For some, ironing freshly laundered clothes is a soothing ritual—there is something meditative about pulling out the board, plugging in the iron, and melting away creases and wrinkles. But if you view ironing as a tiresome nuisance, you can still avoid walking around in crinkled clothes by using a handheld clothing steamer.
“If you own a lot of delicate fabrics or just need to freshen up the occasional [item], a steamer will be a solid addition to your laundry arsenal,” says senior staff writer Jackie Reeve, who has been testing irons and steamers for Wirecutter since 2015. The strong burst of hot steam smooths out most fabrics in a pinch, and you can save the iron for more specific circumstances.
Where a steamer shines
Steamers are a fast and easy way to smooth out rumpled clothing with little effort. The midsize steamers we recommend can also easily be packed in a carry-on, which is particularly helpful for fabrics that you can’t or shouldn’t iron when you get where you’re going.
Handheld steamers typically work best (and fastest) on thinner fabrics like silk, polyester, and linen. If your wardrobe consists mainly of these delicate materials, you’ll rarely need to pull out the iron—in fact, you probably don’t want to iron anyway for fear of scorching them, Jackie says. Even slightly wrinkled clothes made of heavier material, like cotton, can be smoothed by a steamer.
This steamer melted wrinkles without spitting water on our fabrics—rare among the models we tested. It’s also comfortable to hold and has exceptional features, like an aluminum steamer plate and dual steam settings.
The best steamers are comfortable to hold and produce strong bursts of hot steam. They don’t leak or spit water that can ruin expensive fabric, and they have large water tanks so you can use it for longer without needing to refill. Our top pick is the Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam Handheld Fabric Steamer because it was easy to hold and performed well in our tests — it was one of the only models that didn’t leave wet spots on our fabrics during testing. And in our testing, we found its sturdy aluminum steamer plate able to tackle wrinkles on heavier fabrics with almost iron-like strength. We also recommend the Conair CompleteSteam Travel Fabric Steamer for occasional use or while traveling—it’s not perfect, but it’s affordable, lightweight, and effective. Our former top pick, the Sunbeam Power Steam Fabric Steamer, has been discontinued, but is still occasionally available (and often on sale). If you can get your hands on it, it’s a great option as well.
Or put your dryer to work to smooth out crumpled clothes
If you have easy access to a dryer, you may not even need a dedicated steamer. Throw your rumpled clothes into the dryer with a damp washcloth or a handful of ice cubes and run it for about 10 to 15 minutes. Even on low heat, the steam released from the damp cloth will smooth wrinkles with next to no effort on your part.
Treat an iron like a precision tool
An iron is the only way to achieve sharp pleats, crisp creases, and flat seams. Some steamers come with special tools for that purpose, but Jackie found them so time-consuming and fiddly to use that pulling out an iron would be faster and easier than futzing with add-ons.
“In testing, steamers were less effective than irons on stubborn folds and wrinkles, particularly on the hems of heavily creased shirts, jeans, and cotton sheets,” Jackie says. “If you wash and dry dress shirts—or any button-down shirts—at home, an iron is a better tool for keeping them crisp.”
If your job or sense of stlye requires those extra sharp finishes, then you may have no choice but to get an iron and keep an ironing board easily accessible. But for everyone else, a handheld steamer is a low-pressure alternative.
This article was edited by Mark Smirniotis and Annemarie Conte.
