2 million Black & Decker clothing steamers are under recall after dozens of burn injuries

By The Associated Press

Consumer Product Safety Commission

NEW YORK (AP) — About 2 million Black & Decker-branded clothing steamers are now under recall after consumers reported dozens of burn injuries that resulted from hot water spewing out of the devices.

Empower Brands is significantly expanding a previously announced recall of Black & Decker Model HGS011 Easy Garment Steamers, according to a notice posted Thursday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Nearly 520,000 of these steamers were recalled back in November 2022. At the time, a repair remedy was offered — but there have been continued reports of burn injuries involving the repaired units since, the CPSC said. Empower Brands is now recalling another 1.6 million steamers to cover all units of the model, including those that were previously repaired, and offering full refunds instead.

The recalled steamers can spray or leak out hot water during use, posing burn hazards, the product-safety commission said.

To date, Empower Brands has received 317 reports of hot water expelling from the steamers, resulting in 82 burn injury reports, seven of which were second-degree burns. Ninety-four of these incidents —including 19 of the burn injuries — involved repaired units or models that had an updated design, the CPSC said.

The Black & Decker Model HGS011 Easy Garment Steamers were sold in a variety of colors at retailers such as Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and Amazon, as well as the Black & Decker website, between June 2021 through February 2024.

The recalled products can be identified by their label, model number and UPC code — all of which are listed on the CPSC’s notice.

Consumers are instructed to stop using the impacted steamers immediately and contact Empower Brands, a subsidiary of Middleton, Wisconsin-based Spectrum Brands Inc. for a full refund.