Russell Hobbs Steam Genie Easy Store 26740
Russell hobbs
Freshening Clothes Without an Ironing Board
Wrinkled shirt five minutes before a meeting. A dress pulled straight from a suitcase, creased into a hundred fault lines. A duvet cover fresh off the airer that still looks slept-in. These are the moments a full ironing board and a heavy steam iron were never built for, and they're exactly the gap the Russell Hobbs Steam Genie Easy Store 26740 is designed to fill. This is a handheld garment steamer built around one idea: get from "creased" to "presentable" in under a minute, without hauling out a board, without waiting for a heavy iron to warm through, and without needing a spare cupboard to store it in.
It's not trying to replace your iron for crisp shirt collars or knife-edge trouser creases. It's solving a narrower, more common problem — the last-minute freshen-up, the delicate fabric an iron would scorch, the hanging garment you don't want to unhook. Whether it earns a permanent spot in your laundry cupboard depends on how well it handles that specific job, and that's what the rest of this review digs into.
Design and Build Quality
The Steam Genie's whole physical identity is built around one word: compact. At roughly 800-900 grams unboxed, it's light enough to hold one-handed for extended stretches without your wrist complaining, and the body is shaped to sit naturally in a single grip rather than requiring two hands to steady it. That matters more than it sounds for a steamer, since anything heavy or awkwardly balanced becomes a genuine chore to use on a hanging garment held at arm's length.
Where it really distinguishes itself from typical handheld steamers is the folding hinge. Fold the unit in half, wrap the three-metre power cable around the back, and it clips into a shape roughly the size of a large mug — small enough to slot into a drawer, a suitcase side pocket, or a narrow gap in a cupboard that would never accommodate an upright steamer or a full-size iron and board. Owners consistently single this out as one of the best things about the design: it disappears when you're not using it, instead of permanently colonising a corner of the utility room.
The three-metre cable is generous for a device this size. It's long enough to reach a wardrobe rail or a hanging dress across most rooms without hunting for an extension lead, though because it's corded rather than battery-powered, you are tethered to a socket the entire time you're steaming — worth knowing if you were picturing something you could carry freely around a room.
Core Performance: Heat-Up, Steam Output, and What They Mean Day to Day
Getting Started
The headline performance figure is a 45-second heat-up time, and in practical terms that's fast. Many upright garment steamers ask you to wait a minute or more, and steam irons with larger water reservoirs can take longer still to reach working temperature. Forty-five seconds is close to "plug in, and by the time you've got the garment on a hanger, it's ready" — genuinely useful when the whole point of buying this steamer was to save time before you're out the door.
Steam Output and Steaming Duration
The steamer produces steam at a rate of 20 grams per minute, and delivers a maximum of 8 minutes of continuous vertical steaming per fill. Translated into real-world terms, that's roughly enough steam to work through a couple of hanging garments — a shirt and a light dress, say, or several smaller items like scarves and children's clothes — before you need to top up the water. If your plan is to steam an entire wardrobe's worth of clothing in one sitting, you'll be refilling multiple times; if your use case is "freshen tonight's outfit" or "smooth one dress before I leave," 8 minutes is comfortably enough runway.
It's worth being clear about a limitation baked into the design: this is a vertical-steaming-only device. It's built to work on garments hanging on a rail or door frame, bed linen in place on the mattress, or upholstery on a sofa — not for pressing items flat the way an iron does. If you need sharp, pressed creases in trousers or a crisp collar fold, you'll still want a traditional iron in the cupboard alongside this.
The Water Tank Trade-Off
The compact 0.15-litre water tank is the direct cost of the folding, pocket-sized design, and it's the single most common point of friction owners raise. A tank this size is roughly two-thirds of a cup — light enough to refill in seconds at a tap, but small enough that anyone tackling a big batch of laundry will be back at the sink more than once. For quick, single-garment touch-ups, it's a non-issue. For steaming an entire load of freshly dried washing, treat the small tank as a built-in pit stop rather than a flaw to work around.
A note that matters for longevity: the manufacturer recommends using distilled, purified, or filtered water rather than tap water where possible. Minerals in ordinary tap water can build up inside the heating element over time and gradually reduce performance — a small extra step, but one that will meaningfully extend the appliance's working life if you stick to it.
Key Features Explained
Fabric attachment for delicate and embellished items. The steamer ships with a fabric attachment designed to diffuse and soften the direct steam jet, making it safer to use on beaded, sequinned, or otherwise delicate fabrics that could be damaged by concentrated heat and moisture. Owners who've used it on occasion-wear — bridesmaid dresses, chiffon, lace trim — report it handles these fabrics without issue, which is a genuinely useful safety net if your wardrobe includes anything beyond everyday cottons and synthetics.
Auto shut-off. The unit powers down automatically after a period of inactivity, which is a sensible safeguard against a hot appliance being left switched on and forgotten — particularly reassuring given how easy it is to set a small device like this down mid-task.
Cord-wrap folding storage. Already covered above, but worth restating as a feature in its own right: the fold-and-wrap mechanism is doing real work to make this a genuinely grab-and-stow appliance rather than something you have to find permanent shelf space for.
A stated sanitising function. Russell Hobbs states that the combination of heat and steam from this model is capable of eliminating up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on fabric and hard surfaces within 60 seconds of exposure, based on the brand's own laboratory testing against specific reference pathogens. Treat this as a manufacturer-stated capability rather than an independently verified guarantee, but it does mean the steamer has a secondary life beyond de-creasing — freshening pillows, curtains, and soft furnishings between deeper cleans.
Who This Steamer Is For
This is a strong match if you:
- Want a fast, no-fuss way to freshen hanging clothes, bedding, or curtains without setting up an ironing board
- Regularly deal with delicate, beaded, or embellished fabrics an iron would put at risk
- Have limited storage space and want something that folds away rather than living out permanently
- Mostly need last-minute touch-ups rather than heavy-duty ironing sessions
- Travel reasonably often and want something light and compact to pack
Who Should Look Elsewhere
- Need crisp, pressed creases in trousers, shirt collars, or tablecloths — that job still belongs to a flat iron
- Regularly steam large volumes of laundry in one sitting and would find frequent refills genuinely irritating rather than a minor inconvenience
- Travel by cruise ship, since cruise lines generally prohibit clothing steamers of any brand as a fire-safety measure and will confiscate them at security screening
- Need to use the appliance outside the UK on a different mains voltage, since this model runs on UK mains power only and isn't built for use in regions running a different standard voltage, such as the US
How It Compares to the Wider Steamer Category
Garment steamers broadly split into three tiers, and it helps to know where this one sits before you buy.
| Category | Typical tank size | Heat-up time | Continuous steaming | Portability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact handheld (this category) | 0.1–0.3 litres | Under a minute | 5–10 minutes per fill | Folds small, travel-friendly | Quick touch-ups, delicate fabrics, tight storage |
| Full-size upright steamers | 0.3–1.5 litres | 1–3 minutes | 15–60+ minutes per fill | Bulky, needs dedicated storage space | Heavy-duty sessions, whole-wardrobe steaming |
| Traditional steam irons | Similar small reservoirs, refillable mid-use | Similar or slightly longer | Continuous while plugged in | Needs an ironing board | Crisp, pressed creases; flat fabrics |
Within its own compact-handheld category, the Steam Genie's 20g/min output and 45-second heat-up sit comfortably in line with what buyers should expect from this style of steamer. Its water tank sits toward the smaller end even for this segment, which is the direct trade-off for how small the unit folds down — a genuinely compact handheld steamer and a larger-tanked one are, to some extent, mutually exclusive design goals. If storage space and portability are your priority, this is the right side of that trade-off to be on. If you'd rather refill less often and don't mind the extra bulk, a larger-tanked upright model in the same brand family or elsewhere in the category is worth a look instead.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Honestly
The Strength
The genuine strength here is how well the design commits to its own brief. A steamer that heats in 45 seconds, weighs under a kilogram, and folds down to fit in a drawer is solving the "I need this ready now and I don't want it living on my worktop" problem better than most alternatives in its price range. The fabric attachment is a thoughtful inclusion rather than an afterthought — it genuinely extends what fabrics you can safely treat, and reviewers who've used it on delicate occasion-wear back that up. The three-year guarantee is also worth noting on its own merits: it's longer than the one-to-two-year cover typical of small kitchen and laundry appliances at this end of the market, and it signals a reasonable level of confidence in the build.
The Weakness
The honest weak point is the water tank, and it's a weakness by design rather than a defect — you cannot make a steamer this foldable without also making its reservoir small. For anyone whose steaming needs run to more than a garment or two per session, that means accepting regular trips back to the tap as simply how this device works. A smaller number of owners have also reported occasional water spitting or leaking during use, which is worth being aware of, though it doesn't appear to be the typical experience based on the volume of positive feedback the model has gathered. And because it steams vertically only, it isn't a substitute for an iron if pressed, flat creases are what you actually need — it's a complement to one, not a replacement.
The Verdict
The Russell Hobbs Steam Genie Easy Store 26740 does a narrow job very well: fast, portable, low-fuss de-creasing for hanging clothes, bedding, and delicate fabrics, in a footprint small enough to disappear into a drawer between uses. If that's the gap in your laundry routine — last-minute touch-ups, delicate items an iron can't safely handle, or simply not having room for a full-size steamer — this is a genuinely sound buy, and one that's easy to recommend without hedging.
If your real need is heavy-duty, whole-wardrobe steaming sessions or crisp pressed creases, put your budget toward a larger-tanked upright steamer or a proper steam iron instead, since this model was never built to compete on that ground. Buy it for what it is — a fast, compact freshen-up tool — and it will earn its cupboard space many times over.
What People Say
73 commentsEasy to use, easy to store
This is super lightweight and really handy to have in the cupboard when you only need to freshen up clothes and remove light creasing. I hadn't used a steamer before so I wasn't really sure what to expect but it was really easy to just start using, pop some water in the base and away you go. Its pretty hot and plenty of steam comes out. I used it on a lightly crinkled summer dress and it was wearable in just a couple of minutes. I can see this being really handy for holidays as it folds up and takes up very little space!
Perfect for travelling
I often travel with work, and keeping suits and shirts tidy and wrinkle free is incredibly difficult.
With this I don't have to worry about it though, it works quick and is easy to use, hang up the shirt or whatever you need to iron, and give it a good steaming, ready in minutes (heats up quickly too).
Folds up pretty compact, doesn't weigh much and I forgot to empty the remaining water last time I travelled with it, and no leaks. Solid all round.
Fantastic
Just what I was needing on the run up to the schools doing back! Something quick and easy to do the clothes in the morning rush so easy to unfold and fill up heats up super fast and a brilliant steam output also so easy to hold not to heavy either I have never owned a steamer before but I am a changed women wouldn’t go back to a normal iron now took me literally 2 minutes to do my daughters top this morning
Love it does the job quickly and efficiently
Really good little steamer. Ideal to take on holiday as it folds (just make sure the empty the water tank haha). It steaks most clothes perfectly but of course in heavier materials it can take a bit of time and will not get all of the creases out. Would say it’s a great addition to have alongside an iron for those easier to iron/steam materials but wouldn’t throw your iron away for sure
Fabulous
Fantastic for more delicate fabrics that you can’t iron. Husband’s suit was very creased and the steamer worked brilliantly. Also used it two dresses I bought online and were very creased when they arrived. Steamer worked very well on those. Would recommend this. If you need something a bit more industrial you would be better spending more on that. This is for the home really.
Underwhelming performance
I like the design of this steamer and like that it folds down so it makes it really handy for storing away and perfect for travelling with.
I’m not overly impressed with the performance of it I find that it doesn’t get all the creases out of my clothes and it takes a long time to keep going over and over the same bit. If you like an ironed look I’d say a steamer is not for you.
Not recommended
Bought that with hope of quick refreshing of clothes but steam keeps burning my hand and water leak from tank. Not worth the money. In the past I had cheap steamer for under £15 ( left for my mum, still works after almost 3 years)and was much better than ti's. Argos don't accept return as I selected "not as expected". In this case item should be unused, in sealed box.
Steamer
Found this product so easy to use, just fill it up and turn it on. The product heats up very quickly and leaves no watermarks or iron marks even at hot temperatures. I found it especially good on hard to iron clothing as it removes creases with ease. Only issue i found is it has to be used in an upright position, but it does state that on the instructions.
Excellent
Brilliantly nifty little steamer. Handheld and compact. It has a tuck away bit for the wires and is v easy to use and fill with water. Its foldable and very easy to store because of it. Because of its simplicity it isnt hard to use at all. Great product. It offers a good quick efficient stream that kills bacteria and viral germs on clothes. A must have
surprisingly useful
Great for removing the creases made when you leave clothes in the dryer!
It's not going to give you the same effect as ironing but it removes enough to prevent embarrassment for sure.
Quick and easy to use and folds down nicely.
Spits a bit and the water chamber is a bit fiddly to close.
All in all, really good product for the price point
Compact for storage
Bought this for a present having bought the non compact version - same make for my Mum. These steamers work well according to the recipients and I was amazed how neatly this one folds to store.
It was really handy being able to get both of them from Argos because I got each one quickly and was pleased with the price.
Really disappointing
I bought this steamer to save me getting my iron out jyst for a few garments, but it wasn't as good as I thought. I had the garments hanging but the steamer wouldn't work unless I pulled the material taut or I would need to put it on the ironing board which would defeat the object. Back to ironing for me!8
Russell Hobbs Steamer
Very happy with this only used couple of times and it was good for getting creases out of pleated dresses which are otherwise a nightmare to iron, haven't used it on anything else so far so can't comment. Packed away in suitcase, quick to release steam so so far good buy and price was competitive.
Love it!!
I bought this to take on holiday and I was so pleased I did! No more wringled clothes from the suitcase. It is also very handy at home, quick to heat up and lots of steam which remove creases easily. More convenient than getting the iron and board out if you have one item to do. Love it!
Amazing
I usually just wear wrinkled clothes rather than iron anything but this was an absolute game changer. So easy. I've used it on cotton, linen and jeans with no problems at all. Many people hang the clothes on a door but I lay a towel on the dining table and find this easier.
Handy little steamer.
This handheld steamer is perfect for me. As a busy Mum it’s so much easier to grab this for last minute creases. It’s easy to fill, very quick to heat up and I love that it folds away for storage so takes up minimal space. Ideal for taking on holiday!
Great little steamer
Really happy I bought this little steamer, it is small & compact but gets the job done. Reasonably priced & quick delivery. Water compartment not big so have to refill if doing a few clothes but I only need it for the occasional item so it's perfect.
Very handy product
Lovely and easy to use . removes even the most difficult creases, leaving fabrics smooth and perfectly ironed. The vertical steam function allows you to easily smooth hanging clothes or curtains, which is especially useful for delicate materials.
Steamer
I brought this steamer to take abroad with me but I was disappointed as its didn’t have much power and water comes out of it when you use it. Didn’t take out the creases and stained my clothes I wouldn’t recommend to anyone a waste of money
Comfortable size for the jungle b
I bought this recently and find it very useful. With this one I wish cable was longer. Great features but I think with all steamers you need a standing support to do the steaming otherwise difficult to hold upright and steam with one hand
