Have steamer, will travel. (Amazon)
Planning a trip? Before you start packing, imagine all the fun things you’ll be doing and what you'll need. Whether it's daytime adventures in a foreign city, special dinners aboard a cruise ship or evenings out with friends on the road, you'll want a few favorite outfits. But how can you avoid looking like you just crawled out of your suitcase? (Trust us, a stylish rumpled look is tough to pull off.) Simple — pack a portable handheld steamer for a quick refresh. It's the chic traveler’s secret weapon, and Amazon's No. 1 bestselling Hilife Clothes Steamer is on sale for just $25.
According to our price trackers, $25 is close to as low as this steamer's been marked down to all year (like, within a dollar). And with this packed in your luggage, you won't have to shell out for new clothes at your destination after TSA tosses your bags around — just steam out the wrinkles of the ones you brought along. It's especially handy for out-of-town weddings and dressier events when you really want to look put-together.
This gizmo is popular for many reasons, including its uncomplicated nature, ease of use for travel and fun factor. Yep, "fun" was a recurring descriptor in the reviews. The heat panel is stainless steel, which is anti-rust and anti-oxidation — and it lasts longer than aluminum models.
The handheld design and the extra-long 9-foot cord make it a cinch to move around, so you can complete the task quickly, easily and some even say joyfully. The petite size of this 1.7-pound wonder makes it particularly popular for travel — it's like a mobile spa treatment for travel-weary outfits.
The Hilife Clothes Steamer isn't just for everyday garb, either. The manufacturer recommends it for use on everything from wedding dresses to plush toys, and users have been pleased with the results.
More than 75,000 shoppers think this steamer is a "mist"-have.
"This is a great little steamer!"wrote one satisfied customer. "I hate to iron and don’t need my clothes absolutely perfect, just nice and presentable, and this does the trick! Very easy to use, quick to heat up and does a great job [of] getting wrinkles out!"
Another superfan said, "If you don't have an iron, this is the next best thing. It literally takes one minute for it to heat up, then you are ready for wrinkle-free clothes. I'm obsessed with this."
One frequent flyer called it the "best small steamer I've had!" adding, "Heats fast, great steam output and with the extra long cord, I'm able to hang the garment on the shower rod to steam. Really convenient for taking along on a recent trip."
"We had a wedding to go to out of town, so I bought this to take with us to the hotel," shared a five-star fan. "I'd previously used this before travel and just put everything on hangers, but we all know with clothes squished together they’re going to wrinkle again. I was totally shocked I didn’t have to unpack this bad boy. The first time did the trick before travel. Really impressed by how great it works."
Several users had the same note as this buyer, who wrote, "Wish it came with a little travel bag ... but I can probably find one around the house and that's the only 'problem' with this product. ... Nice and compact, did the trick to iron out wrinkles that were almost 'permanent' in a new dress just out of the package!"
"The only complaint I would have is that the water runs out too quickly," wrote a final reviewer. "It still does a lot of clothes, though." That said, they added, "I used this for several of my items of clothing, and I was so pleasantly surprised!"
And to keep your clothes clean while you're away from home, these Tide Liquid Travel Sink Packets are good to have on hand:
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication