Garment steamers – or a clothes steamer, as they’re sometimes referred to – are everywhere when you step backstage at Fashion Week. Seriously: there are more fabric steamers floating around behind the scenes than there are bottles of hairspray. So if you’re still using a steam iron and ironing board to banish the creases in your favourite outfits, you’d better take note. And…there’s a lot to cover, so we’re getting straight to it:
Is a garment steamer worth it? | Can a steamer damage clothes? | What kind of clothes steamer is best? | What to look for in a good garment steamer | Our picks
The best clothes steamers 2023, at a glance
- Best overall – Steamery Cirrus No.2 Garment Steamer, £96, John Lewis
- Best runner up – Tefal Pure Tex Capacity Handheld Clothes Steamer, £99.99, John Lewis
- Best upright clothes steamer – FRIDJA f1000 Professional Vertical Garment Steamer, £69.99, Amazon
- Best value for money – Philips STH3000/26 Handheld Foldable Garment Steamer, £32.99, John Lewis
Is a garment steamer worth it?
Absolutely. Clothes steamers are the modern, time-poor person’s alternative to the traditional iron. They can be used for touch-ups on your clothes, curtains, duvet covers, pillow cases, bed sheets, sofa upholstery… the list goes on.
Garment steamers don’t have the prolonged, pressured contact with your favourite clothes that even the best steam irons do, which means they help preserve the quality of your favourite ‘fits while quickly removing creases. They’re also much more efficient for use on delicate fabrics, pleated skirts and intricately ruffled summer dresses.
Clothes steamers can also be used to treat garments you’ve worn once, and want to wear again, but don’t have time to iron. Many are cordless with auto shut-off making them super convenient, and the compact design means we can pack them away in our suitcases to give our clothes a bit of a refresh on holiday. So long, sub-par hotel room iron.
And that’s not all: the best garment steamers are also good at sanitising. That’s right: their steam output kills 99.9% of bacteria and lifts odours, so they double up as steam-cleaners, too.
Can a steamer damage clothes?
It’s actually almost impossible to damage your clothes with a garment steamer. They’re really safe, and will work with most fabrics.
What kind of clothes steamer is best?
There are two main types of garment steamer.
- Handheld garment steamers: portable garment steamers are much lighter and more compact, making them easier to carry around with you. They have small water tanks which makes them less suited to heavy duty jobs, but they are more affordable.
- Upright garment steamers: upright steamers have large water tanks with greater tank capacity, so you can give your clothes a steam boost for longer. They also usually come with built-in hangers and are set upon a base to assist in heavy duty jobs. That said, they’re bulkier, less portable and more expensive.