How to steam clothes with a garment steamer

How to steam clothes, step by step

Every garment steamer, whether a handheld model or a standing one with a pole, works the same way. Read your own manual once, because makers disagree on details such as water type and stroke direction, and your steamer was designed around its own instructions.

1. 01

   Fill the tank while it is unplugged

   Unplug the steamer before you fill or empty it, and fill with cold water, never hot. Use the water your manual names: Rowenta recommends distilled water to limit mineral buildup, while Conair's standing steamer is filled from the cold tap. Do not add fragrance or anything else unless the maker says you can.

2. 02

   Heat it and test it away from you

   Switch it on and wait for the ready light or a steady plume, often about a minute. Then give a short test burst pointed away from your body and the garment. The first steam can carry spits of hot water, and you want those on the floor, not on a silk blouse.

3. 03

   Hang the garment where you can reach all of it

   Use a sturdy hanger on a door hook, shower rod or the steamer's own pole, at a height where the hem hangs freely. Button the top button of a shirt so it hangs straight. Crowded hanging space means steam and condensation land on the neighbors.

4. 04

   Pull the fabric taut and stroke slowly

   Hold the hem or side seam with your free hand, gently pulling it straight, and move the nozzle in long, slow strokes about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) from the cloth. Rowenta suggests downward strokes; Conair starts at the bottom and works up so steam rises through the garment. Either works. What matters is steady movement and tension, and you should see the wrinkle soften and drop away as the nozzle passes.

5. 05

   Smooth, then let it dry

   Smooth the steamed area with your palm, keeping your hand clear of the steam itself. Leave the garment on the hanger for a few minutes until it feels dry and cool. Damp fibers wrinkle again as soon as you sit down in them.

Shirts, dresses, trousers and knits

Shirts are easiest from the inside out at the collar, placket and cuffs, where the fabric is doubled and interfaced. Steam the collar from the underside so the visible side stays smooth, then the front panels, back and sleeves. Pull each sleeve straight from the cuff as you go. A steamer will make a cotton shirt look neat, but it will not give you the sharp collar and crisp front of a pressed shirt. For that, see our guide on ironing a shirt.

Dresses are where a steamer really earns its space. Work from the inside for lined dresses, because steaming the lining relaxes the outer layer without wetting it, and it keeps shiny fabrics from spotting. For full skirts, turn the dress on the hanger and steam in sections, holding the hem out with your hand. Tulle and chiffon respond to steam from a greater distance, so start farther back and move closer only if you need to.

Trousers hang best from clips at the hem or waist so the legs fall straight. Steam will remove sitting creases behind the knee, but it will not set a sharp front crease; that still needs an iron and a press cloth. Knits such as sweaters and jersey dresses relax beautifully in steam, but they stretch when wet, so steam them lightly, keep the nozzle moving and avoid pulling hard on the fabric. Woolmark also suggests brushing wool trousers and hanging them in a steamy bathroom to refresh them between cleanings, which is gentler than any direct method.

What clothes should not be steamed

Start with the care label. An iron symbol with a cross through it means no ironing, and GINETEX, the international care labeling body, also uses a low temperature iron symbol that warns steam may cause irreversible damage. Take either as a no for your steamer as well. If a symbol is unfamiliar, our guide to reading care labels explains each one.

Leather and suede can stiffen, stain or warp with steam, and coated fabrics such as waxed cotton, vinyl and faux leather can lose their finish. Garments with glued beads, sequins or rhinestones are a risk too, because heat can soften the glue. Silk and velvet can be steamed, but Conair's manual is explicit that the nozzle should not touch them: contact marks the pile of velvet and can leave water spots on silk. Rayon and viscose can spot or pucker as well, so test inside a seam and keep your distance. Our guide on caring for silk covers the rest.

Is steaming better than ironing?

Neither is better in general; they do different jobs. A clothes steamer is faster for dresses, blouses, knits, loose trousers and anything with texture or detail you do not want flattened. It is also kinder to delicate fabrics, because nothing heavy presses on them. Rowenta itself, a company that sells both, recommends steamers for light fabrics and delicates and irons for heavy outerwear, pleats, dress shirts and table linens.

An iron is still the tool for crisp results: a pressed collar, trouser creases, sharp pleats and linen that should look deliberate rather than relaxed. Many steam irons have a vertical steam button that lets you steam a hanging garment in a pinch. Use it only if your manual describes it, hold the iron upright and away from the fabric and from your hand, and never use the soleplate on the garment while it is on the hanger.

How to steam clothes without a steamer

The shower is the classic substitute. Hang the garment in the bathroom, out of the spray, run the shower hot with the door closed for 10 to 15 minutes, then smooth the fabric with your hands and leave it to dry in drier air. This works well on wool, knits and soft fabrics with light creases, and it is the method Woolmark suggests for wool trousers. It does little for deep folds in crisp cotton.

Skip improvised tricks such as holding clothes over a boiling kettle or pot. The steam is concentrated, the risk of scalding your hand is real, and drips of hot water can mark the fabric. Our guide on getting wrinkles out without an iron covers the dryer, damp towel and other safer options, and packing well in the first place, as in our guide to packing a suitcase, saves a lot of steaming later.

Keep the steamer working well

Gurgling and spitting usually mean condensation has collected in the hose. Conair's instructions are to keep the hose upright so the water drains back into the base, and to hold the nozzle so the steam jets face away from you. Empty the tank after use rather than leaving water standing, and let the unit cool before you put it away; Conair suggests at least 30 minutes for its standing model.

Over time, minerals from tap water slow the steam. Descale only as your manual describes. Conair, for example, runs a solution of one third white vinegar to two thirds water through its steamer, then fresh water, while some makers forbid vinegar entirely. Using the wrong method can void a warranty or damage seals, so check before you pour anything but water into the tank.