You know the scenario. You’re getting dressed for work and pull a crisp dress shirt from your closet, only to realize the back is scored with more creases than a vintage accordion.
It’s too late to go to the dry cleaners, and who wants to do ironing before work? (Or ever, for that matter.)
The fact is, pricey trips to the dry cleaner can add up, and ironing is a pain. All you really need to keep your clothes looking sharp? A steamer.
“A steamer is much easier to use than an iron,” says Donna Smallin Kuper, certified House Cleaning Technician and author of Cleaning Plain & Simple. “Ironing requires some skill. There is a right and wrong way, and a certain order.”
Related: How to Never Iron Your Clothes Again
But a steamer is quicker and easier to handle, plus it can extend the lifespan of your clothes. Here’s why.
What is a steamer?
A steamer is a tool that uses steam to release the wrinkles in clothing. It heats up water in the built-in tank, and releases it as steam.
Unlike an iron, a steamer doesn’t require an ironing board. It also doesn’t ask you to select a temperature, like an iron does—or come with the risk of branding a pizza slice-shaped burn into your furniture.
We like handheld steamers because they’re so easy to maneuver and they can travel with you ($79, reliablecorporation.com).
The Men’s Health style team also likes the Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam Fabric Steamer ($80, conair-store.com).
Why do I need a steamer?
Whether at home or the dry cleaners, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re cleaning your clothes just because they’re wrinkled.
“Washing your clothes wears them out,” says Kuper. “Using a steamer at home won’t clean your clothes but it will buy you time in between washes.” You’ll save money by minimizing cleaning, and your clothes will last longer.
(Some clothes you want to feel worn in—like this moisture-wicking Men’s Health logo t-shirt. It’s guaranteed to be as soft as your favorite washed-a-million-times tee—right out of the package.)
How do I use a steamer?
All you have to do is fill up the tank with water, plug the steamer in, wait for it to heat up, and press it to your clothes.
Kuper recommends hanging the garment up away from anything else, like on your shower curtain rod (move the curtain itself out of the way) or bathroom door. You want the clothing to hang freely.
“Hold the steamer in one hand and steam using a light up and down motion,” Kuper says. “Hold the material with your other hand and pull it taught.”
You can touch the fabric itself with the steamer, just like you’re ironing. Go over the wrinkles until they’re gone.
One thing, though: A steamer may not be an iron, but it can still burn you. Don’t touch the steamer head itself while using it.
And we probably don’t have to tell you this but we’ll say it anyway. Don’t steam clothes while they’re on your body.
Related: The Big Book of Uncommon Knowledge from Men’s Health—Hundreds of Mind-Blowing Hacks and Great Guy Tips to Help You Be More Awesome
What kinds of clothes can I steam?
Virtually any fabric. Kuper recommends it for everything from smoothing out a crinkled dress shirt to softening jeans that come out of the dryer feeling crunchy.
If you wear pleated pants, you can use a steamer to set a crease, too. Just lay the garment down on a flat surface and move the plate down the edge of the crease as you would with an iron.
