Fighting wrinkles actually starts in your dryer. Cramming too much in it can worsen wrinkling, as can leaving items in the machine long after the cycle is over. Next comes a capable iron. The best in Consumer Reports’ tests produce a lot more steam and have soleplates that glide easily, making the job faster. Here are some ironing tips from our experts as well as the best and worst steam irons from our tests.
Toss it back in. If things do sit too long in the dryer, add a damp towel and run the dryer for a few minutes to loosen the creases.
Put it in the fridge. If something is badly wrinkled and you don’t have time to iron it, roll the item in a damp towel and put it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you’re ready to iron.
Iron blends at a lower temperature. If an item is made of more than one type of fabric, use the cooler fabric setting: polyester, for cotton-poly blends, for example.
Iron linen twice. For crisp-looking linen, first press it on the high setting with steam; then, with the steam setting off, go over it with a dry iron.
Be careful with raised patterns. Items with eyelets, embroidery, or other raised patterns should be ironed facedown, with a towel underneath, so the pattern isn’t flattened or warped.
Knits need special attention. Wool items cannot usually be ironed with steam. Press acrylic knits instead of moving the iron in circles or straight lines, which could stretch the fabric.
Don’t iron velvet. Use the burst of steam or the vertical steam function to smooth out wrinkles without flattening velvet’s lush pile.
![]()
Best and worst irons
Any of the 40 steam irons in our tests will remove wrinkles, eventually. But even an excellent iron may feel clunky in your hand, so hold it before you buy. It will be heavier when filled with water.
Best irons. All offer lots of steam, and most have a “ready” light that lets you know when the iron reaches set temperature. The Rowenta Steamforce DW9280, $140, offers superb ironing and has a nicely placed LED display and a sensor that stops the steam when the iron isn’t in motion. But it’s heavier than most. The Rowenta Steamium DW9080, $125, is also heavy but offers plenty of steam, though the ironing wasn’t quite as impressive. Heaviest of all is the Kenmore 80598, $75. It has a nice long cord and performs almost as well as the top-rated Rowenta for less. The Panasonic NI-W950A, $130, also has a long cord and superb ironing, but this iron is big.
Irons to skip. These emitted little steam, so they took longer to get the job done: the Sunbeam GCSBCL-212, $30; the Westinghouse Turbo Dry Steam SA46910A, $70; and the Sunbeam Classic GCSBCL-317, $25. The last two were also worse at ironing fabrics.
—Kimberly Janeway (CRJaneway on Twitter)
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on this website. Copyright © 2006-2014 Consumers Union of U.S.
