When you click on a retailer link, we may earn affiliate commission, which helps fund our not-for-profit mission. This tracks your activity using third party cookies. By clicking a link you are consenting to this.
Best clothes steamers
Clothes steamers (also known as garment steamers) are meant to be a quick fix for removing stubborn creases when you haven't got time to look out your iron and ironing board. We put this to the test and found the best clothes steamers to leave your garments crease-free.
We tested handheld clothes steamers costing less than £100 from brands including Tefal, Morphy Richards and Philips, sold at retailers including John Lewis, Argos, Amazon and Lakeland.
Garment steamers vary in price from as little as £20 for a handheld steamer to more than £300 for an upright steamer.
We focused our tests on handheld garment steamers because they're both portable and cheaper, although our testing did reveal that with garment steamers, you tend to get what you pay for.
The best clothes steamers
Only logged-in Which? members can view the clothes steamers test results below.
Join Which? now to get instant access to our recommendations below.
| Clothes steamer | Typical price | Crease removal | Ease of use | Heat-up time | Durability | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | ||||
| Good | Good | Average | ||||
| Average | Average | Good | ||||
| Good | Average | Poor | ||||
| Average | Excellent | Average | ||||
| Poor | Good | Good | ||||
| Average | Good | Very poor |
Date tested: May 2022. Pricing and availability last checked: 6 April 2023. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The clothes steamers we tested
All the clothes steamers we've tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best clothes steamers from our tests.
Join Which? now to get instant access to our full reviews and Best Buy recommendations.
Beldray Multisteam Pro BEL0815 Clothes Steamer
Typical price: £28
Where to buy:
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Date tested: May 2022
Tank capacity: 260ml
Advertised heat-up time: 45 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 25g/min
Cable length: 1.9m
Extra features: 2-in-1 brush and lint attachment
Drew & Cole Verti Steam Pro Hand Steamer
Typical price: £25
Where to buy:
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Tank capacity: 300ml
Advertised heat-up time: 45 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 26g/min
Cable length: 2.5m
Extra features: Protective steam pad, lint remover and refresh brush attachment
Fridja F10 Raf Handheld Travel Clothes Steamer
Typical price: £90
Where to buy:
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Tank capacity: 260ml
Advertised heat-up time: 45 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 25g/min
Cable length: 2m
Extra features: Collar press, folding hanger, fabric guard attachment, water bottle adaptor
Homeasy Clothes Steamer
Typical price: £25
Where to buy:
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Tank capacity: 110ml
Advertised heat-up time: 45 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 18g/min
Cable length: 2.4m
Extra features: Storage bag, brush attachment, anti-scalding glove
Logik LGSB20 Hand Steamer
Typical price: £18
Where to buy:
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Tank capacity: 250ml
Advertised heat-up time: 20 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 22g/min
Cable length: 2m
Extra features: Fabric brush attachment
Morphy Richards Express Steam 361000 Clothes Steamer
Typical price: £65
Where to buy: Morphy Richards
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Tank capacity: 260ml
Advertised heat-up time: 35 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 25g/min
Cable length: 3m
Extra features: Lint brush attachment, creaser, jug
Philips Steam & Go Plus Handheld Garment Steamer
Typical price: £73
Where to buy:
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Tank capacity: 70ml
Advertised heat-up time: 45 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 24g/min
Cable length: 2.5m
Extra features: Brush attachment, protective glove
Tefal Access Steam+ DT8150 Hand Steamer
Typical price: £65
Where to buy:
Pros: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Cons: Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results
Tank capacity: 200ml
Advertised heat-up time: 40 seconds
Advertised steam rate: 26g/min
Cable length: 3m
Extra features: Fabric brush attachment, steam bonnet attachment, crease attachment, door hook, travel bag
Got a larger load of laundry to deal with? Check out our steam iron reviews.
How we tested clothes steamers
To find the best clothes steamers, we put the most popular models through the following series of tests. We bought all the clothes steamers we tested and the pillowcases, shirts and T-shirts we used for our testing were donated to charity afterwards.
Crease removal
We used each garment steamer to remove creases from silk, linen and cotton pillowcases, as well as from polycotton T-shirts.
- We prepped all the creases by washing each item, drying them thoroughly and then scrunching up each item a few times.
- Each steamer was used at full power on the fabrics, completing an up and down motion across the creases. This was repeated five times.
Our members can see the results of these tests by logging in to our full reviews above.
The best clothes steamers effectively removed creases from all of the materials, while the worst left them damp and still creased.
Ease of use
We used each clothes steamer on cotton shirts to test how easy they were to use with and without Cambridge simulation gloves.
These gloves allowed us to empathise with those who have restricted hand movement and experience any difficulties they might find while using a clothes steamer.
- The best garment steamers were easy to use, had intuitive controls and felt comfortable to hold with and without the Cambridge gloves.
- The worst clothes steamer gave us a bit of hand fatigue after a while, were uncomfortable to grip and put our hands too close to the hot steam.
Heat-up time
To test the actual heat-up time of each clothes steamer against the advertised heat-up time, we turned on each garment steamer and recorded how long they took to get hot enough to use.
We repeated this test three times and allowed the clothes steamers to cool down fully between each test.
The best garment steamers met or, in one case beat, the advertised time.
Steam rate
Steam rate is the amount of steam created by the clothes steamers per minute. In theory, the higher the steam rate the more powerful and effective the product should be.
To test the advertised steam rates of each garment steamer, we filled each steamer's tank with its maximum capacity of water and then ran it for eight minutes (or as long as the tank lasted) before weighing the tank again. We repeated this process three times.
Interestingly, we found the most effective crease removers didn't always have the highest steam rates, so it pays to read our reviews rather than buying on advertised steam rate.
Any manufacturing flaws
At the start of our tests, we checked for any manufacturing faults or flaws.
Durability
Once all other tests had been completed, we dropped each clothes steamer from 90cm (35 inches) on to a linoleum covered floor five times.
The best were still useable although a bit scraped and scuffed. The worst shattered.
Types of clothes steamers
There are two main types of garment steamer to choose from - handheld and upright.
Handheld
These are smaller, lighter and more portable than upright models (between 1kg and 2kg, whereas uprights can weigh more than 7kg). Therefore, this is the kind you need if you want one to take on holiday. They have a small water tank you attach to the steamer.
Upright
These are larger. bulkier and more powerful than handheld models. They have a large water tank in the base, which means they can steam for longer. They also often come with a built-in hanger.
Clothes steamer features and extras
Handheld garment steamers differ in their features and extras. These were what we came across in our testing. Every steamer differs, so check out our reviews for what will be included with the clothes steamer you choose.
- Cable length: We found the cables varied in length from two to three metres. Make sure you get one with enough length to reach your plug.
- Tank capacity: We found clothes steamers with as little as 70ml tank capacity and others with as much as 300ml. The higher the water capacity, the longer you can go without having to refill, in some cases as long as 14 minutes. However, the bigger the tank, the heavier the clothes steamers will be when it's full.
- Collar press: A collar press can help you achieve perfect collars for your dress and casual shirts.
- Folding hanger: A folding hanger makes it easy to travel with everything you need to steam your garments on the go.
- Head attachments: You can get a variety of attachments for garment steamers, these can be brushes for lint removal or fabric guards and steam bonnets to protect delicates.
- Creaser: While most of the time you will want to remove creases, for items such as suit trousers, a creaser tool can give you that perfect dry-clean finished look.
- Door hook: Another useful extra for on the go steaming.
- Protective pad: If you are worried about steam causing damage to your doors or wall, then you want to look out for a protective steam pad. These allow you to steam with confidence, adding a protective layer between your garment and the surface, sort of like an ironing board cover. We used one during our testing and it worked well.
- Protective glove: These gloves protect your hands from any steam you might get too close to.
- Jug: A few garment steamers come with a small jug which can make it easier to refill the water tanks. Some of the steamer tanks have small openings and the jugs provided did make refilling them a little easier.
How to use a clothes steamer for best results
In completing these tests we learned tips to get the best results from your garment steamer.
- Most handheld garment steamers come with a trigger lock. Use it to stop finger fatigue while steaming.
- Fill the tank with filtered water to avoid limescale if you live in an area with hard water.
- Hang your garment somewhere it can hang freely (if you put it against a wall or a wardrobe door that surface will end up covered in condensation.
- Pull your item of clothing downwards from the bottom as you’re steaming it to give yourself a taut, flat surface to work the steamer against. But take care not to steam your fingers.
Can a clothes steamer replace your iron?
Probably not. While the best clothes steamers we tested were effective at removing creases they are, on the whole, better for touch-up work on specific garments when you've not got the time for a full iron.
Though if you're someone who folds away or hangs freshly dried clothes well (so they're not horrendously crumpled), you might find a garment steamer is enough for you. They can also be handy if you find traditional irons and ironing boards too heavy to use.
The most portable garment steamers make useful travel companions to spruce up any finery that has been creased in a suitcase and the best are a brilliant solution if you have lots of delicates and other hard-to-iron clothes.
If you'd prefer an iron then head to our steam iron reviews to find the best iron for your budget.