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I tried it: The portable Hilife Steamer saved my back and transformed my wrinkled clothes
It’s an Amazon No. 1 bestseller, easy to use — and backed by nearly 70,000 five-star reviews.
There’s nothing like a crumpled piece of clothing to put a wrinkle in your plans, especially when you’re running late for a big work meeting or a 50th birthday celebration. And then there’s the important business trip or family wedding, when you spend weeks preparing and then carefully packing, only to unpack the clothing from your suitcase and find it creased beyond recognition. Enter the portable Hilife Steamer, a No. 1 Amazon bestseller for its ability to pack a lot of wrinkle-eradicating steam (it’s 700W) into one compact, handled appliance (it happens to be a Yahoo reader favorite). The best steamer on the internet, perhaps in stores too? I decided to take the portable Hilife Steamer for a spin myself. Keep reading for my honest review.
Thousands upon thousands of Amazon reviewers agree: the Hilife Steamer is a modern-day clothing necessity.
The hype:
As mentioned above, the Hilife Steamer has garnered quite the following, with upwards of 70,000 perfect Amazon ratings, from reviewers who’ve come to rely on the handy gadget as a quick solution for steaming garments — along with other textiles like curtains and bedding — in record time, with little maintenance required.
“... I have two very overpriced shirts that I got from polo and was scared to do much with them because I don't go out much,” wrote one “seriously impressed” customer. “They still had wrinkles from when I bought them in September (it's December now btw). Tomorrow is my work xmas party so I figured hey why not. The wrinkles came right out. One pass and they disappeared. Zero damage to my ridiculously priced shirts…”
A “must-have,” hailed this verified shopper. “I absolutely hate ironing. But using this was honestly kind of fun. Fill it with water, plug it in, and just move across the fabric you need to steam. It worked super quickly and my dress looked so smooth. It didn’t leave many water spots as the water seemed to come out pretty evenly and it doesn’t leave clothes feeling super damp. Anything that can take a disliked chore and make it fun is a huge win to me.”
“Effective and easy to use,” according to another. “I am so glad I purchased this product … I used it the first day I received it. I have many items that I don't trust using the iron for and this steamer worked beautifully on each item. Product arrived in a timely manner and packaged well. I would recommend this product for home and travel.”
The answer to discomfort and joint pain, confirmed a fourth. “I have a lot of back issues that make it hard for me to stand in place and bend over for periods of time so things like ironing or washing dishes causes me pain and discomfort. With this steamer, I'm able to hang my clothes on my coat rack and basically let it do the job on its own. It doesn't take long to get wrinkles out of fabric and my back hurts a lot less since I'm taking up less time bending over or standing in one spot. Would buy again.”
The (press) test:
Intrigued, and frankly tired of having to break out my iron and ironing board (so much so that I started avoiding high-maintenance fabrics and pieces all together, and that’s not considering the times I was traveling and didn’t have access to an iron to begin with), I added the Hilife Steamer to my cart on Amazon and awaited delivery.
The Hilife Steamer arrived promptly (within a few days) in a compact box, complete with the steamer body, steamer cap, fill cup and two brush attachments, along with instructions for use. I decided to put it to the test on a silky skirt I wanted to wear for a holiday party (one that had gotten particularly creased during a recent move).
Following Hilife's instructions, I filled the included cup with water up to the maximum line (the brand cautions that low levels could damage the steamer while excessive levels could cause spraying), poured the water into the steamer, assembled and installed the cap/nozzle, plugged in the steamer and flipped the 'on' switch.
I hung my skirt up and, once the steamer was hot enough (within seconds), moved full steam ahead — holding the skirt firmly at bottom, placing the nozzle at a close but safe distance and tilting it slightly (the brand recommends keeping it within a 45-degree angle, and steaming over stubborn areas for up to 30 seconds) as I gently worked my way up and down (the brand also cautions hovering over one area too long to avoid any damage, especially important for more delicate fabrics and precious pieces) to remove the wrinkles, then allowed a few minutes for the fabric to dry.
My hot take:
As you can see from the before and after pictures shown above, the Hilife Steamer was incredibly effective at removing the wrinkles from my silky skirt — and that was with only a few passes of steam. For being so powerful, it's also incredibly gentle and fast (it took seconds to heat up and only a few minutes to de-wrinkle my skirt from front to back).
Despite its compact size (6.8 in.s long), the Hilife Steamer can also hold a good amount of water (240 ml), meaning you don’t have to interrupt the steaming process to keep refilling it (enjoy up to 15 minutes of continuous steam). And the long power cord (9 ft.) makes it easier to maneuver around clothing and any fixtures (I’ve also used it on other textiles, including my wrinkle-prone linen sheets, since).
Unlike some other steamers, you don’t have to split the steamer in half in order to fill it, and the ergonomic, spout-style cap and handle are incredibly comfortable to position and hold for larger garments and longer passes. And, while I haven’t been on a vacation in many months, I can see just how much of a savior the Hilife Steamer (aka the best steamer on the Web) would be for business trips, leisurely getaways and any other circumstance where you expect to be on the move.
Purchase the Hilife Portable Steamer today (shown here in the White/Purple combo) and never have to worry about running late, looking shabby, or not having something to wear again.
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
