Compare the Best Steam CleanersAugust 2019

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:

Upright

These steam cleaners look like traditional vacuum cleaners, with a handle on top, the steam generator built into the main body, and a flat cleaning head on the bottom. The design makes it easy to clean large areas of floor at once, though the all-in-one design means that it's far more bulky for cleaning upholstery and curtains.

Cylinder

This particular make of steam cleaner has a separate section (usually on wheels) for the steam generator and power, then a nozzle and cleaning head extending from the base. Unlike the upright design, the nozzle is free-moving and very flexible. This means cylinder cleaners are extremely versatile - they can be used on floors, upholstery and curtains with equal ease. However they do tend to be the more expensive option.

Portable

As the name suggests, these steam cleaners are smaller and handheld. Because of the lack of size, they aren't designed for cleaning floors or carpets - instead these devices are meant for cleaning upholstery or curtains. Their handheld size makes them extremely flexible and can reach awkward corners with ease, but their size comes with a tradeoff in power and water capacity, so are nowhere near as effective as their larger brothers.

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

We currently list 67 steam cleaners ranging from £24 to £500. A new steam cleaner costs on average £112 and 80% of steam cleaners are priced between £36 and £250. The Kärcher SC5 Steam Cleaner is the most expensive steam cleaner that we found at £500, and the Ariete Vapori Jet 4132 is the cheapest at only £25.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

T-Fal steam cleaners start at £290 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £290. The highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is T-Fal steam cleaners with an average price of £290.

Kärcher steam cleaners start at £86 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £500. The second highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is Kärcher steam cleaners with an average price of £256.

The average price of Rowenta steam cleaners is £220 which is the third highest average price of all steam cleaner brands. Rowenta steam cleaners start at £191 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £250.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 32 expert reviews and 2,316 user reviews for steam cleaners and used this information to evaluate 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 53 current steam cleaner offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Amazon UK with 31 offers. That means eBay is much bigger than Amazon UK when it comes to steam cleaners. John Lewis is the third biggest retailer with 7 current offers.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

We couldn't see any obvious trend in the release dates for new steam cleaners over the last 3 years. January was the biggest month in 2018 for new steam cleaners, with five new steam cleaners released that month. Also the biggest month in 2017 for new steam cleaner releases was January, with eight new steam cleaners released that month. 14 new steam cleaners were released in September 2016 making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases.

How Fast Do Steam Cleaner Prices Drop After Release?

On average steam cleaners drop in price by 10% in the first 6 months after release.

If you are prepared to wait then you could save an average of £11 on a typical £112 new steam cleaner by waiting 6 months before buying.

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 most steam cleaners range from 1,500W to 1,700W. The Polti FAV20, which can be purchased for £324.02, has the biggest power and is a 2,450W steam cleaner. The steam cleaner with the smallest power is the Hotpoint VSS15AAWUK, which is a 550W steam cleaner and is available at £49.90.

Steam Pressures

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

Across the range of steam cleaners, the steam pressures range from 1 bar to 7.2 bar. The steam pressures of most steam cleaners range from 3.5 bar to 4 bar. The steam cleaner with the biggest steam pressure is the Black & Decker FSM1615GB, which is a 6 bar steam pressure steam cleaner and is available at £72.61. The steam cleaner with the smallest steam pressure is the VAX S6S, which is a 1 bar steam pressure steam cleaner and is available at £84.00.

Types

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

Amongst new steam cleaners, the most frequently found type is upright. We found 78 steam cleaners that are upright steam cleaners. The second most popular type amongst new steam cleaners is portable. We found 48 steam cleaners that are portable steam cleaners.

Water Capacities

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

Comparing all 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 steam cleaner with the biggest water capacity is the Polti Vaporetto Smart 100, which is a 2L capacity steam cleaner and sells for £189.81. The Philips GC362, which is on sale for £59.99, has the smallest water capacity and is a 0.07L capacity steam cleaner.

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. 38 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.