Best Garment Steamer Deals: Handheld and Standing Steamers

A steamer uses hot vapour to relax the fibres in fabric so creases fall out. That makes it brilliant for the things an iron is bad at: a hanging curtain, a suit jacket you cannot lay flat, a knit that would scorch under a hot soleplate, a dress with beading you dare not press. It is also far faster for the morning touch-up, because you hang the item and wave the head over it instead of dragging out a board.

What it will not do is press a sharp edge into a cotton shirt, set a pleat, or flatten a heavy linen tablecloth the way heat and pressure can. For a crisp formal finish you still want an iron, or a steamer with a real heated soleplate that doubles as one. If you steam a lot of soft furnishings too, our roundup of the [best steam mop deals](/g/best-steam-mop-deals-210) covers the floors, while this guide is about the handheld and standing tools that live near the wardrobe.

A handheld is the one you actually reach for on a weekday, because it lives close and needs no setup. A standing steamer is the tool for a Sunday of de-wrinkling, when you want to hang a dozen things and steam them back to back without refilling. If you only have room for one, the handheld gets used more; if you steam curtains and bedding, the standing model pays for itself.

• Heat-up time is the marketing favourite, and the listings here range from about 15 seconds to 35 seconds. Quoted times assume you press the button and start immediately, so add a few seconds in practice.
• Tank size sets run time. A 70 ml tank gives you roughly eight minutes; a 150 ml tank around fifteen. That is enough for one outfit, not a whole wardrobe.
• Continuous versus burst matters more than wattage. A steady, continuous flow relaxes fibres; a pumped burst is for stubborn creases. The better steamers give you both, often on a trigger.
• Wattage tells you how fast it recovers and how much steam it can sustain, not how hot the steam is. 1000W to 1800W covers everything here.

Best cheap travel steamers

The at $14.30 is the cheapest way to stop ironing on the road, and the adds smart 100 to 250 volt compatibility so it works abroad with a plug adapter. The is the dependable drugstore classic for quick touch-ups.

Best handheld under $40

The and the both promise around a 15 to 30 second warm-up and a 120 ml tank, which is the sweet spot for one shirt or dress. The trades a smaller 85 ml tank for a brand you can trust and a lighter body.

Best 2-in-1 steamer and iron

If you want one tool for both, the runs a 310°F heated plate alongside continuous steam, so you can press a collar and steam a jacket. The matches it with a 180-degree rotating handle that flips between the two modes, and the does the same job smaller.

Best for a full wardrobe

The gives around 15 minutes of continuous steam and a leak-proof design you can use vertically or horizontally. For a longer session, the heats in about 35 seconds and runs up to 80 minutes from its larger tank, which is the one to buy if you steam curtains and bedding. The sits between the two with a 30-second heat-up and ten steam modes.

Best premium and specialist options

The pairs a removable 150 ml tank with a well-known name. The is built for global travel with dual voltage and a large ceramic heat panel. The adds suction and heat to help creases fall faster, the cleans lint as it steams, and the is the one to pick if your arm tires during long sessions.

Delicate and textured fabrics are where a steamer earns its keep. Wool, cashmere, silk blends, velvet and anything with embroidery or beading should never meet a hot soleplate, but a gentle pass of vapour drops the creases without flattening the nap or melting a synthetic thread. Knitwear is the same story: heat and pressure stretch a jumper out of shape, while steam simply relaxes it back.

The exceptions run the other way. Heavy cotton poplin, starched dress shirts and anything needing a knife-edge crease still want an iron, because they are built on heat and pressure rather than moisture. Linen sits in the middle — steam helps it a lot, but a press finishes the job. A sensible setup for a lot of homes is a handheld steamer for the majority of garments and a small iron for the few that need a formal press.

1. Hang the item on a sturdy hanger; steam relaxes a garment most when gravity is helping.
2. Hold the head a couple of inches away and let the steam do the work — pressing the plate hard onto fabric defeats the purpose.
3. Work top to bottom and pull the hem gently taut as you go down.
4. Let the item hang for a minute to dry before wearing it, or you will simply re-crease it sitting down.

Use distilled or filtered water if your tap water is hard; minerals are the main cause of spitting and white marks. Empty the tank after each use and leave the cap off to dry, and a handheld steamer will outlast the garments you bought it for.