Tired parents, could £29.99 save you 2 hours a week? Lakeland’s foldable steamer takes on creases

School shirts crumple, meetings loom, and the ironing board never fits your life. There’s another way to tame weekday creases.

Priced at £29.99, Lakeland’s foldable steamer aims to swap board-and-iron faff for quick vertical steaming, promising faster turnarounds for families and anyone short on time. It packs into small spaces, tackles clothes while they hang, and claims a calmer morning routine.

For £29.99, you get a compact, foldable steamer that works vertically on clothes, curtains and sheets, plus a 3‑year warranty.

What the £29.99 buys you

This handheld gadget focuses on speed and convenience. It stands around 28cm tall and has a fold‑away head, so it slides into crowded cupboards without a fight. You hang the garment, switch on, and let steam relax the fibres. No board, no clearing the dining table, no wrestling with long cables around chair legs.

The feature list reads like it was designed for real households: a removable water tank for easy refills at the sink, a steam‑lock button for continuous flow so your finger doesn’t ache on the trigger, and auto shut‑off if life distracts you mid‑task. You can use it on hanging clothes as well as curtains and sheets, which means wrinkles around windows and bedding can be softened without stripping anything down.

• Price: £29.99
• Format: handheld, fold‑away head, approx. 28cm tall
• Use: vertical steaming for clothes, curtains and sheets
• Convenience: removable tank, steam‑lock button
• Safety: auto shut‑off
• Peace of mind: 3‑year warranty from Lakeland

No board, no drama

Ironing demands space, time and attention. A steamer thrives in the cracks of your day. That blazer you forgot to press? Hang it on a door, pass the steamer slowly from top to bottom, and you’re passable for a 9am call. School shirts that spent the night in a pile? A minute or two with steam will lift light creasing enough to look presentable at the gates.

Because it works vertically, it also handles those awkward home jobs that irons hate. Curtains can be refreshed where they hang, so you avoid taking rails down. Sheets can be smoothed on the bed to lift sleep creases after you’ve dressed them. The foldable head helps the unit tuck away after use, which matters when storage is already a battle between shoes, games and laundry baskets.

Real‑life speed in the morning rush

Handheld steamers suit quick touch‑ups rather than formal razor‑sharp creases. That’s the trade‑off. But for most weekday outfits, a brisk pass of steam is enough to soften wrinkles and revive drape. The result: fewer “I’ve nothing to wear” panics, and fewer last‑minute scrambles for a board.

Hang, switch on, and sweep downward in slow passes. Steam relaxes fibres so clothes fall back into shape.

Built for busy households

Small design choices matter when you live with constant interruptions. A removable tank means you can refill one‑handed while keeping an eye on a toddler. The steam‑lock switch lets you park your finger and focus on your strokes. Auto shut‑off offers a safety net if you get dragged to the doorbell or a snack request.

Families will also welcome Lakeland’s 3‑year warranty. At this price, a long guarantee signals the device isn’t a throwaway impulse buy but something intended to work week after week.

Small yet practical

At roughly 28cm tall with a folding head, it fits where a full‑size iron and board won’t. It’s handy for flats and house‑shares, and it packs easily for weekends away, weddings or work trips when you need to smarten a shirt on arrival.

What it costs you in time and energy

The appeal is simple: you target only the areas that need help. Many irons draw high wattage and demand long warm‑ups. Handheld steamers typically use less power and heat quickly, so short sessions sting less on the meter. The precise numbers depend on your tariff and how you use it, but the pattern is familiar.

Here’s a rough example. If you usually iron 2 hours a week with a 2kW iron at 28p per kWh, that’s about £1.12 weekly. Trim that to quick steaming for half the time, and you could save around £29 a year. The bigger win is time. Ten weekday shirts that each need a light refresh might take 10–20 minutes with a steamer rather than a full ironing session. That’s time back for homework checks, breakfast, or catching a bus.

Tips to get crisp results

• Hang garments on a sturdy hanger, pull the hem gently to keep fabric taut, and steam in slow downward strokes.
• Keep a small distance between head and fabric to avoid wet spots; let steam do the work rather than pressing hard.
• Test delicate fabrics at a seam first. Some silks and finishes prefer brief, glancing passes.
• Empty the water tank after use and leave the unit to cool before storing.
• In hard‑water areas, consider de‑scaling periodically or using filtered water to limit limescale buildup.
• Keep hot steam away from children and pets. The auto shut‑off helps, but always unplug when you step away.

When an iron still wins

If you want knife‑sharp creases on tailored trousers or to press heavy cotton to a flat finish, a traditional iron remains the better tool. Think of a steamer as the everyday problem‑solver: it freshens fabrics, lifts light wrinkles, and revives shape. For big laundry days or formal outfits, you might still reach for the board.

Three‑year warranty, board‑free operation, and a foldable design make this a practical, low‑stress addition to the cleaning cupboard.

Why this matters right now

Households continue to rebalance time, energy and space. A compact steamer fits that equation. It reduces setup friction, handles more than just clothes, and helps renters or small‑home owners who cannot store big kit. At £29.99, it sits in the impulse‑upgrade bracket but carries a warranty that rewards frequent use.

If you already own a good iron, this isn’t about replacing it. It’s about cutting the number of times you need it. Keep the steamer by the wardrobe, deal with creases before they become chores, and move on with your day. For busy families, that shift turns a dreaded task into a two‑minute fix—and that’s where the hours saved begin to add up.