I replaced my iron with another gadget and now I will never go back

I am not keen on ironing, it often feels like a pointless task after wearing the item of clothing for 10 minutes and already adding new creases to it.

I try to keep ironing to a minimum but there are some clothes you just have to press. Until now…

When I was sent a Philips 3000 Series Handheld Steamer, I didn’t think it could really be a rival to the precision of the iron but not only did it get rid of creases in my clothes in seconds, it was also fun to use - although I realise it is probably the initial novelty of it.

The Philips 3000 Series Handheld Steamer, currently priced at £39.99 at John Lewis, promises to refresh and remove odours, kill bacteria and de-wrinkle clothing in seconds. It has more than a thousand positive reviews on Amazon, where it is priced at £34.99.

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The first time I used it was when I was getting ready to go out for dinner one evening and noticed my dress had a number of creases in it. It was very simple to use and after filling up the water compartment and plugging it in, it was ready to go.

The steamer made light work of the creases, quickly passing over the dress and smoothing the material. I was impressed by how the dress did not feel damp at all and it was done and ready to wear in less than five minutes and I hadn’t even got the ironing board out.

Obviously, the steam is hot and the steamer head is not, so take care, but if you are holding it from the handle it shouldn't be a problem. It is also advised that you do not put fragranced water in the steamer, which is something you can do with an iron as it can damage the product but this is an option that I would love to see in the future.

The only thing is that after turning it off it takes a while for the left over water to cool down leading to a number of what I have come to call “burps” but the first time this happened I nearly jumped out of my skin thinking some Studio Ghibli ‘No Face’ spirit had come into the house - this is a niche but apt reference, sorry.

It was great at getting my son's school shirts ready for the week, I didn't even hang them up, just lay them down and passed the steamer over them and the wrinkles were gone in less than a minute. This meant I wasn't faffing around with where to position myself with a clunky ironing board that I had to get out and put back again, it was literally plug-in and go and saved me so much time.

It also came in very handy when my sister-in-law needed a steamer for her daughter's bridesmaid dress. Placing it in the storage pouch, it fit nicely into a suitcase and was perfect for the delicate fabric of the dress, something an iron simply couldn't do.

The sleek, but cute design is compact and makes it handy for travel and you don’t have to worry about ironing boards. If you are looking for sharp creases in your shirts and trousers, an iron is definitely what you need, but for a quick fresh of clothes that have been in the wardrobe or smoothing out difficult to iron materials, this steamer is a game-changer.

I have seen you can steam curtains and bedsheets - so if you want me, I will be giving my curtains a refresh.

You can get the Philips 3000 Series Handheld Steamer at John Lewis for £39.99 but they also sell the Philips 1000 Series steamer for £31.99. Or Argos sell the Russell Hobbs Steam Genie for £28.