Half a Million Black & Decker Garment Steamers Recalled Following Burn Reports

Following hundreds of reported problems where scalding hot water was expelled, sprayed or leaked from Black & Decker garment steamers, a recall has been issued for more than a half million of the hand-held steamers used for clothes.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the Black & Decker Garment Steamer recall on November 3, warning consumers who use the steamer may experience severe burns.

The recall comes after Empower Brands received more than 200 reports involving hot water spewing from the steamers for clothes, including 32 incidents where consumers suffered a burn injury, two of which were second-degree burns.

The Black & Decker recall affects the “Easy Garment Steamers” model series HGS011. The model number is located on the plug blades and the steamers were sold in a variety of colors. Black & Decker is printed at the base of the steamer. The steamer measures roughly 11 inches high by 6 inches wide and has a large handle.

The model numbers are printed on the bottom of the steamer and on all sides of the color package. UPC Codes are printed on the sides, back, and bottom of the color package.

Only steamers without a green dot on the bottom of the color package or a notched triangle on the underside of its upper assembly are included in this recall. Easy Garment Steamer model series, date codes, and UPC numbers involved are included in the recall notice.

The recall involves more than 518,000 Black & Decker steamers manufactured by Empower Brands. The steamers were imported by Spectrum Brands, Inc. of Middleton, WI, owner of subsidiary Empower Brands, LLC and were manufactured in China.

The Black & Decker steamers were sold at Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and other stores nationwide. They were also sold at online retailers such as walmart.com, target.com, bedbathandbeyond.com, and blackanddeckerappliances.com from June 2021 through September 2022. The steamers were sold for $16 to $23.

The CPSC recommends consumers who own the recalled Black & Decker Easy Garment steamers immediately stop using them and contact Empower Brands to receive a free replacement for the upper assembly for the steamer.

Consumers who own the steamers can contact Empower Brands for a free replacement for the upper assembly. For questions or more information about the recall, contact Empower Brands at 800-990-5298.