If you're frequently pressed for time, you know that pulling out an iron and ironing board is not always a possibility. It's even less possible if you live in a small apartment with very little space. That's the situation I found myself in when I moved to New York City and quickly realized that a steamer would become an essential purchase.
However, I also learned that not all steamers are created equally. Some of them hold very little water, while others can take way too long to heat up. Those disappointing steamers typically land in the $15 to $20 range, so I decided to splurge a little when it was time to replace my worn out model — and I'm so glad I did.
Beautural Portable Handheld Steamer
The Beautural Portable Steamer is one of Amazon's bestselling garment steamers with nearly 34,000 five-star ratings. This was enough to convince me to take the plunge, and I hoped that it would be my last steamer purchase for a while.
When I first used the sleek looking device, I was blown away by how fast it heated the water. I was used to other steamers taking around two minutes to produce steam, but this one had a steady stream of hot air in less than 30 seconds.
Once I got to steaming, I was pleased to see that it immediately released the wrinkles within one to two swipes — though you may have to spend a little more time on a garment if you want the freshly-pressed look that an iron provides. However, I was more than happy with the results for the short amount of time and effort required.
One of my favorite features of this model is a trigger-like button that allows you to pause the flow of steam in between garments, meaning that you're never wasting any of the water in the tank. A full tank of water lasts me around 15 minutes and gets me through an entire week of outfits. I also love that you can use it both vertically and horizontally, thanks to the spill-free design.
The steamer also comes with a few attachments: a lint brush, a creaser tool and a fabric brush. All three work well, though I typically only reach for the lint brush. It's especially useful when steaming black garments that tend to show every piece of lint that lands on them. It's also great to achieve that "fresh from the dry cleaner" look on jackets and blazers.
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The only true downside is that it's slightly heavier than other steamers I've tried, but the extra weight ultimately makes it feel more durable. I've owned it for about a year and it's still working just as well as it did when I took it out of the box — and I expect it to last for quite a while.
Perhaps the best advantage is that I no longer dread having to steam my clothes once I'm done with my laundry. I feel like I get through the task in almost half the time, and I love that I don't have to constantly refill it to get through all of my clothes. Considering how much time it's saved me — and how much it's changed my routine — this investment now doesn't feel like much of a splurge at all.
