by Tim Martinelli
Garment steamers are one of the most commonly used devices in the home and during travel because they are very effective in terms of removing wrinkles from clothes and different types of fabrics. They are a good choice if you want an alternative to your ordinary iron. They are proven to take away the crumpled look and the unwanted creases from your garments.
If you are new to garment steamers, they are easy to set up and use. What is great about these devices is that they are lightweight, much like a regular iron, which can help you finish steaming your pile of fabrics in no time. You do not have to remove your clothes from a hanger to de-wrinkle them.
The clothes steamers reviewed on this page do not only remove wrinkles. Some garment steamers provide protection against germs and other harmful bacteria. Others can also take away unwanted smells. And others still have a wide range of functions and options- from steaming delicate fabrics to thick drapes.
What does this page contain? Listed below are the top-rated products from different brands. Also contained in the article are tips on how to look for the perfect steamer for you based on size, type, cost, power, and other usable features.
BEST GARMENT STEAMER OVERALL
Rowenta Professional Full Size Steamer with Screen - IS8440
Reasons to buy:
- Easy to use; just fill the tank, plug it and and start ironing
- heats up in about 45 seconds
- quick removal of wrinkles
- perfect for delicate fabrics, fancy dresses and children's clothes
- includes fabric brush, crease tool and bonnet
- a great day-to-day steam iron
Reasons to avoid:
- If you need more than 35 minutes of continuous steaming
- some reports of the hose being too short
Best Clothes Steamers Reviewed:
Product by purpose:
Upright:
- ROWENTA Professional Full Size
Professional:
- SALAV Professional Series Dual Bar
Home:
Handheld:
- Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam Advanced
Top Models:
Here's How We Did the Test:
Making this evaluation possible would require us a team of people who will check the pros and cons of each product, a wide variety of models to test, and a specific number of hours to be utilized to assess all the units.
11 USERS
27 MODELS
31 HOURS
Best Clothes Steamers on the Market
Best Clothes or Garment Steamer Reviews [Updated]
1. Rowenta IS6520 Master 360 Full Size Garment & Fabric Steamer, Built-In Hanger, Blue
FOR UPRIGHT USE
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1700 W
- Tank: 44 oz
- Heat-up time: 45 sec
- Weight: 17.41 lbs
- Features: Stay cool handle, Foot operated on/off
PROS
- Removable 44 oz water tank
- Fast heat time
- Large Water Tank
- Wheels for easy movement
- 4 adjustable steam settings
- XL Delta Steam Head
CONS
- Hose is shorter than we would like
- Steam Head is a little larger than we would like
Powerful and convenient.
This is a very nice upright fabric steamer. While it doesn’t get as hot as the Salav below, it focuses more on a wide diffusion of gentle steam. This makes it VERY good for doing a lot of clothes fast, as it disperses the steam over more of the garment at a time, reducing the need for overlapping passes.
It’s no slouch in the power department despite being weaker than some. It still draws 1700 watts of power, heating its 44 oz tank quickly and providing 35 min of continuous steam.
With its convenient removable 44 oz water tank, it’s easy to move around and take care of wide, long fabrics like curtains, sheets, or bedspreads with ease.
This is one of the top rated Rowenta models out there and it’s easy to see why: it’s simply one of the top choices out there for ANY kind of job.
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2. Conair Turbo Extreme Steam Hand Held Fabric Steamer
FOR HANDHELD USE
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1110 W
- Dual Heat Technology
- Heat-up time: 75 sec
- Weight: 3.1 lbs
- Features: Advanced steam technology, silicone band, bristle brush
PROS
- New on and off buttons
- Fast heating time
- Crease tool
- 9ft power cord
- Cheap price
- 3-in-1 Attachment
CONS
- Small size for some
- Needs to refill after 15 min
This is just a good all around handheld.
While there are others that outperform it in some small aspect or another, this product nails the important bits better than any other competition without letting some glaring downside (like a small tank size) get in the way.
It has a 7.3 ounce (nearly a cup) tank, with 1110 watts of power. It heats up fast (about 75 seconds) and will keep pumping out a good volume of steam for a solid 15 minutes. The stainless steel nozzle lets you press on fabrics like an iron for extra neatness.
Basically, it’s everything you look for in small portable clothes steamer, at a relatively cheap price.
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3. Beautural Steamer for Clothes Steamer
FOR HOME USE
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1200 W
- Tank: 8.79 ounce
- Heat-up time: 30 sec
- Weight: 2.56 lbs
- Features: fabric brush, creaser, and Lint brush provide versatile steaming options
PROS
- 2 Year Warranty
- Pump Steam Technology, No leaking, No spilling, allows steam your clothes while hanging vertically or lying horizontally.
- Attachments to assist in smoothing fabrics
- 1800 watts of power
- 8 ft cord
- Removes wrinkles easily
CONS
- Not for those who want to steam larger volumes of clothing
- We found the steam didn't have that much force compare to similar models.
More for small, infrequent jobs.
There’s a lot to love about the Beautural Clothes Steamer. It has a very nice tank size (an 8.79 ounce tank, close to 1 cup), and can go for roughly 15 minutes. It draws a moderate amount of power (1300 watts) which makes it produce a lot of very gentle steam.
While this makes it less than ideal for quick jobs where you want hotter voluminous super-heated steam, it makes it the perfect home fabric steamer. It can operate for a about 15 minutes, letting you do a small load of laundry or the curtains without the bulk of an upright unit.
While the tank is a little smaller (8.96 oz) it makes for a light weight steamer that is easy to hold even when using it with multiple refills without a rest. This model can also double as a travel companion as well and it is as light as a 12.9 inch iPad Pro.
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4. SALAV Professional Series Dual Bar Garment Steamer with Foot Pedals, GS45-DJ Silver
FOR PROFESSIONAL USE
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1500 W
- Tank: 60 ounce
- Heat-up time: 60 sec
- Weight: 11 lbs
- Features: Foot pedal, dual bar support, dual insulated hose
PROS
- Power and Setting Foot Pedals
- Dual Bar Support
- Double Insulated Hose
- More accessories included
CONS
- Not ideal for cuffs and bottom of sleeves
- Can sometimes have drips
Super hot, super good.
This baby outputs super hot steam on demand, or can dial it down a notch for your more fragile fabrics. It draws 1500 watts of power to heat a whopping 1.8 liters of water (around half a gallon) to potentially upwards of 300 degrees in 45 seconds.
I’m a big fan of “dry steam” units, and this is one of the best around of that type.
It doubles down by giving you very convenient foot pedals to dial down the temperature or turn the unit off (which made it edge out a similarly powerful Conair for this slot).
Everything else is just extras, but nice extras. A double level garment bar, a double insulated hose (to prevent leaks and stay relatively cool to the touch) and a host of accessories (including an ironing paddle).
Great for the price, or for any price.
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Top Brands & Manufacturers
5. Rowenta Master Valet - Model IS6250
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1500 W
- Tank: 2.5 liter
- Heat-up time: 45 sec
- Weight: 12 lbs
- Features: Advanced steam technology, silicone band, bristle brush
PROS
- Adjustable height for compact storage
- Fast heat time
- Extra Large Water Tank
- Tilt and Roll System
- Built-in hanger
- Large Steam Head
CONS
- Relatively high price
- Steam handle gets slightly hot
Still great, still pricy.
Like I said above, this is one of the best rated clothes steamers for a reason. It’s powerful, has enough capacity to do large jobs with ease, convenient to use, and able to do any job you need it to.
The only gripe is the price tag, but it’s a great machine even considering that price.
6. Salav Professional Series Dual Bar Steamer - Model GS45-DJ
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1500 W
- Tank: 60 ounce
- Heat-up time: 60 sec
- Weight: 11 lbs
- Features: Foot pedal, dual bar support, dual insulated hose
PROS
- Power and Setting Foot Pedals
- Dual Bar Support
- Double Insulated Hose
- More accessories included
CONS
- Not ideal for cuffs and bottom of sleeves
- Can sometimes have drips
The best professional model is also the flaghship one Salav makes. While they make some other great models, this one is a stellar upright model. Their handheld models all have some vital flaw that holds them back (for most it’s the same: an absolutely minuscule tank size), but this has no such glaring drawback.
It’s hot, it has a bunch of great features, and it’s relatively cheap. What’s not to love?
7. Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam - Model GS76RGD
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1550 W
- Tank: 7.3 ounce
- Heat-up time: 40 sec
- Weight: 3.1 lbs
- Features: Advanced steam technology, silicone band, bristle brush
PROS
- New on and off buttons
- Fast heating time
- Stainless steel nozzle
- Cheap price
- 3-in-1 Attachment
CONS
- Small size for some
- Needs to refill after 15 min
I waffled a bit on whether to put this or the full sized upright version of the Extreme Steam in this spot for a bit. Eventually, I decided the Turbo Extreme Steam handheld was the better of the two.
For reference, the upright Extreme Steam is very similar in specs to Salav’s Professional model, with similar temperatures, power draw, tank size, heating time, and so on. The only real thing it lacks is the foot pedals and better hanger system.
While that sounds really good (and it is, it’s still a solid second place for commercial fabric models), the main issue I ran into is that it is very consistently rated as being a fragile piece of equipment.
I could write off my own experiences with it as a fluke, but nearly every bad rating on Amazon also backs up the idea that while the Extreme Steam is a very high performance machine, it also has a tendency to completely break down in multiple different ways.
So, I disqualified it from this list in favor of the handheld version, which is a very good all around machine for a good price.
If you’re willing to take your chances with the full size version, by all means: people who report it working long term are very happy with it (including some who use it in their professional steaming business), but be aware that yours may be a lemon.
8. Lemontec Portable Travel Garment Steamer
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 800 W
- Tank: 6 ounce
- Heat-up time: 70 sec
- Weight: less than 24 oz when full
- Features: Auto shut off, push button
PROS
- Extremely light weight
- Small amount of power
- Nozzle designed to smooth fabric
- Compact Design
- Removes wrinkles easily
- 5 year warranty
CONS
- Not for those who want a little hotter temperature
- Smaller tank compared to others in the list
- The cord is only 6 ft 4 inches
I really like this thing. It’s not the highest rated on the market in most aspects, but sits in an interesting middle ground between travel and home clothes steamer that makes it very good in a specific niche.
It also has one of the more ergonomic designs of any handheld fabric unit, most of which are content to be shaped either like a price gun or a really funky looking flashlight and just feel awkward in the hand.
Because this model is light weight, is very comfortable to hold and use.
While it lacks many of the bells and whistles of some other handheld units (like the Extreme Steam or many of Salav’s handheld models) there’s a certain elegance in this simplicity where all of its desirability comes from the basic design.
9. Hilife Steamer for Clothes Steamer - portable handheld
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 700 W
- Tank: 240ml
- Heat-up time: 130 sec
- Weight: 1.25 lbs
- Features: Vertical pressing, brush head, 9ft cord
PROS
- Heated Wrinkle Eraser
- Eliminates 99.9% of Common Household Germs
- comes with brush head
- 9 ft cord length
CONS
- Takes a longer time in removing wrinkles
- not many accessories
Quite a nice little handheld.
I find very little to complain about with this one, and there’s a lot to love. It has a sizable 240 mL tank, and can heat to 130 seconds. It comes with a 9ft cord and produces steam for about 15 minutes. This means it can be hot enough to produce dry steam, or left to produce cooler, wetter steam as needed.
It comes with a limited amount of accessories (a cup for filling and a brush head included), but it didn’t quite make the cut for handheld use due to lacking some basic features, including auto shutoff and temperature settings (you have to eyeball time to get certain heat settings) and other quality of life features.
I expect an appliance like this to either make things easy on me or far outperform the competition, but the Hilife steamer does neither. It’s still good, and I don’t feel it’s overpriced , but others do it better. For me this is a great budget pick if you need something for light wrinkles.
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10. Jiffy J-2000 Garment Steamer
USER RATING:
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Power: 1300 W
- Tank: 96 ounce
- Heat-up time: 2 min
- Steam time: 1.5 hours
- Weight: 17 lbs
- Features: Solid brass heating element , for home or light commercial use
PROS
- 6 inch Wide Plastic Steam Head
- High-impact plastic outer housing
- 5.5 foot flexible hose
- Electrical Certifications: UL, cUL, TUV/GS, CE, NOM and ANCE
CONS
- Relatively high price
I chose the Jiffy J-2000 Garment Steamer to include in this list because it is the top overall product from Jiffy in terms of price, power, and ability to remove wrinkles from fabrics. Although this is a step down from the J-2, the top product from our Jiffy list, this is still a worthy choice for you.
The Jiffy J-2000 has a slightly lesser water tank compared to the J-2, with a capacity of 96 ounces or around 3/4 gallons. This product is great for clothes, draperies, and other fabrics. You can use this unit for both home and professional setups.
The J-2000 has a heating time of 90 seconds starting from the time it is turned on. This is a great feature since most of us would not want to wait for a long time before we can start ironing and removing the wrinkles of our clothes.
Another excellent feature of this product is its wheeled base which allows it to be positioned anywhere you want. A lot of verified buyers can attest that this unit from Jiffy is really durable and reliable compared to other models in the market.
Conclusion
IS8440 Rowenta Professional Full Size Steamer
And the top pick is…very hard to choose!
With the exception of the Jiffy Esteam, all of the garment steamers on this list are very good.
If you had to twist my arm, I’d go with Rowenta, Steamer for Clothes, Professional Full-Size Steamer. As much as I like dry steam units, I have to admit for most of my purposes it isn’t necessary, and the wide nozzle and huge tank make doing everything I DO regularly engage in a breeze.
The Salav Professional and Conair Turbo are also great options: you wouldn’t go wrong picking one of those either.
What Should You Look For?
Type/Size
There are two general types of garment steamers: upright and handheld .
Upright clothes models are for home use and should generally be thought of as a medium sized appliance like a vacuum cleaner (they take up about that much space). They generally have a tank size of a half gallon or larger, and are meant to operate for an hour or more on a single refill. They can also operate at a wider range of temperatures an often heat up far faster than handheld units.
Handheld garment units are meant more for traveling, though some are for compact around the home use. Their usual tank size is from a half cup to one and a half cups, and they’re made to operate for about 15 minutes, tops. These clothes steamers also tend to operate either at relatively lower temperatures, or are on full blast constantly.
Heat
Normal, or “wet steam” is boiling temperature; 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius. “Dry steam” is hotter than that (by how much varies).
I tend to value those that CAN produce dry steam, though dock points for ones that ONLY do dry steam, as it’s not the right feature for many fabric types.
Power
Most garment steamers (handheld or otherwise) pull between 1000 watts and 1600 watts of power. The more power they pull, the faster they heat up and the hotter they can get. More power is, therefore, usually better.
In general you should expect a product to heat up in under a minute, anything more than that is pretty slow. For dry steam a longer heat time can be forgiven (as they could be heating the water up to 100 degrees more) but no more than two minutes at most.
Cost
Most garment steamers exist in the wide price range for handheld fabric units and for upright clothes models. Some fall above or below that range in both categories, but prices are in general remarkably consistent (unlike most other appliances in my experience).
Extra Features
Extras range from the mundane (on/off switches and auto shutoff safety features) to the more luxurious (easy access foot pedals and multiple settings).
In general I expect every upright fabric steamer to come with a garment rack and multiple settings, while every handheld clothes steamer should at least come with a few simple attachments (like a fabric brush or ironing paddle). -BGSR staff
I don’t particularly over value a lot of these extras, but the addition of them for a minimal cost increase is always a welcome plus, as many make your life easier when using them.
Now, our main criteria explained, let’s get to it, starting with the top choices for a specific purpose!
Recap of the Top Products For Your Needs
Other articles that you should read:
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Last Updated on October 20, 2024