There's nothing worse than finally unpacking to find that all your clothes for the trip have become creased in your suitcase! Since not all hotels will have an iron or dry cleaning services available, packing a travel iron in your hand luggage is the perfect solution to keep you looking sharp on the road.
This article will help you understand all the key elements of a great mini iron, such as the ideal wattage, temperature range and water tank capacity for steaming garments. Plus, we've compiled a list of the 10 best lightweight travel irons currently available from UK retailers such as Amazon, Argos and John Lewis.
For more power and faster heating, you should look for a device with as high a wattage as possible. A standard household iron is around 1100 watts, so this is a good number to aim for if you want a travel iron that works as effectively as a full-sized one.
In general, though, most travel irons are much smaller and less powerful. While this is fine for temporary use, we recommend selecting one with a wattage of at least 400 W to ensure that you can keep your clothes crumple-free on your trip.
Cut down on chores while you travel with one of these non-iron shirts.
Much like wattage, the maximum temperature on a travel iron won't necessarily need to be as high as a full-sized model. Since your clothes should only be prone to minor creases from packing, aiming for a maximum temperature of around 140°C should be enough to cover most of your travel needs.
However, with such a wide range of fabrics on the market, one heat setting won't always be suitable for all garments. For particularly tough creases in clothes made from cotton, linen or rayon, your iron will need to reach 190-230°C.
If you prefer an iron with a steaming setting, you will need to look out for a product with a water tank. The water tank on a full-sized iron tends to be around 300 ml, but travel-sized options can't normally accommodate such large tanks.
To steam iron a few garments at a time, a water tank of around 80 ml should be sufficient. However, if you plan to use the steam setting a lot, look for a larger tank that can hold 100-150 ml as this will save you repeated trips to the sink to fill up!
Try a clothes steamer for low-maintenance crease management.
If you're only using carry-on luggage or you have limited space in your suitcase, you should check the dimensions and weight of the iron before purchasing. Anything up to 700 g won't be too cumbersome and will be sturdy as well as lightweight. Irons in the 1-2 kg range tend to be tougher and less prone to damage but may cause you to go over your baggage limit.
One aspect you won't want to cut back on is the cord length — in fact, the cord should be as long as possible if you want to make ironing on the go convenient and avoid having to sit right by the plug socket. Cords measuring at least 1 metre will be suitable for most environments but 2 metres will be even handier.
Keep your favourite garments looking presentable with a fabric shaver!
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() Duronic | 2 ![]() ANSIO | 3 ![]() Steamworks | 4 ![]() Shoze | 5 ![]() Russell Hobbs | 6 ![]() Swan | 7 ![]() Cosicosy | 8 ![]() Prym | 9 ![]() Go Travel | 10 ![]() Quest |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | 2-in-1 Vertical Travel Steam Iron | Travel Iron | Travel Iron | Household Travel Iron | Steam Glide Travel Iron | Compact Steam Travel Iron | Travel Iron Handheld Garment Steamer | Mini Steam Iron | Mini Garment Iron | Travel Steam Iron |
Features | A 2-In-1 Flat Iron and Steamer With a High Wattage and Wide Range of Temperatures | Reaches 230°C to Tackle Tough Creases on Various Fabrics | A Reliable Travel Iron With Variable Temperature and Humidity Controls | Allows You to Brush Fabrics While You Iron | Offers Impressive Functions at a Bargain Price | Steam Multiple Garments With a 100 ml Tank | Steam for up to 10 Minutes With a 150 ml Water Tank | The Smallest Option on Our List, Weighing Just 280 g | Features a Dual Voltage Cord for Use in the UK and Abroad | A 750W Device That Will Power Up Quickly While Conserving Energy |
Price | £39.99 | £29.97 | £13.50 | £16.99 | £11.99 | £18.00 | £36.99 | £29.60 | £29.99 | £23.99 |
Wattage | 1200 W | 408 W | 1000 W | 1000 W | 760 W | 900 W | 1000 W | 403 W | 800 W | 750 W |
Temperature Range | 90 - 180°C | Up to 230°C | - | Up to 160°C | - | - | Up to 140°C | - | - | - |
Water Capacity | 90 ml | 40 ml | 70 ml | - | 80 ml | 100 ml | 150 ml | - | 85 ml | - |
Dimensions | 17.7 x 10 x 7.5 cm | 13.5 x 7.6 x 7.9 cm | - | 33 x 7 x 6 cm | 21.6 x 11.6 x 11.2 cm | 8.3 x 16.7 x 9.8 cm | 21.3 x 18.1 x 14.2 cm | 13 x 8 cm | - | 14 x 20 x 6 cm |
Weight | 1.15 kg | 595 g | 700 g | 660 g | 780 g | 500 g | 1.09 kg | 280 g | - | 600 g |
Cord Length | 2 m | 1.9 m | 1.91 m | 1.4 m | 1.5 m | 2 m | 1.8 m | 2 m | 1.8 m | - |
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This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£39.99
Wattage | 1200 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | 90 - 180°C |
Water Capacity | 90 ml |
Dimensions | 17.7 x 10 x 7.5 cm |
Weight | 1.15 kg |
Cord Length | 2 m |
£29.97
Wattage | 408 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | Up to 230°C |
Water Capacity | 40 ml |
Dimensions | 13.5 x 7.6 x 7.9 cm |
Weight | 595 g |
Cord Length | 1.9 m |
ES143
£13.50
Wattage | 1000 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | - |
Water Capacity | 70 ml |
Dimensions | - |
Weight | 700 g |
Cord Length | 1.91 m |
£16.99
Wattage | 1000 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | Up to 160°C |
Water Capacity | - |
Dimensions | 33 x 7 x 6 cm |
Weight | 660 g |
Cord Length | 1.4 m |
£11.99
Wattage | 760 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | - |
Water Capacity | 80 ml |
Dimensions | 21.6 x 11.6 x 11.2 cm |
Weight | 780 g |
Cord Length | 1.5 m |
SI3070N
£18.00
Wattage | 900 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | - |
Water Capacity | 100 ml |
Dimensions | 8.3 x 16.7 x 9.8 cm |
Weight | 500 g |
Cord Length | 2 m |
£36.99
Wattage | 1000 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | Up to 140°C |
Water Capacity | 150 ml |
Dimensions | 21.3 x 18.1 x 14.2 cm |
Weight | 1.09 kg |
Cord Length | 1.8 m |
£29.60
Wattage | 403 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | - |
Water Capacity | - |
Dimensions | 13 x 8 cm |
Weight | 280 g |
Cord Length | 2 m |
£29.99
Wattage | 800 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | - |
Water Capacity | 85 ml |
Dimensions | - |
Weight | - |
Cord Length | 1.8 m |
£23.99
Wattage | 750 W |
---|---|
Temperature Range | - |
Water Capacity | - |
Dimensions | 14 x 20 x 6 cm |
Weight | 600 g |
Cord Length | - |
Written and researched by Alicia Byrne
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