Formal dress shirts are the beauty of any corporate sector, and it is office attire worldwide. If you are working in one of them, you must agree that you cannot go to the office wearing an unpressed shirt. Ironing the shirt is necessary for everyone, but when it comes to choosing the best steam iron for dress shirts in 2024, it is such a daunting task. No worries!
We have interviewed professional laundry guys and ironing experts to know which steam iron is best specifically for formal shirts. We have listed down the 5 best steam irons for this purpose.
Table of Contents
5 Best Steam Irons for Dress Shirts
1. Russell Hobbs Powersteam Ultra Steam Iron 20630 – (Editors Pick)
Russel Hobbs, a famous British home appliance company, introduced its steam iron named Russell Hobbs Powersteam Ultra 20630. It comes with all the advanced features required to press the dress shirt correctly. Moreover, its ceramic soleplate has button grooves (unique cut-out) on both sides, which makes the ironing comfortable around the buttons of the shirt.
Steam delivery is up to the mark and fits for formal wear. It is equipped with 3100-watt power so it will be heated up quickly and you don’t have to wait longer for it. Toughest wrinkles are no problem for this iron because of its water spray and efficient steam function. It’s ideal for shirts, skirts, formal coats and pants for both genders.
- Button Groove
- Ceramic soleplate
- Ultra-smooth glide
- 3100-watt high power for faster heating
- 45G/min continuous steam + 210G/min on burst mode
- 350 ml water reservoir
- 3m cord length
- Triple action self-clean
- Auto turn off feature
- Perfect for suits and shirts
- Support vertical steam as well
- Weight is on the heavier side, weighs 3.53 lbs (Not an issue)
- You may require extension wire to extend cord length
2. Rowenta Steam Force Steam Iron DW9230 – (Editors Choice)
This iron has a unique high precision tip on the front side. It helps iron to reach difficult areas of a garment. Such as collar and box plate of shirt, fastenings, and under pocket side.
It also has a high power of 2350 watts and delivers efficient results. Steam quality is valuable and melts down stumbled wrinkles in no time. You are not going to face any difficulty using this iron for dress shirts and formal wear.
Because of its anti-calcium feature, unique soleplate design, and professional finish, we have counted it as Top Pick on our list of “best steam iron for dress shirts.”
- High precision tip
- Scratch resistant premium stainless steel soleplate
- Ergonomic controls
- 2750 watts of power
- 300 ml (10 Oz) water tank
- Perfect 220g/min steam shot from 400 micro steam holes
- Anti-calcium feature that prevents scale deposition
- Steam sensor controls variable steam
- Self-cleaning mechanism
- Auto turn off safety system
- Support vertical steam
- Best for dress shirts and formal wears
- Relatively heavier in weight about 3.5 lbs
- No such cons.
3. CHI Steam Iron 13101
Next in our list is a premium-quality steam iron for dress shirts, from a world-renowned company. CHI 13101 steam iron has impressive matte chrome accents that enhance its looks. The reason why we added this in our list is titanium infused ceramic soleplate and 10 ft long cord.
Titanium itself is a durable anti resistant material, and it making a great combo while in combination with ceramic. It has no unique grooves but has a narrow tip on the front side. Wrinkle removing with a professional finish. We knew it is all you can expect from good quality clothing iron. It has an embossed pattern on a handle which enhances grip. It also makes ironing more comfortable.
Moreover, it has 300+ steam holes, which ensure an excellent steam rate. It also gives you a dedicated knob for temperature and steam control while all other essential features are present in this model.
- Titanium infused ceramic soleplate
- Dedicated controls for temperature and steam
- 1700 watts of power
- 10 ft long cord
- It weighs 2.9 lbs
- 300 ml (10 Oz) water tank
- Water spray feature
- Unique comfort grip
- Spray, blast and steam function
- Auto turn off system
- Support vertical steam
- No Anti-calcium feature
4. Rowenta DW5080 Focus Steam Iron
This model of steam iron gained popularity worldwide, and it is most selling steam iron. Unlike CHI, it has a stainless steel soleplate on which 400 microholes engraved for enhanced steam delivery.
As far as quality is concerned, so far it is the best one in its price range, although it lacks the latest additional features such as a digital display and all that stuff. Hmm, and it’s not essential, though!
Another feature that will impress you is its high precision tip. This tip helps to press challenging-to-reach areas of dress shirt such as a collar, pleats, fastenings, and box plate. We have tested its efficiency and found that it is in no way lesser than other brands. Equipped with 1700 watt power, delivers a powerful shot of steam and heats up in less than 2 minutes. Because of its quality and demand, we have also added it to the list of Best steam irons for clothes.
- 3-way auto-shutoff system
- Soleplate W/ Precision tip
- 1700 watts of power
- A decent capacity water tank of 10 Oz
- 400+ active steam holes
- 100G/min steam shot
- Variable controls
- Anti-Calcium system that increases the life of iron
- Anti-drip system protects the garment from unnecessary water drops and stains
- Ordinary tap water compatible
- Water tank empties too quickly because of many holes
- Heavyweight 3.4 pounds so it is not suitable for long time use
5. Shark Professional Steam Iron
Shark professional steam iron has a 9.5-inch stainless steel soleplate with a little narrow tip as well. Overall it has a solid feel as its weight is about 3.57 lbs. It is acceptable for ironing dress shirts; because of its mass, you don’t need to apply further downward pressure to smoothen the severe wrinkles.
It is engineered with 1800 watt of power. It’s steam quality is not good, and people were also complaining about it. The steam button stops working after some time. During our test, we found that it has optimum heating time and enough steam quantity.
Durability features such as Anti calcium, safety features such as auto turn off are present in this model.
Auto shut off function is also not performing well for some users. Upon testing it on a dress shirt, it fades the wrinkles, and the narrow tip reached every bit of the shirt.
It has a large 300ml (10.14 Oz) water tank, so it does not require frequent refills during the ironing process. Its performance is not so good as CHI or Russel Hobbs. Only choose this option if you have a limited budget.
- 9.5” stainless steel soleplate
- 1800 watts of power
- Have a narrow tip
- Weighs 4.25 lbs
- Anti-drop feature
- Anti calcium function
- Spray mist and steam function
- Support vertical steaming
- 8 ft long cord. Use extension if your socket is far from the ironing board
- Build quality is not too good
- Steam button has cheap fittings
- Heavier in weight so not suitable for travellings
- Soleplate is not anti resistant
Our Top Picks
Conclusion
As you have read the reviews of the best steam irons for dress shirts. Now you want to invest your money wisely in the perfect one. So I recommend you to go with Russell Hobbs Powersteam Ultra Steam Iron 20630. And my second recommendation is Rowenta Steam Force Steam Iron DW9230.
Both the recommendations have specially designed soleplate manufactured while keeping in view the parts of dress shirts. Although its all upon you to choose. In the list, all models have high power watts and enough steam quality. So by selecting any steam iron from the list, you will not face any issue in results and performance.
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Features to consider while purchasing the Best Steam Iron for Dress Shirts:
Almost, all steam irons are similar but when we look closely at specific features that fit best for ironing dress shirts, we have to consider some factors.
Soleplate design and material
The design of the soleplate enhances usability while the material of the soleplate ensures proper heat distribution to the fabric. Design is the main factor in ironing dress shirts. Some soleplates have specially designed cut-outs that enable them to iron difficult areas of the shirt. Such as most of Rowenta models such as the latest Rowenta Everlast steam iron have a narrow precision tip at the front that helps to reach collar areas and pleats easily as compared to regular irons.
Button Groove
Buton groove is specially designed, partially circular cut-out on both sides of the soleplate. It helps to iron the fabric around the buttons. Russel Hobbs power steam ultra iron has such a designed soleplate and it ensures a professional smooth finish on an overall shirt. We have also attached a reference image for parts of the dress shirts below.
Precision tip
A narrow high precision tip is designed on some models. Its purpose is to reach difficult areas of the shirt such as in between collars and cuffs, pleats around fastenings, on pockets and armholes. It is also useful while ironing the box plate between consecutive buttons on a dress shirt. See the reference image below for further clarification.
Steam quantity
Most of the wrinkles on the dress shirt’s fabric don’t require much steam to smoothen. Although optimum steam is required for a nice finish. Steam rate ranges from 30G/min to 200G/min or more. But for pressing shirts, the steam rate of 50G/min is enough. In our list, all steam irons have a decent steam rate.
Temperature and steam control
Different fabrics require different temperatures and steam to iron properly. High temperatures may burn out the fabric while high steam may leave unwanted spots on shirts. So choose iron which has a dedicated knob or digital presets for controlling temperature and steam.
Power
The greater the power, the faster it will be heated up. The normal power range is enough for a steam iron, you are going to pick for dress shirts.
Cord length
In wired steam irons, cord length cannot be ignored in any case. If your iron board is at some distance from the power switch then you need a long cord and vice versa. So look for it while choosing your iron.
Take a look at this interesting video on how to steam iron a dress shirt in no time:
Check out these interesting models available on today’s market:
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