Russell Hobbs 27220 Steam Genie Hand Held Steamer - Handheld Clothes Steamer for Garments, Curtains and Soft Furnishings, 1800 Watt

Product Information

Cadrim is a small company that started out making beauty products and their steamer was recommended to me by a beautician friend. She said it changed her life after years battling with spitting, underpowered handheld steamers that leave watermarks on your clothes. It also comes with a clever bottle adaptor, so you can travel lighter on holiday or to fashion shoots. Remove the Fridja’s fab 260ml water tank and use the adaptor to use it with most water bottles. The power cable is a bit on the short side at 2m but, that aside, it’s hard to fault. The design is clean and modern, with a big, bright power light. Due to its bulk the Breville EliteTEMP is not necessarily one to travel with – but for larger loads at home it could be perfect, with a large 240ml water tank and 16 minutes of run time before it needs refilling. It comes in an attractive glossy white and champagne gold finish and, despite taking up room lengthways, it’s actually quite thin which keeps the weight off. Lightbown recommends using an iron for denser fabrics like denim and heavyweight cottons, but steams everything else. She especially likes steaming delicate fabrics which can be damaged by an iron, like silk, chiffon, satin and faux leather.

That said, if money’s no object then this – once assembled – is the best of the lot. The steam head is shaped like an iron soleplate, which makes sense because the unusual design gives you the best of both worlds: you can steam garments hung vertically against its board, angle the board at 30° for comfort, or set it horizontally and use the Tefal like an iron. Scandi brand Steamery is on a mission to prove that clothes can last a lifetime if we look after them, with their range of beautifully aesthetic lint rollers, fabric shavers, laundry products and of course clothes steamers. The Cirrus 3 is the latest in the range and has an eye-watering price tag. But just look at it. If you’re someone who likes to get all of your ironing or steaming done in one go then an upright steamer with a larger water tank is definitely the best option,” says fashion stylist Emma Lightbown. “If you prefer to steam individual pieces before you wear them or are looking for something easy to travel with then I would recommend a handheld.” What should you look for in a clothes steamer? Bear in mind that steam irons offer vertical steam too. So if it’s just for occasional use, you could use an iron that does both instead. If you want to steam lots though, clothing steamers feel much nicer than holding a heavy iron aloft.

Clothes steamer FAQs

Lots of steamers have a brush head, but this one also has a lint remover head - useful when steaming wool, velvet, gaberdine and other materials that tend to attract fluff and hair.

Steamers work by heating up the water in the tank and channeling it to the head where the steam in released in a constant flow to get read of creases,” says Lightbown. She adds that while steamers are great for clothes, they’re also useful for other fabrics like curtains and bedding. Steamers can also be used to freshen up clothes which is especially useful for clothes than can only be dry cleaned. How do you use a steamer for clothes? The pole comes in 5 parts, so you can remove one for a lower height if you prefer, but it’s not telescopic so you can’t adjust it to be short for storage. Accessories include a lightweight mitt, to protect your other hand as you steam, and a plate with holes in, to place behind collars and other areas that you want to press firmly. The mid-priced Morphy Richards boasts a clever design that’s as innovative as it is ergonomic to use. The design is slim, yet fits in a 260ml water tank. But the shape means it is well-balanced in the hand, so it feels light. It heats up in 35 seconds.

The verdict: Clothes steamers

Even little touches are nice, like the Velcro tie that stops the 3m cord getting in a tangle when you store the steamer. Our only criticism is that the lights (indicating 20g/min eco mode or 25g/min turbo) are at the front with the trigger button, so can’t easily see them. Clothes steamers are multi-functional pieces of kit, too. They can be used for cleaning curtains and upholstery, killing the majority of bacteria and removing stale odours. They let you de-crease duvets without removing them from the bed and, if you have a work shirt that needs a little freshen-up, steaming it is far better for the environment than throwing it into the washing machine and tumble dryer. (Talking of which, heated airers are a newfound godsend for the energy-aware.) There’s also a flat part that clips on vertically and looks like a mini ironing board – giving you something firm to push against when steaming. We were disappointed that it couldn’t pop out horizontally and double as a mini ironing board for those times (like creases in folded hankies) when vertical steam doesn’t cut it. And there are no grips for trousers! Instead, you’re supposed to drape them over the top of the board.

Its removable tank has a 150ml capacity and a tiny fill hole: it’s hit and miss under the tap, a bit like filling a water pistol. Then you turn it on and wait 45 seconds until it stops flashing to indicate that it’s ready for use. You have to hold down the trigger button to get steam, which takes a few seconds to get started. And the power cable is a bit on the short side at 2m. We're all more than aware by now that wearing your clothes once and throwing them into the wash is bad for the environment – and for your clothes! If you want to wear your clothes a couple of times without feeling like – and it looking like – your dress, shirt or trousers have been worn the day before and scrunched into a drawer, then you can rely on a clothes steamer. You can also use a clothes steamer for cleaning curtains and upholstery, as well as de-creasing bedding – because everyone knows that ironing a bedsheet is possibly one of the most tedious tasks there is. We also loved its many clever design touches. There’s just one clip-on tool but this boasts a brush with stiff bristles at the top and a squeegee at the bottom, good for lifting lint. We found the brush to be good on upholstery too. Like similar handheld models, this clothes steamer takes up no more space than a shoebox, including accessories. It's Tefal's most compact clothes steamer, hence why we rate it the best travel clothes steamer. It comes in a carry bag and with two attachments – a steam cover for delicate fabrics, and a brush for heavier fabrics and upholstery. It also comes with a clever metal hook that loops over the top of a door, giving you somewhere to hang clothes for steaming. The third tool is for upholstery: a fabric cover with coral-style “fingers” on it. The fingers have a large surface area for lifting dust from furniture. This makes the Russell Hobbs more versatile but the results are nothing like those from a powerful steam cleaner.The best clothes steamers are shortcuts to ironing, straightening out creases within minutes while generally using less electricity. Whereas ironing boards can take up space in a small home, steamer irons just require somewhere to hang your garment and a nearby plug. Using a steamer is really simple, fill the tank with water, wait for the steam to start flowing, hang your garment and then move the steamer across the fabric to get rid of the creases. You don’t need to press the steamer against the fabric. For delicate fabrics it’s best to hold it a few inches away. Steam them inside out to avoid damaging any of the details,” says Lightbown. Steam is the best of the bunch, with a 5.8-bar pressure delivering 90g/min constant steam and an immensely powerful 200g/min steam shot when you squeeze the trigger. Results are what really matters though and the Tefal blew us away – or should that be steamed us away? It can blitz shirts effortlessly in less than a minute and was the best on test at getting creases out of a linen dress. The steam shot lasts for a good 30 seconds, which is long enough before you need to move to a new spot anyway.