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This is Stuff We Swear By, a series in which our editors expound on an item they use (and love) on a daily (or near-daily) basis.
Item: Beautural Steamer
Description: A handheld garment steamer to keep my clothes wrinkle-free and looking presentable, even in our WFH times. It’s also Amazon’s number one seller in “garment steamers” and has a solid 4.4/5 customer rating.
How I use it: Every single morning, weekday or weekend, meeting or not. I flick it on, wait 30 seconds (or longer, I get distracted easily) and then spend maybe 30 more seconds running it over my clothes to get out wrinkles and folds. Then I click it off and forget about it until the next day.
Why I swear by it: I used to distrust garment steamers.
They leaked. The ones I’d find in hotel rooms were often grimy and moldy. And another brand I owned for a few years only worked if the unit and the clothing item was vertically placed, so I’d have to hang the clothing or hold it up with one hand on a hanger to get those wrinkles out (I still do that, but it was the only way the steamer would work).
But I hated ironing more — storing and getting out the ironing board is the worst — so I tried a different garment steamer last year. No joke, this was a Christmas gift I asked for. And it’s changed my life.
I haven’t picked up an iron for any reason in ten months. I used this for the first few months of the year when going to our (business casual) office. It was my go-to for a few formal events I attended in late winter/early spring. And for Covid times? It’s my one minute of prep so I look like I got out of bed. Pants I wore and threw on the floor yesterday? They look fine now.
A good garment steamer gets me the same result as ironing in about a minute. I’ve never had a leaking issue, even if I’m tilting the device horizontally — which I often am, as my bed has become a de facto ironing surface (or, ahem, steaming surface). It’s also been used on every type of fabric I own without a problem.
Oh, and I only have to fill up that water tank once a month. My last steamer required refills weekly.
If there’s a con, it’s that Beautural isn’t compact enough to be considered a travel steamer; that said, I’ve had limited success with smaller or fold-up steamers in the past. Since I’m not going on any trips for a long time, I really just need my clothes to look less rumpled before I leave the house. I keep this by the bed and flick it on just as I start my day (it’ll supposedly go off after a few minutes of non-use; I’ve never left it in for that long).
I’d also prefer it didn’t have a cord, but much like my handheld vacuum, I feel that the corded version is giving me some extra power (or steam).
Side note: The device comes with a fabric brush, creaser and lint brush, but I’ve never used any of the attachments. I’m definitely leaving some usefulness on the table.
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