Is a Steamer as Effective as an Iron: Which is Better?

Do you hate ironing too? Well maybe hate is too strong a word, but I find it tedious to get out the ironing board and my ironing hams and spend 10 minutes to de-wrinkle the shirt I want to wear. It always feels like it takes so much longer than it has to. So I decided to get a steamer to test it out and see if it works any better or faster.

I learned that a steamer works just as effectively as an iron for most clothing and fabric, and it is easier to use too. Irons are best used for clothing that has crip collars, cuffs, and pleats, or areas with stubborn creases that the steamer can’t remove.

My new little steamer will never completely replace my iron, but it works much better than I ever thought it would. The steamer will speed up the process of unwrinkling my casual clothes and it will make it easier to “iron” large skirts and more delicate fabrics.

• Is a steamer effective at cleaning garments? check out my experiment

	Pros	Cons
Steamer	FasterEasierSimple to set upYou can steam specialty fabricsEasier on delicate fabricsYou can steam large surface areas	Easier to burn your fingersYou need to wait for the clothes to dryWon’t remove deep creasesCannot re-create pleatsSome fibers can get water marks
Iron	You can be preciseYou can flatten seams, collars, cuffs, etc.You can re-pleat garmentsWorks better on thick fabrics	You may burn the fabricYou need extra suppliesIt’s tougher on the fabricYou can burn yourself

The Test: Steamer vs Iron

I wanted to test whether a steamer or an iron works better at de-wrinkling my clothes. I decided to test this on four different types of fabric that I wear regularly: rayon, cotton, polyester, and denim (for a heavyweight test).

This is the process I used to test the steamer vs the iron:

1. I ironed the left side of the garment
2. I steamed the right side of the garment
3. I compared the two sides to see how well the steamer did vs. the traditional iron

These are the results based on my test.

Flowy rayon shirt

The rayon shirt came out pretty much perfect on both sides. Steaming was just as good as ironing, even better around the gathers along the neck of the shirt. 

The real advantage was the time it took. Steaming the right half of the shirt took literally one minute. It took more than 5 minutes to iron the whole thing, and it’s not even a large shirt.

The verdict: Steamer wins this round

Cotton button-up shirt

The next item of clothing was a standard cotton button-up shirt. On this test, the steamer also did a very good job of removing the wrinkles from the garment. However, I ran into a lot of trouble around the button area and the collar. I couldn’t get these areas to sit as crispy as I wanted, and I would probably go back and iron these sections if I was going to wear the shirt.

So steaming cotton material works well. If I hadn’t chosen a button-up, the steamer would win again, hands down because of how quickly it works. However, when it comes to nice shirts or anything with a crisp collar, an iron will probably be better.

The verdict: It’s a tie

Polyester shirt

Next up was a tie-front polyester shirt. Again, the steamer worked really well in getting out the wrinkles. It actually worked better than the iron, since I always keep the iron on low heat settings with polyester to avoid melting it.

The main downside was that I almost burned myself with the steam. The shirt was a somewhat awkward shape, which made it difficult to keep my hand out of the way of the steam when arranging the fabric for the steamer to work. I ended up using grilling gloves (these ones, made so you don’t burn your hands on an outdoor grill or fire pit) so I could maneuver the steamer as necessary.

Again, it took significantly less time to steam the shirt than it took to iron it. If I didn’t have the gloves, this might have been a tie because the steam would prevent me from properly de-wrinkling everything. But since gloves are a simple solution, I think this one goes to the steamer.

The verdict: steamer wins

Denim jeans

I also wanted to test the steamer on something that was a little more heavyweight. I’ll be honest, I don’t regularly iron my jeans, but I also did not have any blazers or similar heavyweight garments that were currently wrinkled, so I chose to use a pair of jeans.

This time, it took a little longer for the steamer to work. It still did its job faster than the iron, but it also didn’t do quite as well. I had some difficulty getting stubborn wrinkles around the knees and crotch seams when using the steamer.

The verdict: iron wins

The verdict: iron vs steamer

In general, I’ve found that I prefer to steam casual clothes since it’s faster and I don’t care about perfection. It’s better for clothes that are worn frequently because it won’t stress out the material quite as much. For most garments it does not matter whether you use a steamer or an iron, they can both get the job done.

The iron is reserved for more structured shirts and collars that need extra care and pressure to stay flat and look professional and for more heavyweight articles of clothing. When sewing, I also use the iron so that I can accurately press seams, darts, pleats, and so on.

You can purchase a steamer iron to get both effects in one. However, if this is the route you’re going to take, I highly recommend going for the high-quality, high-end models that are known to work well. I can’t actually give you a recommendation here because I took the cheap way out, buying an iron that was supposed to be a steamer iron but did not work well. Do your research and invest in a high-quality steaming iron or just get a separate steamer.

I have a separate, handheld steamer now, and it works well (I use this one). But at some point in the future, I plan to invest in a high-quality steamer iron so I can use steam more easily in my sewing process too.

Pros of using a steamer

Let’s get a little more detailed. Steamers are great, and I recommend adding one to your clothing maintenance routine. It’s not for everything but these are the areas that using a steamer gives you some advantage:

• It’s much faster. Steaming something is simply faster than ironing. All you have to do is wait a couple of minutes for the water to heat up in the steamer.
• Steaming is generally easier. You don’t have to worry about accidentally catching layers underneath and causing extra creases, or burning the fabric. You just hold the steamer up to your garment.
• It’s easier to set up. You don’t need to get out the ironing board, tailor’s hams, or anything like that. You just need a place to hang your garment (I use the hook on the back of my bathroom door).
• Crinkle fabric will remain intact. If you have crinkle fabric that’s also wrinkled, you’ll be able to maintain that crinkled texture while getting rid of the worst of the wrinkles.
• It’s easier on the fabric and works better for delicate fabric. Steaming is a gentler process since it does involve any pressure or movement from the iron.
• You can steam large surface areas at a time (think full skirts). If you have a very large skirt you need to de-wrinkle, it can take ages to iron it. Steaming can cover a wide area since the steam will continue to travel up the garment. So if you steam toward the base, you are also steaming the area above it at the same time.

Cons of using a steamer

Steamers aren’t perfect, though. They tend to be quicker and easier to use, but they have limitations too. These are the downsides to using a steamer, and why you may want to avoid it depending on your priorities:

• It’s easier to accidentally burn your fingers. Steam can and will burn your fingers. Unlike an iron plate, you cannot control exactly where the steam goes, so you may accidentally end up with your fingers in the path of the steam.
• You need to wait to wear your clothing. Since steam is water, it makes your clothes a bit damp while you unwrinkle them. You’ll need to wait 10 or 15 minutes if you plan on wearing your newly steaming garment, and it won’t feel warm and cozy like it does after a good ironing.
• It’s difficult to remove deep creases. While steaming works wonders on all those little wrinkles throughout a garment, it won’t get rid of any significant crease. For that, your only option is the iron.
• You cannot create pleats or flat seams or re-set a facing. Steaming also cannot create pleats or press any kind of seams, facing, cuffs, or collars. These areas will require you to use the pressure of the iron, not just the heat from the steamer.
• You can get water marks on some types of fabric. Delicate fabrics, like silk, can get water marks if you’re not careful. This is not a problem for most common fabrics, like cotton or polyester.

Pros of ironing

Ironing your clothing and fabric is still the classic. It works well and gives you a lot of control in the process. It’s also one of those home appliances that just about everyone has. If you don’t have a steamer, you can still use your iron and get excellent results, usually, it just takes a little longer.

• You can be very precise and perfect (more control). When you iron your garment, you can choose exactly where to place the heat and the pressure. You can be much more precise using this method.
• You can flatten seams, cuffs, collars, and facings that are out of place. Areas and garments that are more structured will always look crisper with an iron than with a steamer.
• You can re-pleat items. The pressure of the iron is its big advantage. You can use it to re-crease any pleats, tucks, and darts that are out of place after a wash.
• Irons work better for bottom-weight thick fabrics. Bottom-weight fabrics take longer to absorb the moisture and de-wrinkle when steaming, so ironing is typically better.

Cons of ironing

Of course, ironing has its downsides too. There are times when the age-old use of an iron is perfect, and other times when it’s kind of a pain. These are the problems you’ll come across using an iron, some of which can be solved by using a steamer instead:

• There’s a chance of burning your fabric with an iron. If you’re not careful with the temperature of the iron, you may burn (or melt) your fabric. This is not something you need to worry about when steaming. (learn how to iron your fabric without burning it)
• You need extra accessories. At a minimum, you need a bulky ironing board when ironing. I also would consider supplies such as a tailor’s ham and tailor’s sausage (these things) to be essential items too, while you really only need the steamer and a hanger for steaming
• It takes a really long time. Ironing is a much slower process than steaming. Something that takes 2 minutes to steam can easily take 10 or more to iron.
• It’s tougher on the fabric. Because irons have direct heat and pressure that moves the fabric around, it’s a bit tougher on fabrics, and may not be ideal for anything too delicate.
• You can still burn yourself with an iron. It’s easier to burn yourself with a steamer than an iron (in my opinion), but burns from an iron are typically worse.