- Value: 19/20
- Aesthetic: 17/20
- Efficiency: 17/10
- Ease of Use: 19/20
- Setup: 15/20
TOTAL: 87/100
Dry cleaning has always been quite the conundrum for me. On the one hand, I want my nicer clothes to stay nice and smell fresh. On the other hand, I don’t have the time—or the cash flow—to run to the cleaners every time I wear my favorite cashmere sweater, silk slip dress or leather pants out on the town. After experiencing some major sticker shock upon my first visit to the cleaners (a $300 bill will do that to you), I’ve fallen into the bad, bad habit of simply making a pile of my used, dry clean-only items until I’m ready to spend a few hundred dollars to get them refreshed. (Which, as you’ve probably already guessed, is few and far between.) The result? After one wear, many of my favorite, most high-quality clothing items sit unworn for months at a time collecting dust in the corner for so long that I sometimes forget I own them. Or at least they did, before I discovered the LG Styler (from $800).
What Is the LG Styler?
The LG Styler is a laundry appliance that’s designed to “refresh” your clothes between cleanings by steaming them to reduce odors and remove allergens and bacteria. It works when clothes are placed on one of two included “moving hangers,” which help to shake out dust, allergens and odors by vibrating throughout the steaming process.
How I Tested the LG Styler
I have been using the LG Styler consistently over the course of a year on just about every delicate, hand-wash and dry clean-only item I own, from real silks and cashmeres to bathing suits and polyurethane pants. I’ve used it on my down-blend coat. The only thing I haven’t tried it with is real leather and fur (though there’s a cleaning setting for those, too).
Before I could use it, however, I had to get it set up. I enlisted my boyfriend to put its drip tray and feet into place, which involved manhandling the awkwardly sized machine in a manner that my 5-foot 2-inch frame was not exactly equipped for. (It also comes with anti-tipping equipment that the company recommends installing.)
I ran into a slight snag when I realized that its cord, which is relatively short, was too far away from an outlet to be plugged in. Since it can’t be plugged into an extension cord (it’s a fire hazard) and everything was already set up, a bit of maneuvering was in order. I highly recommend making sure your cord reaches before you go forth with setup.
From there, it was onto the technical aspects. To access all of the Styler’s Wi-Fi features, which include additional cleaning cycles, energy monitoring and tech support (there’s a smart diagnosis feature that will even tell you what’s wrong should you encounter a problem), you’ll first need to connect it. This process is two-fold: First, you’ll need to connect the appliance on the Styler’s own network from the Wi-Fi settings on your phone, which requires a special password. While there are instructions that tell you how to do this (enter the last four digits of the machine’s auto-generated network name twice), that last word of “twice” is easy to miss (or at least, it was for me on several occasions), resulting in a frustrating battle of wits.
Once I finally figured it out, I was able to move on to the second step and connect it to my home Wi-Fi by entering my regular password (no problems here).
Operation of the machine itself is pretty straightforward. You fill a removable water tank at the base, put your clothes on the hangers, turn on the power button and choose a setting by pushing a button on the touch-screen door. With such a wide variety of dirty clothing to clean, I tried quite a few settings, including the wool/knit cycle for my cashmere, the Wi-Fi-only Air Fresh cycle for my pleather pants as well as the normal and sanitary cycle (that’s the one that removes allergens and germs).
Given my penchant for letting these items pile up, I initially ran this baby nonstop over the course of 24 hours. Much to my surprise, it worked straight through without a single error or issue. I have also used it many times since in a one-and-done scenario (like when I want to get my bathing suit fresh for an upcoming day of use).
In March, I tested the appliance’s durability when I moved it 1,800 miles from Chicago to the Tampa area in a bouncy moving truck POD. Spoiler alert? It handled the transport like a champ.
https://howl.me/cjOHCB2Xg7d
Best Buy
https://howl.me/cjOHCB2Xg7d
LG
$800
$1,200
It (Mostly) Works Like a Charm
While LG does not position its Styler as a dry-cleaning replacement, after experiencing how fresh my items emerge from it, I can confidently say that I do. Not only does it remove stale odors entirely—a cashmere sweater that had been at the bottom of my dirty clothes for roughly six months came out smelling brand new and felt and looked just like it did on the day I bought it.
One by one, I watched as all of my tossed aside silks, pleathers and delicates came out from their turn in the Styler as fresh as a daisy. “But Nicole,” you might be wondering, “How do you know that they’re actually clean?”
Beyond utilizing my own eyes and nose, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) awarded this machine with an asthma and allergy friendly certification in 2018. According to the foundation, fabrics must be cleaned at temperatures of 130 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter to effectively reduce allergens such as dust mites, bacteria and fungi. The LG not only uses steam that’s hot enough to do so, its certification means that it was found to reduce bacteria and fungi by a whopping 99 percent. (A 1993 study found that regular dry-cleaning methods reduced total allergen levels by 70 percent.)
The standards used for AAFA certification also require that the appliance not raise humidity in its environment by more than five percent during use or disperse water contaminated with bacteria and fungi. “We are happy to confirm that LG Styler meets our strict standards,” Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) CEO Dr. John McKeon said in a press release at the time.
What’s more, the LG Styler does it all with regular old steam—no bleach, soaps or other harsh chemicals in sight. That’s a big pro over standard dry-cleaning methods, which often use harsh chemicals, like perchloroethylene (perc), to clean your clothes.
However, the only place the machine lost a few points in the efficiency department for me was in its steaming: I do wish it did a slightly better job of getting out wrinkles on materials such as cottons and linens. While it does remove a good portion of creases, some items could still use a pass under the iron after being refreshed—something I like to avoid at all costs. Still, I’d deem the clothing wrinkle-free enough to be wearable fresh out of the closet.
https://howl.me/cjOHCB2Xg7d
Best Buy
https://howl.me/cjOHCB2Xg7d
LG
$800
$1,200
It Saves You Money in the Long Run
Yes, this appliance is pricey. Depending on which model you go with (I have the SC3W, $899), it can run you up to $1,899 for an iteration with smart technology features. But considering the fact that my average dry-cleaning trip, which typically includes five to seven items, is at least $100, I actually think this is a steal. It comes with a limited ten-year warranty on its compressor, which means you’ll be using for years to come free of charge, as often as you like, on all of your most pricey items to clean. And let me tell you—those savings add up quickly. Roughly nine trips in, this thing would have already paid for itself at its sale price of $900.
If you’re still balking at the expense, you can try out a cheaper version, such as the Everyday Steam Closet ($299) or the CHI hanging garment steamer ($123). While I haven’t tested these items and the ratings for both are few, the first, which folds down for storage, also promises to kill 99 percent of bacteria with its steam. (The second company makes no such claims, leading me to believe its closet may be better suited for wrinkle removal.)
Its Flaws Are Few
Now, for the gripes. My main one? Its size. This thing is absolutely monstrous. (Like, taller than a refrigerator monstrous.) For this, I knocked a few points off its otherwise sleek aesthetic. What’s more, the delivery guy wasn’t allowed to bring it any further than the parking lot. Without the help of my boyfriend (who was less than thrilled at the arrival of my new appliance), I never would have been able to get it inside, let alone lift up its 183 pounds to set up the drip tray that’s supposed to go underneath it. If you need help getting this baby set up, I highly recommend adding the installation service option onto your checkout at LG for an extra $10.
It also requires a relatively open space (it’s 72.75 inches tall by 17.5 inches wide), so you’ll want to plan out where to put it. The door is reversible, which gives you a few more options, but any way you slice it, it’s got an awkward footprint. Currently, mine is (just barely) stuffed into our laundry room.
During use, my only complaint is that a few of my harder-to-hang items tend to shake off the hangers while they’re moving and vibrating around. While they still came out clean, they fell in a pile in the corner, which affected the amount of wrinkles that came out, as well as their drying time.
This problem could easily be solved by using the accompanying Styler shelf ($30), which allows you to better clean items that crease on hangers with steam, such as sweaters, or bulkier things that can’t be hung, like blankets. The kicker? It’s sold separately from the appliance. You’ll also have to buy a third moving hanger with a bar for pants ($20). While neither of these extras are particularly expensive, the fact that they aren’t almost makes it more annoying that they weren’t simply included with the machine.
Finally, the app could definitely be more user-friendly, particularly during setup. It would be far easier to connect the device to your regular Wi-Fi right out of the gate. If it was that frustrating for me, a relatively tech-savvy 37-year-old woman, I can only imagine the struggle that older or less tech-inclined users could have in connecting their own appliances.
The Verdict
The LG Styler steam closet is an absolute dream for a clothes horse like myself, who has a lot of items that need specialty cleaning. (Olivia Palermo is also a fan.) It has its faults, like its size and its complex app, but overall, I’m saving money, have cleaner clothes and a bigger variety of things to wear because of it. My dresses feel fresh, my tops look great and I don’t have to schedule dry-cleaning drop-offs and pickups.
As long as you have a little help to get it in the door, be it professional or otherwise, I’d put it right up there with a dishwasher. Is it absolutely essential? No. But it sure is nice to have.
- Pros: efficiently cleans and sanitizes clothes, saves money over time, easy to operate, no harsh chemicals
- Cons: big and bulky, complex app, several accessories sold separately
- Size: 72.75 inches tall by 17.5 inches wide
- Weight: 183 pounds
Other Steam Closets to Try
Samsung AirDresser
https://howl.me/cj0fM7AyAMZ
1099
Samsung
Buy It
CHI Hanging Steam Closet
https://www.amazon.com/CHI-Steam-Clothing-Steamer-11572/dp/B077GH3NJ7?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pur0e4-20&linkId=89be1f49f0da5c0352cbdc05ed34031c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
123
CHI
Buy It
Everyday Steam Closet
https://everday.co/products/everday-steam-closet
299
Everyday
Buy It
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Nicole Briese is PureWow’s Commerce Director. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Michigan State University and more than 15 years of experience writing and editing shopping content, she has made a career for herself covering her favorite topics: fashion, lifestyle, travel and rock ‘n’ roll. She lives in Florida with her boyfriend and two cats, and she can usually be found stalking hairless animals on the internet. Check out her blog at nicolebjean.com. (You can also follow her on Twitter or Instagram.)
