Best Clothes Steamer 2026: 10 Garment Steamers Ranked

Twelve thousand five hundred and thirty-three ratings is more than double any other steamer on this page, and the design earns it. The 260ml tank is larger than most handhelds, so you steam several garments before refilling, and the anti-leak construction means it works held horizontally as well as vertically — which matters the moment you tilt it to do a collar or a cuff and a cheaper steamer dribbles water onto the shirt.

A thermostatic ceramic plate lets it glide over fabric rather than catching, a lock button gives continuous steam without holding the trigger, and it shuts off automatically if the water runs low or it sits idle for eight minutes.

At GBP 23.99 with 1200W it is not the most powerful steamer here, and its 4.3-star average is solid rather than outstanding. But for a handheld that does the everyday job reliably at a low price, nothing else on the page has this weight of evidence behind it.

Swan is a name most British buyers know from the high street, and this steamer backs it with the best raw specification of the cheap handhelds: 1500W, a 25 gram per minute steam rate and a 300ml tank, the largest of any handheld on this page. More power and more water means fewer pauses on a pile of shirts.

A ceramic-coated steam panel is gentler on fabric than bare metal, there is a lock function for continuous steam, and Swan makes the usual claim about removing bacteria and odours, which is worth treating as marketing rather than a tested result.

Its 4.2-star average is the lowest of the well-reviewed steamers here, which is the honest mark against it, and it shares its 9,794 ratings with the SI12020N model further down, so the score covers both machines. At GBP 22.99 with this tank and power, it remains excellent value.

Steam alone relaxes creases; pressing sharpens them. The Philips 5000 has an actively heated metal plate, so you can press it against the garment like a light iron while steaming, which gets far crisper results on collars, cuffs and shirt plackets than a plain steamer manages. Philips states it is safe on delicate fabrics with no burns, and there is a pointed tip for getting into tricky areas.

It produces up to 24 grams of steam a minute, is ready in 35 seconds, and comes with two detachable tanks, 120ml and an extra 200ml, plus a mat and a glove pouch. Eco and Max settings let you dial the output down for lighter fabrics. It has 1,053 ratings at 4.3 stars.

At GBP 55.98 it is more than twice the price of the top two picks, which is the main reservation. Buy it if you want ironing-quality results without an ironing board; if you only want creases relaxed out of a jumper, the cheaper handhelds do that.

The Pure Pop is built around being small and quick. It heats in 15 seconds — the fastest on this page — delivers 20 grams of steam a minute, and its ultra-slim body packs into a case easily, which is exactly what you want for a suit or a dress that has been folded in a bag.

Its cleverest feature is the reversible pad: one side is velvet for gently steaming delicate fabrics, the other is a lint remover for brushing off hair and fluff, so one accessory covers two jobs travellers actually have. It works vertically or horizontally, and it comes with a travel pouch. It has 2,170 ratings at 4.3 stars.

The catch is price. At GBP 46.93 it costs twice the BEAUTURAL and Swan for a smaller tank and lower steam rate, so you are paying for Tefal's build, the 15-second heat-up and the slim form. For frequent travellers that is a fair trade; for steaming at home, the cheaper handhelds do more per fill.

The Steam Genie is Russell Hobbs's straightforward handheld: 1600W, a 20 gram steam output, a 200ml tank and a 45-second heat-up, aimed at freshening clothes on the hanger without an ironing board. For buyers who prefer a familiar British brand to a marketplace name at the same price, that is the appeal.

The guarantee is the standout on paper: two years as standard and a third year if you register online, which is longer cover than most steamers here offer at any price.

Two things keep it mid-table. Its 4.1-star average is the lowest on this page, and at 200ml the tank is smaller than the BEAUTURAL and Swan, so you refill more often for the same pile of shirts. It is a reasonable buy for the brand and the guarantee, but the two picks above give you more steamer for the money.

This is the two-in-one answer for people who do not want both a steamer and an iron in the cupboard. It steams garments on the hanger like a normal handheld, and its ceramic soleplate lets you use it as a compact iron on a flat surface, with even heat distribution and a smooth glide. Three attachments cover different fabrics.

It is ready in about a minute, has a 150ml removable tank and roughly ten minutes of steam time, at 1400 to 1700W. It has 1,611 ratings at 4.2 stars.

Two caveats. The 150ml tank is the smallest of the mainstream handhelds here, so ten minutes of steaming is genuinely the limit before a refill, and at GBP 41.25 it costs well above the plain Steam Genie. Buy it if replacing an iron as well as adding a steamer is the point; if you already own an iron, the cheaper handhelds make more sense.

The 3000 Series is Philips's compact travel steamer. It folds down so it takes very little room in a case, is ready to use in 30 seconds, and delivers up to 20 grams of steam a minute from 1000 watts, with a detachable 100ml tank that is easy to fill in a hotel bathroom.

Philips states it is safe on all ironable fabrics, and the compact, lightweight body is the whole point — it is designed to travel rather than to work through a laundry pile.

Two things keep it here. The 100ml tank is the smallest on this page, so home use means constant refilling, and its 4.1-star average is joint lowest. At GBP 37.97 it also costs more than the Tefal Pure Pop's nearest rivals while heating half as fast. Buy it specifically for the fold-flat packing; for anything else, look higher up the page.

This is Swan's other handheld, and the differences from the SI12022N above are worth knowing: a 250ml tank that Swan rates at 20 minutes of continuous steam, a removable fabric brush for lifting the nap on heavier cloth, and an extra-long 1.9 metre power cable, which matters more than it sounds when you are steaming a curtain and the nearest socket is across the room.

It is lightweight and compact for travel, and carries the same two-year guarantee with an optional extension.

Two notes. It shares its 9,794 ratings with the SI12022N, so the score describes both machines rather than this one, and the ceramic panel of that model is a slightly better surface. At the same GBP 22.99, pick this one for the long cable and the brush, or the SI12022N for the bigger tank and ceramic plate.

Every other steamer on this page is a handheld, and if you steam more than a few garments at a time, they will all frustrate you: the tank empties, you refill, you wait. The SA BI is the other class of machine — an upright with a 3 litre tank and a 2200W boiler, on a stand with a hanger, so you work through a wardrobe, a set of curtains or a rail of stock in one go.

It works at any angle, has a step rotary switch to match the output to different fabrics, and is genuinely a different tool rather than a bigger version of a handheld.

Two things put it at ninth. At GBP 149.90 it is by far the most expensive product here, and 245 ratings is a small sample. It also needs floor space and takes longer to set up than grabbing a handheld. Buy it if you regularly steam in volume; for a few shirts a week it is entirely the wrong machine.