Compare the Best Steam CleanersMay 2021

A steam cleaner is a specialised floor cleaning machine - it heats up water to produce jets of steam, which is then used to clean floors,curtains or upholstery at very high pressure. The mixture of the very hot steam and the high pressure mean that it is far more effective than a vacuum cleaner for shifting stains and dirt from floors and carpets - think of it as a super-powered version of a standard mop and bucket! There are 3 main types of steam cleaner - upright, cylinder and portable:

Water Capacity

Steam cleaners have an onboard water tank that is used to generate the steam used for cleaning. The capacity of these tanks can vary considerably - from small 0.2L handheld tanks, to enormous 2L tanks in the bigger models. The larger the water tank, the more steam can be generated before the machine needs to be refilled. This means larger machines can be used for longer at a time, and so are more efficient for larger cleaning jobs or extended use.

Steam Pressure

Steam cleaners have a pressure rating, measured in 'bars'. The higher the pressure rating, the stronger the steam will be 'pushed' against the floor or carpet. This leads to more effective, deeper cleans, meaning your carpets get cleaner, faster! We have models with pressure ratings from 1 to 5 bars.

Included Accessories

Finally, many steam cleaners come equipped with a range of different nozzles, brushes and accessories to help with different cleaning scenarios. Be aware that some of the extra accessories may come with an additional cost, but the increased utility is usually worth it. Things to look for include:

Steam Cleaner Prices

Steam cleaners range in price from £21 to £699 and in total we found prices for 72 steam cleaners. On average, a new steam cleaner costs £135 and 80% of steam cleaners are priced between £34 and £313. The Polti FAV80 is the most expensive steam cleaner that we found at £699, and the Tower T134000 is the cheapest at only £22.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

Kärcher steam cleaners start at £51 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £658. The average price of Kärcher steam cleaners is £305 which is the highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

The average price of Rowenta steam cleaners is £244 which is the second highest average price of all steam cleaner brands. Rowenta steam cleaners range in price from £244 to £244.

Polti steam cleaners range in price from £22 to £699, and the average price of Polti steam cleaners is £200 which is the third highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 22 expert reviews and 2,578 user reviews for steam cleaners and used these reviews to determine the average rating for each brand of steam cleaner.

Biggest Steam Cleaner Retailers

The biggest steam cleaner retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 46 current steam cleaner offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Freenet Electrical with 14 offers. That means eBay is over 3 times bigger than Freenet Electrical when it comes to steam cleaners. AO Business is the third biggest retailer with 11 current offers.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

Most new steam cleaners tend to be released between March and May. That means that most of the latest steam cleaner technology was released in within the last 3 months, and now is good time to buy. In May 2020, three new steam cleaners were released making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. In 2019 most new steam cleaners were released in March, with three new steam cleaners released that month. April was the biggest month in 2018 for new steam cleaners, with four new steam cleaners released that month.

How Fast Do Steam Cleaner Prices Drop After Release?

New steam cleaners drop in price by an average of 10% in the first 6 months after they were first released.

A typical new steam cleaner costs on average £135. By waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average £13.

Powers

'Power' measures the power level of the steam cleaner, rated in watts.

Comparing all steam cleaners, the powers range from 550W to 2,450W. The powers of the majority of steam cleaners range from 1,500W to 1,700W. The steam cleaner with the biggest power is the Polti FAV80, which is a 2,450W steam cleaner and sells for £699.00. The Pyle PSTMH15, which can be purchased for £50.39, has the smallest power and is a 900W steam cleaner.

Steam Pressures

'Steam Pressure' denotes the maximum steam pressure that the steam cleaner can achieve.

The steam pressures of steam cleaners range from 0.8 bar to 7.2 bar. The steam pressures of most steam cleaners range from 2.5 bar to 3.5 bar. The steam cleaner with the biggest steam pressure is the Polti FAV80, which is a 6 bar steam pressure steam cleaner and currently retails for £699.00. The Russell Hobbs RHDSM4001, which is priced at £79.99, has the smallest steam pressure and is a 0.8 bar steam pressure steam cleaner.

Types

The type of steam cleaner is a reflection of it's case design - each design has both benefits and drawbacks.

Upright is the most popular type amongst new steam cleaners. We found 83 steam cleaners that are upright steam cleaners. Portable is the second most popular type amongst new steam cleaners. We found 57 steam cleaners that are portable steam cleaners.

Water Capacities

The capacity of a steam cleaner measures how much water it can store at once.

Across the range of steam cleaners, the water capacities range from 0.06L to 5L. The water capacities of the majority of steam cleaners range from 0.3L to 0.5L. The Polti Vaporetto Smart 100, which is on sale for £164.94, has the biggest water capacity and is a 2L capacity steam cleaner. The steam cleaner with the smallest water capacity is the Philips GC36280, which is a 0.07L capacity steam cleaner and currently retails for £72.11.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Steam Cleaners?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying steam cleaners. For each retailer it shows the total number of steam cleaners where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying steam cleaners. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 33 of their steam cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Steam Cleaners for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for steam cleaners by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of steam cleaner prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's steam cleaner prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 71.7% of their steam cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.