5 On Your Side: Clothing steamers to replace your iron

It’s safe to say that most people hate ironing almost as much as they hate walking around in wrinkly clothing! Enter – handheld clothes steamers!

Consumer Reports tested 10 popular handheld steamers as well as wrinkle-release sprays and even steam mops with clothing steamer attachments to see if they can stand up to the good old iron.

Consumer Reports’ Lisa Fogarty dreads pulling out the ironing board. That’s why a handheld clothes steamer has become her go-to for smoothing out wrinkles fast and easily.

“I have an iron that’s maybe 20, 25 years old. I try not to use it, and instead I’ve been using a clothing steamer, and it’s made my life so much easier," Fogarty said.

Consumer Reports bought and tested 10 popular handheld steamers, including a few steamer-iron combos and one with a suction feature. The newer steamers are more powerful and multifunctional. They heat up faster, they combine steaming and ironing, and they’re even safer to set down on surfaces.

In the lab, testers measured how quickly each model heated up, how long it ran, how much steam it produced, and its safety features. Then CR staffers tested the steamers at home, putting them to work on cotton and linen clothes, checking how well they removed rumples, wrinkles, and creases. A steamer also needs to effectively direct steam into the fabric. Because that’s what helps relax wrinkles more quickly.

CR’s Top Pick is the Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam 2-in-1. It heated up in just 10 seconds and was one of the few models that could tackle creased linen. Its built-in plate also lets you press out stubborn wrinkles without pulling out an ironing board.

CR also tested steam mops with garment-steamer attachments. The PurSteam was the Top Pick.

And if you can’t be bothered to iron or steam, Consumer Reports also tested wrinkle-release sprays. Of the seven sprays tested, only Downy Wrinkle Releaser Plus left shirts looking truly wearable.

For more on Consumer Reports’ tests of clothes steamers and other wrinkle-fighting options, visit ConsumerReports.org.