I borrowed a handheld steamer in a hotel once, even though it was an emergency, I thought it was wonderful. And lately, I’ve realised that my iron and ironing board hasn’t been put away for several months. Due to a lifestyle that leaves little time for such mundane jobs such as ironing, we as a family have developed a system based on ironing when (absolutely) necessary. The kids too! So it’s generally school clothes.

So when I came across the Beldray handheld garment steamer I realised that this was a solution I’ve needed for a time.

Out of the box, the Beldray is sturdy and definitely feels quality, and substantial in the hand. 

It takes 100ml of water and took just a minute to heat up, you know when it’s ready because you can see the water bubbling in the transparent tank – which also shows you how much water is remaining.

Its 100ml gave 6 minutes of constant steaming – I timed it. As soon as it’s run out of water, it automatically shuts off. At this point you can either refill to carry on, or put it away. For me, 6 minutes has been plenty of time, in fact I’ve given the garments an extra minute or two sometimes just to use up the water so I don’t need to empty it, which just means better de-wrinkled clothes.

I did steam clean a large footstool which took 3 refills, but as footstools go, it’s huge. A small person once got in it, to prove he could.

There’s an on switch, which I’m not really sure is required because we always unplug these things, don’t we? But it’s no harm, and it’s well placed so you don’t accidentally turn it off.

My initial test was to remove wrinkles from freshly laundered jeans, school trousers and school shirts. It worked well on all, one fill of the tank gave enough power to steam a pair of age 14 school trousers and a shirt. 

It’s not an iron so I wasn’t expecting to get perfect trouser creases, and that pressed look you get with an ironing board, however correct folding of the trousers meant the creases already there were maintained. Even the shirt collar came out really well.

 

This is a very handy item to have around, especially with teenagers who don’t always (ever) hang their uniform up after school, I mean even their blazers end up on the floor and I despair. So if items are particularly creased after a day’s wear, (which they are in our house) instead of washing a pair of one-day worn trousers you can easily run the steamer over them to make them perfectly wearable again. It’s been a huge washing and time saver.

I’ve especially loved it for blasting the school blazer, which looks dreadful after being stuffed in a PE bag. Hanging it up, the creases popped right out and made it wearable again in super quick time. Same goes for the the PE kit too; I don’t know about you but I only realise it hasn’t been washed on the morning its needed! A quick blast with the Beldray and it good to go!

It comes with a brush attachment which will help clean curtains, fabric of sofas, cushions and the like, or simply put some life back into certain fabrics, but keep in mind that holding it at too much of an angle may mean the hot water pours out. Be careful. 

Overall though, it’s very easy to use, light to handle and has a 2 metre cord to reach further than any iron, without needing an extension cord.

Stand Out Features:

  • Continuous steam – no need to keep a button pressed
  • Handy brush attachment
  • Water level is transparent so easy to see how much longer you have.
  • Easy to refill
  • Compact size – can take away easily
  • Comfy handle
  • Extra long 2m cord