The best clothes steamers you can buy

Advertisement
The best clothes steamers you can buy

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Advertisement

best clothes steamer

Rowenta/Business Insider

  • Ironing is a real hassle, but you can get the wrinkles out of your clothes much easier with a great steamer.
  • All of our research points to the PurSteam PS-910 Fabric Steamer as the best clothes steamer you can buy to keep your clothing wrinkle-free.

Unwrinkled clothes simply improve your look, whether you're trying to attract someone or score a job, but getting perfectly pressed clothes takes time and effort. By most standards of thinking, your options for fresh pressed clothes are to A) send your clothes out and have a laundromat or dry cleaner make them wrinkle-free, which can weigh down on your wallet quickly, or to B) bring out the ironing board and iron your clothes each day, which requires time as well as some level of skill. Luckily there's a third, often-overlooked option: steaming.

Steaming clothes is a less complicated process than ironing that achieves equally wrinkle-free results. Steaming is the go-to choice in various professional industries such as fashion and broadcast where items may need to be packed up and moved often.

There are various types of garment steamers, but they all generally function the same way. Water is placed in a base or reservoir, heated to produce steam, and that steam is released through a wide nozzle which you hover over whatever it is you're looking to de-wrinkle. Usually, pressure or direct contact with the wrinkled fabrics is not required as the high heat of the steam is what removes the wrinkles.

Advertisement

Steaming saves time, reduces wear and tear, is safe for nearly any fabric, sanitizes your clothes, helps you avoid chemicals, and best of all, steaming your clothes saves you money. That's why we've picked out the best clothes steamers you can buy.

We evaluated each of the following garment cleaning models by looking at the steam production, heat-up time, wrinkle removal efficacy, and durability. We referenced online recommendations from industry leaders, and sites that specialize in the cleaning of household industries, as well as Amazon rankings and customer reviews, and personal experience. Read on to find out which clothes steamer is best for your needs and budget.

Here are our picks for the best clothes steamers:

Updated on 12/13/2018 by Malarie Gokey: Updated formatting, pricing, and added clothing organization guides.

Read more about our picks in the slides below.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Find all the best offers at our Coupons page.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

{{}}

The best clothes steamer overall

The best clothes steamer overall
Why you'll love it: The PurSteam PS-910 Fabric Steamer produces perfect steam for 60 minutes to remove wrinkles from all your clothes.

The PurSteam PS-910 Heavy Duty Powerful Fabric Steamer accomplishes two vital tasks with perfection: It removes wrinkles and makes steaming easier. It’s Amazon's number one best-seller, plus it comes with a money-back guarantee and five-year warranty, so you know it’s made to last. While it's not a professional unit, it can handle a family’s worth of clothes with the 61-ounce tank that heats up in just under a minute and provides 60 minutes of stable steam.

The design is part of what makes this steamer so appealing. It has a handy, adjustable hanger that is expandable from 15 to 17 or 19 inches. That means no more holding up your clothes or searching for a hook just to steam. It also has clips to help hold other fabrics, such as small children’s clothing, pillowcases, and more in place. The hanger is collapsible and the top hanger part can be replaced with a brush hook which makes for easy storage.

It comes with a convenient handheld steam board to de-wrinkle collars, pockets, and sleeves, that also doubles as a crease attachment to provide a more polished, or what one might call dry-cleaned look that gives structure to collars, sleeves, plackets, hems, and other clothing areas where a completely steamed, flat finish would just appear odd.

It can handle delicate to heavy materials, as it provides steam up to 248 degrees Fahrenheit that penetrates deep and relaxes fibers. The high temperature means it works faster than ironing and allows it to freshens clothes killing up to 99.9% of germs. Finally, the cost is actually reasonable, especially compared to other standing steam steamers.

The PurSteam PS-910 Heavy Duty Powerful Fabric Steamer is featured in Parents Need, where the author notes it can even disinfect your carpet. It’s listed in Smart Home Guide and Best Advisor, too.

The PurSteam PS-910 Heavy Duty Powerful Fabric Steamer has a 4- out of 5-star average rating based on over 2,000 customer reviews. Many reviewers comment on the quality of the product, and its many uses, such as this reviewer. Others like all the features it comes with such as this reviewer who enjoys the steam board and this reviewer who says that the accessories are "wonderful.”

The critical reviews mostly center around the product not having a consistent flow stream, but it’s worth noting that on every critical review, there’s a response from Amazon or the manufacturer extending help information and offers to resolve the issue stated.

Pros: Reasonable price, quality customer service/guarantee, handy built-in hanger, steams for 60 consecutive minutes, convenient add-ons and accessories, sanitizing features

Cons: May not provide a consistent steam flow

Buy the PurSteam PS-910 Heavy Duty Powerful Fabric Steamer on Amazon for $69.99 (originally $134.99)

The best handheld clothes steamer

The best handheld clothes steamer
Why you'll love it: Rowenta X-Cel Handheld Steamer emits powerful steam to make wrinkles disappear, plus, it's not too big.

Rowenta's X-Cel Handheld Steamer is a small, handheld steamer that's just the right size for anyone who needs to quickly steam some wrinkles out of tomorrow's suit, dress shirt, and tie. It's not a huge steamer, but it gets small jobs done quickly with little fuss.

The steamer emits 1500 Watts of steam for 10 minutes straight and heats up in about 40 to 45 seconds. The stainless steel head has several holes for even steam distribution, and it comes with fabric brush, lint pad, and steam bonnet attachments so you can steam any fabric without destroying it.

Because it's not overly large, Rowenta's steamer is easy to hold and fairly lightweight. I use it to steam my clothes on a regular basis and find it very easy to use. The water tank may be small, but I've never had trouble refilling it and I rarely use it for 10 minutes straight, so I've never exhausted the water supply mid-steam.

If you don't steam too many clothes or fabrics all at once and you want a small steamer that you can pack away at a moment's notice, this is it. Buyers at Bed Bath & Beyond give it mostly good reviews. — Malarie Gokey

Pros: Strong steam, small size, easy to hold, not too heavy

Cons: Pricey, small tank

Buy the Rowenta X-Cel handheld Garment and Fabric Steamer on Amazon for $59.90
Advertisement

The best affordable handheld clothes steamer

The best affordable handheld clothes steamer
Why you'll love it: More powerful than a travel steamer but still mobile enough to carry, the URPOWER Garment Steamer eliminates wrinkles faster than your average iron.

The URPOWER Garment Steamer makes steaming anywhere a quick and easy process. The 1.2-pound device heats up and provides steam in only two minutes, yet with a 130-milliliter tank, it provides a constant steam for 7 to 10 minutes. This upgraded model has a new nozzle design that distributes steam more powerfully and consistently, making it easier to remove stubborn wrinkles. Whether you don’t have room for a heavy-duty steamer or simply prefer a lighter, portable design, this handheld steamer can remove wrinkles from clothes, as well as from cushions, beds, and other fabrics around the house.

Even if you’re new to steaming, you won’t have much trouble learning how to use this steamer. It conveniently features an automatic shut-off function when the unit gets too hot or the water level is too low, which protects your clothing, as well as the longevity of the unit, which already comes with a two-year warranty.

Because it measures 3.7-by-8.8-by-6.2 inches, it’s smaller than an iPad 2, so you could carry it around without much of a hassle in case your steaming needs take you out of your house. It comes with a handy travel pouch, too.

The URPOWER Garment Steamer is the number one best-seller on Amazon in both the Travel Garment Steamers and Garment Steamer categories. The steamer has a 4 out of 5-star rating in the Parents Need, is listed in BestSeekers, and is ranked number one in an AOL article.

On Amazon, the steamer has a 4.2 out of 5-star average rating based on 2,321 reviews, which include a handful of helpful video reviews. The majority of reviewers are impressed with the product, such as this one who states that the steamer pays for itself. Multiple reviewers comment that the steamer is smaller than expected. The critical reviews mainly state that the steamer doesn’t completely replace their iron as they hoped, or that it stopped working sooner than it should have.

Pros: Price, built-in safety features, easy to use, small enough it’s portable, upgraded nozzle design

Cons: May spit water occasionally, questionable longevity

Buy the URPOWER Garment Steamer on Amazon for $19.99 (originally $69.99)

The best clothes steamer for travel

The best clothes steamer for travel
Why you'll love it: With a unique compact design, the OXA Portable Travel Steamer is a versatile steamer that does the job on the go.

While handheld steamers can often be used as travel steamers as well, the OXA Portable Travel Steamer is designed specifically with travel in mind. It’s portable and lightweight, weighing only 850 grams. Even if you’re not looking for a travel steamer, this model could serve you best, because of its light weight and ergonomic design with a steady grip that it allows you to handle it effortlessly without tiring your arms.

We love that it’s really a versatile steamer as well. It can remove wrinkles from all kinds of fabrics, including organic fabric, silk, cotton, nylon blend, wool, linen, polyester blend, embroidery, and other materials. It also has sanitizing features to remove odors, disinfect, and kill germs.

It comes with two brushes: One is a fabric brush with six outlets for steaming and the other a lint brush so you can make sure your clothes look pristine. The nozzle is purposely designed to not spit out water, and it comes with an auto shut-off feature to protect against overheating. Best of all, it heats up in a mere 20 seconds. Thanks to the 1,000 watts of power, it delivers a large amount of steam continuously for up to seven minutes.

The space-saving 16.2-by-5.9-by-5.6 inch OXA Portable Travel Steamer is listed in Top Best Products and Gist Gear. On Amazon, the steamer holds a 4.6- out of 5-star average rating based on 74 reviews, which, although a low number due to it being a new product, are rather thorough reviews that consist of 10 customer videos and more than 120 customer photos.

Amazon reviewers are generally pretty impressed with the small steamer, many highlighting that it works well on a variety of fabrics and, as advertised, heats up in only 20 seconds. This reviewer uploaded a video along with a handful of photos that conveniently give you a better idea of how it would actually fit in your hand. As to be expected, many buyers enjoy that it’s so lightweight and easy to travel with. The five critical reviews primarily state that the steamer doesn’t provide strong enough steam to get out tough wrinkles.

Pros: Travel-friendly, sanitizing features, works on a variety of materials, quick heat up time, lightweight

Cons: Steam may not be strong enough to get out tough wrinkles

Buy the OXA Portable Travel Steamer on Amazon for $29.99
Advertisement

The best heavy-duty clothes steamer

The best heavy-duty clothes steamer
Why you'll love it: The J-2000 Jiffy Garment Steamer is robust and durable, providing powerful wrinkle-killing steam for a full 90 minutes.

If you plan on steaming more than an item or two at once, you’ll want a more heavy duty steamer and that’s where this J-2000 Jiffy Garment Steamer comes into play. The standing steamer features a plastic removable 3/4 gallon water reservoir with a no-drip check valve system that fits securely into the base of the steamer and gives you 1.5 hours of steaming per fill.

The steamer is designed to withstand a good amount of use, so it can be used at home or for light commercial use. It has a high-impact polymer outer housing that provides an extra layer of durability along with wheels that swivel for mobility.

The steamer has a quick two-minute heat up time, which is rather quick considering the amount of water it holds. It has a 5.5-foot hose with a 6-inch steam head, so it can cover a good amount of fabric at once. It comes complete with color-coded high-temperature wiring and a fusible link with an automatic shut-off feature for safety. It can be used on clothing, bedding, and table linens. It can even remove wallpaper.

The J-2000 Jiffy Garment Steamer is listed as a top pick for The Wirecutter, Faveable, Consumer Search, and Parents Need.

On Amazon, the J-2000 Jiffy Garment Steamer holds a 4.5 out of 5-star average rating based on 1,489 reviews. Many reviewers comment that the steamer is well-made and lasts an impressively long time. One reviewer writes that the product has lasted more than 10 years. Some reviewers say the steamer gets too hot and has burned either them or their clothes. This reviewer says that it spits out water rather than steam from time to time, but it seems to be a rare occurrence.

Pros: Steams for 90 consecutive minutes, tough on wrinkles, long-lasting

Cons: Price, design, possible water spit issues

Buy the J-2000 Jiffy Garment Steamer on Amazon for $175.99 (originally $219)

How to choose a clothes steamer

How to choose a clothes steamer
How to pick a clothes steamer

Standing garment steamers are the most traditional type and keep water in some type of base on the floor, while a long tube with a nozzle at the end shoots out steam. Handheld garment steamers typically look like an oversized tea brewer with a wide end rather than a spout and come with a cord. With handheld steamers, the water basin is generally smaller but attached to the nozzle portion of the product and there is no long tube so they’re easier to maneuver and move around. Travel garment steamers come in a variety of shapes and designs, but most function the same way as handheld garment steamer, just out of a more compact body.

When shopping for a garment steamer you want to consider a few factors:

  • Performance: The best steamers heat up quickly, although a larger water reservoir can take longer to heat. Of course, the larger the water reservoir, the more steam time you’ll get in-between refills. Standing garment steamers almost always provide the largest water reservoirs, and thus longest continuous steam time, and travel ones provide the least. Beyond water capacity, the best steamers will not spit water at you or your clothes, but rather produce uniform steam.
  • Ease of Use: If you're just steaming clothes that can easily hang on a clothes hanger, you may not need a long tube or power cord for your steamer. Other fabrics like drapes that may be harder to reach are easier to steam when you have a long tube and cord that can reach far. Some steamers have attachments to make it easier to steam hard-to-reach fabrics or awkwardly shaped clothing.
  • Easy to clean: Removable tanks are preferred as they are easier to fill and clean. If the garment cleaner base you go with that isn’t removable, make sure the product comes with clear cleaning instructions, as improper cleaning can all too easily damage the steamer.
  • Accessories: Some steamers have unique features or come with add-ons that make steaming easier, such as an automatic shut off feature, wheels, built-in hangers, steam boards, and more.
  • Price: Garment steamers vary in price from around $30 to upwards of $200 and are usually more expensive than irons. Price depends on features, brand, and more often than not, the amount of water the steamer can hold and the steam time it can provide. By this logic, travel steamers will be the lowest priced option, followed by handheld and then standing garment steamers.
Advertisement

Check out our clothing organization guides

Check out our clothing organization guides
The best closet and drawer organizers you can buy

Proper drawer and closet organization can make the difference between a calm, enjoyable morning routine and a frenzied mess to find the right clothes and accessories before you rush out the door wearing less than your best outfit.

Our guide features a range of hardware ideal for all sorts of garments and for all sorts of closets and dressers, too. We have included options from up and down the price spectrum as well as those that are ideal for permanent installation in your home or for temporary use in an apartment or dorm.

The only thing you'll need to worry about when it comes to drawer and closet organization is actually sticking to the system you create.

Here are the best organizers you can buy:

The best storage containers you can buy

Organization is a challenge for the best of us, but good quality storage containers can help you get your stuff organized and make it all easier to access when you need it.

There are so many storage container options out there, from stackable plastic boxes that hold a ton of stuff to decorative bins that sneakily house items you use often but want to keep out of sight.

These are the best storage containers your money can buy — They'll make you feel like an amateur organization expert in no time.

Here are the best storage containers:

The best clothes hangers you can buy

There's nothing worse than a messy, disorganized closet. Having high-quality clothes hangers that match is an absolute must.

Hangers come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, types, and materials. It can be hard to know which ones are best for your clothes and your closet. One thing is for sure, though — Cheap, thin, flimsy wire and plastic hangers are not the answer. Sturdy, well-made wooden hangers are best, though velvet and padded ones are also very good. We've chosen wooden hangers for our picks because they tend to last longest and look the nicest.

Here are the best hangers: