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If you don’t have the space or budget for an iron, a clothes steamer is a worthwhile alternative. It removes wrinkles from your clothes using steam instead of making direct contact with the fabric. To help you select the steamer that’s right for you, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best clothes steamers on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations.
Top 5 Clothes Steamers
- Best Heavy-Duty Steamer: Jiffy J-2000 Garment Steamer
- Best Heads: BLACK+DECKER Advanced Handheld Garment/Fabric Steamer
- Best Multipurpose Attachment: Conair Turbo Extreme Steam Handheld Fabric Steamer
- Best Hanger: PurSteam Garment Steamer
- Best For Travel: Jiffy ESTEAM Personal Handheld Steamer
Best Heavy-Duty Steamer
Jiffy J-2000 Garment Steamer
- $232
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Full-size model
- 0.75-gallon water tank
- Two-minute heating time
- 1.5 hours of steam
- 1,300 watts of power
- Three-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Customers said that this steamer was effective at removing wrinkles, had easy assembly, and heated water quickly. However, some who were unhappy with this steamer said that it was prone to leaks.
Best Heads
BLACK+DECKER Advanced Handheld Garment/Fabric Steamer
- $52.89
- $59.99
- 12% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Handheld model
- 7.4-ounce water tank
- One-minute heating time
- 1,400 watts of power
- Two-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Those who were happy with this steamer said that it had a comfortable grip and was easy to maneuver. However, those who were unhappy claimed that it was heavy for a handheld model. Other customers had a hard time getting steam to come out consistently.
Best Multipurpose Attachment
Conair Turbo Extreme Steam Handheld Fabric Steamer
- $59.95
- $69.99
- 14% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Handheld model
- 7.3-ounce water tank
- 40-second heating time
- 15 minutes of steam
- 1,875 watts of power
- Two-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Those who were satisfied with this clothes steamer said that it had a high steam output, was effective on multiple types of fabrics, and removed tough-to-get wrinkles. Those who were unsatisfied with the product said that it leaked often and sometimes stopped working after minimal use.
Best Hanger
PurSteam Garment Steamer
- $79.97
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Full-size model
- 75-ounce water tank
- Two-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Happy customers appreciated that this steamer was easy to put together, made from durable materials, and quick to heat up. However, a common complaint among dissatisfied customers was that the included instructions manual was hard to understand.
Best For Travel
Jiffy ESTEAM Personal Handheld Steamer
- $97.71
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Handheld model
- 2.84-liter water tank
- One-minute heating time
- 15 minutes of steam
- 600 watts of power
- Three-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Satisfied customers felt like this steamer was sturdy, durable, and portable. They also said that its water tank was easy to empty. However, some customers cited issues with it taking a long time to remove wrinkles and leaving water spots on clothes.
Buyer’s Guide
From freestanding to handheld models, clothes steamers serve a variety of needs. Read our buying guide below to determine how to choose the right one for you.
Size
Steamers come in both full-size and handheld options. Handheld steamers are best for those who have limited space or travel often. They’re typically less powerful, but they can still remove wrinkles from most materials. Full-size steamers, on the other hand, work better for larger fabric items, such as curtains, coats, and tablecloths. They take up more space and are more difficult to maneuver, but they generate more power.
Water Tank
Clothes steamers turn water into steam to operate. The tank that holds this water varies in size from model to model. Most handheld steamers hold around 10 ounces of water, while full-size steamers typically hold between a half gallon and a gallon of water.
Heating Time
After turning on, a steamer takes anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to heat the water and turn it into steam. A steamer with a smaller tank typically takes less time to prepare because there’s less water to heat.
Steaming Time
Similar to heating time, steaming time is connected to the size of the water tank. Handheld steamers with smaller tanks typically run out of water to turn into steam in about 15 minutes. However, full-size steamers can steam clothes for over an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is steaming clothes as effective as ironing?
Removing wrinkles with a steamer is typically more efficient than using an iron, but it may or may not be as effective. For thicker, sturdier materials that need more heat to release wrinkles, an iron is usually a better option.
How do you use a steamer?
Steamers differ from irons in that they don’t touch the fabric they’re removing wrinkles from. They should be run up and down or left and right a few inches from the fabric.
How long does it take to steam clothes?
That depends on a variety of factors. The quality of your steamer goes a long way in determining how arduous the process of steaming clothes is. Additionally, how many wrinkles there are, how bad the wrinkles are, and what material the wrinkles are on also affect how long it takes.
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This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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