Thankfully, today's irons are making this once onerous job easier and quicker to do. Top models heat up quickly and have electronic controls to more accurately hold precise and safe temperature to prevent burning and scorching. They steam without dripping and are easier to use with large, see-through and removable water tanks and retractable cords. 

What to look for when buying an iron

• Ensure the iron is the right size for you. For safer ironing, find one that's comfortable to hold. Check clothing iron and steamer weights in the store to make sure it’s not too heavy. If you want to cover more surface area in a single pass, check for a soleplate that isn’t too small. More holes in the soleplate don't necessarily mean more steam. Do you do a lot of ironing in one session? A larger water tank may come in handy, especially one that's see-through.
• Look for top-performing features. Although it's difficult to pin down steam output, generally, we found that the best performing irons are usually at 1700 to 1800 watts. For frequent fills, a removable water tank comes in handy. Most irons today automatically shut down when tipped or knocked over, so we prefer those that turn off quickly when tipped in any direction, not just on the soleplate. Our Lab experts say a retractable cord helps with storage and an iron with bright digital controls makes it easier to see.
• Buy based on your material and ironing needs. If you iron a lot of linen, heavy cottons or denim, make sure your iron comes with a steam burst and spray feature. If you’re looking to expand beyond clothing, check for a vertical steam feature to smooth out drapes, bed skirts or whatever else you need to iron. Crisp creases and well-pressed dress shirts are harder to achieve with steamers. However, steam ironing stations are good for quilters and people who like the steam feature for large batches of clothing.

How we test the best irons

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab's most recent evaluation of irons, we dedicated a minimum of 10 hours of testing for each iron. For the 15 irons we tested here, we wrinkled, pressed and graded 90 fabric swatches on top of nearly 400 performance and ease of use evaluations, we spent more than 150 hours testing over a hot board to evaluate 15 irons.

When we test irons, we grade 14 aspects, including the amount and rate of steam they produce, the temperatures of the bottom soleplate at various settings, the temperature swings (highs and lows) at each setting and how hot the handle and body get for safety. We time how long the irons take to heat up and we weigh how heavy they are. We assess how easy the controls and sprays are to use, how easy the water tank is to fill and how likely the iron is to tip over if placed on a wobbly board.

Finally, we wrinkle and ball up cotton, linen, wool, nylon and other synthetic fabrics and allow the creases to set overnight. The next day, each swatch is ironed on the appropriate setting and we rate it on a scale of one to five for its smooth appearance using the standard guides that are part of the Textiles industry testing methods. Based on all these factors, these are the best clothing irons you can buy:

You may be familiar with the CHI brand from its hair styling tools, and, thankfully, what CHI has done for hair they are now doing for what you wear. This CHI model not only smoothed tough-to-iron fabrics like linen and heavy cotton superbly, but it also had the most powerful steam burst of any iron in our test.

It's comfortable to hold and use and once you've turned the fabric selection dial, the illuminated display makes it easy to see that you've made the right choice. The water chamber is large and easy to fill, and the retractable cord means it takes up less storage space. We found the scratch-resistant ceramic soleplate especially easy to glide across fabrics. This iron is such a lab favorite that whenever someone comes in to borrow an iron, we hide this one away! 

• Great wrinkle removal
• Retractable cord
• Well-priced

• Takes a bit longer than others to heat up

Even with a small price tag, the Black + Decker Vitessa ICR2020 tied for first place in our wrinkle removal tests. We love that it has six different temperature settings, allowing for a more customized ironing experience, while its nonstick soleplate gives a smooth glide that rarely snags the edges of fabric. Storing this steam iron is as simple as pushing a button thanks to the retractable cord. It took a little longer than others to heat up, but once it picks up steam, it’s hard to put down. Combined with an easy-to-fill water tank, long cord and attachments, it's a powerhouse budget iron.

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