Travel Steamers

Handheld steamers for quick jobs

Travel steamers are handheld units that hold a much smaller amount of water -- just enough to steam a suit or a dress.

The Esteam Travel Series Jiffy Steamer (*Est. $50) does well in formal testing and consumer reviews, and is a favorite of stylists. This unit resembles a thermos and weighs 1.5 pounds. It takes 8 ounces of plain tap water and heats up in about two minutes for 15 minutes of steaming. Jiffy Esteam is named the best of six travel steamers tested by Laura Moser for Slate.com. Moser says it provides the hottest steam, even though it's only 600 watts -- less than all but one of the other tested steamers (which range from 200 to 1,000 watts). Moser says, "The Jiffy is the only steamer I tested that achieves anything like the power and precision of a regular iron."

The Jiffy Esteam is small enough to pack in a suitcase. On Amazon.com, nearly 130 reviewers give the Jiffy Esteam an average rating of 4 stars out of 5, with more than half giving it a perfect rating. One frequent business traveler says the Esteam is a must for presentable business attire. Many compare it favorably to larger, home-use clothes steamers, though several complain that it doesn't steam long enough and that holding it sideways will cause water to leak. The Jiffy Esteam is more expensive than other travel steamers, but reviewers agree it's the best of its kind. It has a limited one-year warranty and comes in both black and pink.

For half the price, more than 20 owners posting to Walmart.com give the Conair Handheld Garment Steamer GS15RN (*Est. $25) an average rating of 4 stars out of 5, but another 20 reviewers on Amazon.com rate this travel steamer with an average of 2.5 stars. This 650-watt unit comes with a two-in-one lint remover/bristle brush attachment and travel/storage pouch, but like most fabric steamers, it's not without its flaws. Opinions are strongly divided, with about half of owners saying this hairdryer-sized unit works as well as upright models, and the other half saying it removes wrinkles only from light fabrics or not at all. Others say it takes too long to remove wrinkles and will only last a year or two at most, but for the price, many owners say it's a worthwhile purchase.

The Steamfast Compact Fabric Steamer SF-435W (*Est. $30) gets slightly better ratings but costs a bit more. The Steamfast receives the second-best rating in Moser's test for Slate.com. It weighs just over 2 pounds, takes about two minutes to warm up and holds 7 ounces of water for 12 minutes of steaming. This unit produces merely "just-hot-enough steam," Moser says. Nearly 45 owners on Walmart.com give it an average rating of 4 stars out of 5, while nearly 20 reviewers contribute to an average rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com. Most comments are positive, with owners appreciating how well the unit removes wrinkles. Several mention that it's great for traveling, as it is small enough to fit in a suitcase. A few complain that this steamer can drip water on clothing during use, and that to steam several garments at once it's necessary to both refill the water and wait for the unit to warm up each time.

Good Housekeeping recognizes the Rowenta Ultra Steam DR5020 (*Est. $40) as the best handheld steamer in its roundup of seven portable models, although this steamer gets mixed reviews by owners on Amazon.com. Like the Steamfast Compact Fabric Steamer, the Rowenta Ultra Steam has 800 watts, but Good Housekeeping says "This little champ pumped out more steam with each press of the button than any other model we tested." In a test at The Wall Street Journal the Rowenta Ultra Steam did a nice job removing wrinkles from a dress shirt, but it couldn't do much for deeper creases.

The Rowenta Ultra Steam travel steamer holds 1.7 ounces of water, so it may require frequent refilling if you're steaming multiple garments. Weighing only 1.5 pounds, it comes with a removable fabric brush, removable lint pad and a travel pouch. More than one-quarter of the nearly 60 reviewers on Amazon.com rate this product with only 1 star out of a possible 5, and the model earns an overall average rating of 3 stars out of 5. The most common complaint is that it spits hot water onto clothing, the floor and the user's hand, while many reviewers said their steamer stopped working altogether after only a short time. Several also say it only works on lighter fabrics like cotton, but doesn't do well on heavier wools or denim. The Rowenta Ultra Steam has a limited one-year warranty.