a small tank. We didn’t experience any spitting, either.
You can beautify way more than clothing with the Black + Decker Advanced Garment Steamer. The extra-long cord (15 feet!) makes it simple to reach high-up places such as curtains and even bed skirts that are far from an outlet. We appreciate that the steamer stands upright and automatically shuts off after 15 minutes, a nice-to-have safety feature if you happen to walk away.
The water tank was easy to fill and the product left fabrics looking smooth and finished. This model comes with attachments for upholstery, delicate fabrics and lint removal, and we found that the continuous steam feature was especially helpful for large swaths like draperies, mattresses and furniture. Our only wish? That the long cord retracted for tidy storage.
This classic workhorse made in the U.S. since 1940 doesn't have fancy bells, whistles or attachments. But ask any photo stylist responsible for making clothing look picture-perfect, and they'll tell you it's still the best. We love the 90 minutes of gentle, continuous steam from its 3/4 gallon water tank. You'll spot it in every fashion magazine closet and at every photo shoot because it performs without fail. It even comes in pink!
We have used it often in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab and consider it the gold standard of upright garment steamers with a stand. It shuts off automatically for safety and rolls easily on swivel casters. This Jiffy even comes backed by a three-year warranty. Because of its height and hose length (5 1/2 feet), it may be a bit challenging to store.
This Good Housekeeping Cleaning Award-winner is a Lab favorite. The slim steamer is comfortable to hold and about the size of a flat iron making it easy to tuck into your suitcase — even a small carry-on, weekender or backpack. It's ideal when you don't know what kind of in-room amenities your lodging will offer but still want to look neat and put together, not crumpled and rumpled, after a flight or road trip.
Despite its small size, we saw solid performance. Filling the tank is easy, it revs up quickly and it's simple to use. It pumps out five minutes of steam, so it will need to be refilled more often than other steamers. In our tests, we got pro results even on the front placket of a cotton shirt. We love that it works in any direction without dripping and comes with a travel pouch.
When we take off our lab coats, we in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab manage life at home, just like you do, including wrinkled clothes. We know what matters to people who run households, and we are committed to reporting the pros and cons of products, so you get your money's worth. No one needs a fail that wastes your time, energy and dollars.
We put all garment steamers through a consistent battery of tests, to check heat-up time, handling, performance and other pressing issues. We consider design, balance, a comfortable hold and overall footprint. We look at the size of each water tank and time how long the water lasts. We want to be able to fill and empty it without struggles or spills. We never lay the clothing flat to steam it, and neither should you. We test steamers vertically, on hanging garments. The drier the steam, the better. Wet steam or spits and sputters can leave fabrics wet and damaged with water spots.
We want to know how hard each steam machine works. We consider how many grams of steam it pumps out per minute (the higher the number, the faster it works). Then we test each model on linen (always a true challenge), delicate silk, cotton, wool and synthetic fabric swatches and garments we've balled up and wrinkled overnight. That includes light, heavyweight and woven fabrics, knits, blouses, tops, pants and jackets. We especially track steamer performance on tough-to-smooth fabrics and fibers, like linen and heavy cotton.
We time how long it takes to smooth each crunched-up item and then score each fabric using an industry-standard protocol borrowed from our GH Textiles, Paper and Apparel Lab. We also note any spitting or sputtering and test any steamer attachments.
✔️ Large water tank. If you expect to steam often, look for a large water tank, long cord and a button to lock in continuous steam. If you will use the steamer occasionally or just for travel, consider a slim model that's nice and lightweight.
✔️ Long run time. Do you plan to do a batch of items at once (uniforms for the week, for example)? Select a model with a longer run time.
✔️ Compact design. Don't get a large pro steamer — the kind that magazine stylists use — if you don't have the space. It could turn into a clothes hanger but not in the way you intended.
✔️ Water type. Check the product's use and care guide on the brand website for details on using distilled water and cleaning mineral residue, which can clog a steamer. Most use regular tap water, but some brands recommend distilled, especially if your tap water is extremely hard.
✔️ Safety features. Let a steamer cool off in a place away from kids and pets, then empty the water tank before storing. Steamers with auto shut-off help protect you and your family.
Should you trade up from your trusty iron to a more modern clothes steamer? Good steamers do come through, erasing wrinkles without having to lug out an ironing board and heavy iron.
A steamer can freshen garments on the go, in a hotel room or before a job interview or party. It's convenient since most clothing can be steamed right on a hanger. It also simplifies tasks like smoothing curtains or drapes, since you don't take them off the rods.
A steamer is more compact, with no cumbersome board to store. And you can save money and time by giving clothes a quick steam to refresh them in between dry cleaning drop-offs.
Clothes steamers are even your secret weapon to kill bacteria and dust mites near the surface and help remove odors from difficult-to-clean mattresses, throw pillows, stuffed toys and upholstery. And a steamer is, hands down, the simplest way to de-wrinkle sheer, delicate and embellished fabrics and garments without scorching or damaging them.
For some — but not all — de-wrinkling jobs, a steamer works better than a steam iron. Garment steamers pump out soft billows of hot air that pass through fabrics and delicate fibers to allow wrinkles to fall out as you gently tug on the bottom of the shirt or blouse. Irons, on the other hand, use moisture, heat, steam and pressure to smooth and flatten fabrics and remove wrinkles as you press against the board.
Ironing takes more muscle but is better suited to setting pleats or sharp creases or when you want a crisp finish, like on a dress shirt.
Steamers are also better suited for items trimmed with sequins and beads, and tailored garments, like jackets, that are hard to lay flat. And a clothes steamer is better when you don't want a pressed look or sharp creases, as for knit sweaters or dresses.
This article was originally written by Carolyn Forté, the GH Institute's Home Care & Cleaning Lab executive director. She has a B.A. in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York, and is a consumer products expert. She has been testing, speaking and writing about appliances, textiles, cleaning products and more for over 40 years as well as consulting with the appliance industry about appliance testing protocols and consumer laundry habits.
Contributing writer Alice Garbarini Hurley is the most recent updater of this article. She has written about home, kitchen and style for more than 40 years at Woman’s Day, Seventeen and Good Housekeeping. Her first glimpse of a clothes steamer was in the fashion closet at her first job. She writes about interior design and home furnishings for Aspire Design and Home and after working on this story, is considering investing in a standing steamer of her own (in pink!).
Carolyn Forté brings more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab. Using deep analytical testing and writing expertise in appliances, cleaning, textiles and organizational products, she produces cleaning and home care advice for GH, has authored numerous books and bookazines for the brand and partners with the American Cleaning Institute to co-produce the Discover Cleaning Summits. She holds a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York.
Alice Garbarini Hurley has been a lifestyle and consumer writer since a pizza parlor taste test for the Dumont High School Periscope. She wrote about prom dresses and mascara at Seventeen, then about everything that matters at Good Housekeeping as a senior lifestyle writer for 10 years and as a GH freelancer for 10 more. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Coastal Living and InStyle. She has published essays and has blogged at Truth and Beauty since 2010. Writing keeps Alice calm and focused while raising a teenage girl. She loves bluebells and daffodils, Cape Cod, accessories, cream in her coffee and reading cookbooks cover to cover.
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