Propress MINI clothes steamer review

The Propress MINI clothes steamer is a natural and efficient way to care for your fashion and fabrics around the home. This handheld steamer is gentle on the most delicate, tough on germs and easy to use and maintain, the Propress MINI clothes steamer smooths creases, restores shape and removes odours to give your favourite fashion and fabrics the care they need to look better and last longer.

Packed with over 40 years of steaming experience, cutting-edge steaming technology, the Propress MINI offers a unique heated, coated aluminium iron plate for simultaneous steaming and pressing. Plus, unlike a travel iron, this handheld clothes steamer can be used vertically or horizontally, making it ideal for soft furnishings and other uses around the home.

Testing the Propress MINI clothes steamer

I know some people who iron everything as soon as it comes out of the wash and before it’s put away, but I’m not one of those people. I don’t like ironing, I don’t do it unless I’m about to go on holiday and want to iron a few things before they go in my suitcase – which seems backward but that is genuinely the only time I will get the ironing board out. That or if my husband decides he wants to wear a particular shirt that has been crumpled at the bottom of his wardrobe for who knows how long. So, when the opportunity arose to test something that would mean I never had to iron again, I was keen to give it a go!

As soon as I unpacked the Propress MINI I was impressed by its quality, it was more substantial than I’d expected and the materials seemed good quality. It’s easy to hold in one hand and was very user friendly to get started, I had a quick read of the instructions and I was good to go. I have the version with the Big Belly water tank, which gives an additional 6 minutes of steaming time. 13 minutes doesn’t sound like a lot but you’d be surprised how much you can get through without having to refill, I found it was plenty. I also kept the smaller tank as I found my hand can get tired with the weight of the Propress MINI and a full Big Belly, so if you were only doing a couple of items of clothing, or if you were taking it away with you for example, the smaller tank may be better suited.

The box it comes in is actually quite nice, with a magnetic fastening, so I’ve kept it and we store it in there along with all the accessories. I’ve also taken the Propress MINI steamer when we went to stay with family over Christmas – it was really handy to have for shirts and dresses after taking them out of our suitcases to remove any creases and give them a freshen up ready for festive parties. If I was going abroad and had space in my suitcase I’d certainly bring this along in the included travel bag to remove any creases from transit.

Using the steamer is really simple, you just fill up the tank, close the rubber stopper and click it into place. The plug cable is nice and long at 3m so you don’t need to be too near a power source, which is handy if your plugs aren’t in a useful spot. Once plugged in you press the on button and wait for it to heat up, which only takes 45 seconds. The light on the steamer icon flashes red until it is ready to use, then the light goes still. You press the steamer icon to release steam, and double press it to release continuous steam. I prefer the continuous steam option as it saves having to hold your finger on the steam button.

At first there’s a bit of an art to pulling the fabric taught while running the steamer down the garment but I got the hang of it quite quickly. I found hanging the clothing on the top of one of my doors to be the easiest place – if you had hooks on the back of a door this could also be a good spot. A mitt is provided to prevent you burning yourself but to be honest I haven’t needed to use it, it’s very easy to use without getting your ‘spare’ hand in the way. I also have a pressing pad which is useful for trickier areas like the collar of shirts.

The Propress MINI fits in your hand nicely and feels quite natural to use, I actually found it quite fun to see the creases disappear as you run the steamer down the fabric! I’ve used the Propress MINI on clothes and my curtains so far, but I’m also keen to give it a go on other soft furnishings like freshening up my sofa and cleaning the mattress – since you can use it horizontally it’s perfect for these cleaning jobs too.

Storing the Propress MINI is so easy, and this is definitely a huge pro for me. It comes with a travel bag and all the accessories you need and takes up far less space than a bulky ironing board and iron. There's even a velcro strap that you can use to tidy up the cord and keep it all neat - perfect.

Final thoughts

The Propress MINI clothes steamer is a compact, travel-friendly steamer that is easy to store and very user-friendly. Yes it still means you have to get the steamer out, but it saves hauling the ironing board out and finding some space to put it in the kitchen, not to mention storing the thing! It’s so much quicker to grab the steamer and give an item of clothing a quick steam to remove creases, so it’s perfect for those moments when you realise that what you want to wear looks like it’s been crumpled in a ball for the last few weeks.

It is ideal for families and those pesky school uniforms, as well as for those who don’t have the space to store an iron and ironing board. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone like me who has an ironing-phobia as well, using the Propress MINI is much less of a hassle. The only con for me would be the weight of it, as it does make my arm sore after a bit – but the bonus of this is it’s a good arm exercise! It hasn’t quite converted me to steaming everything after it comes out of the wash, but I do now use it to give my clothes a freshen up after they’ve been in the wardrobe or drawer before I wear them. I will certainly be getting rid of my iron now that I have this steamer!

How to use the Propress MINI clothes steamer

This is a further instructional video about how to use the Propress MINI.

Stephanie Spencer is the Deputy Digital Editor of Yours.co.uk. Having worked across a variety of topics, from travel and food to pharmaceuticals, she also has a particular interest in mental health and wellness. She has a house full of pets with two dogs and two cats.