Compare the Best Steam CleanersFebruary 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

In total we found 82 steam cleaners ranging from £20 to £510. A new steam cleaner costs on average £114 and 80% of steam cleaners are priced between £30 and £244. The Kärcher SC 5 is the most expensive steam cleaner that we found at £510, and the VAX S4 is the cheapest at only £20.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

Vileda steam cleaners range in price from £349 to £349, and the highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is Vileda steam cleaners with an average price of £349.

Kärcher steam cleaners start at £67 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £510. The average price of Kärcher steam cleaners is £226 which is the second highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

Solac steam cleaners range in price from £177 to £272, and the average price of Solac steam cleaners is £224 which is the third highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 23 expert reviews and 2,304 user reviews for steam cleaners and used this information 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 63 current steam cleaner offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Amazon UK with 29 offers. That means eBay is more than twice as big as Amazon UK when it comes to steam cleaners. AO is the third biggest retailer with 10 current offers.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

Over the last 3 years we couldn't see any clear trend in the release month for new steam cleaners. Last year most new steam cleaners were released in January, with five new steam cleaners released that month. In January 2017, eight new steam cleaners were released making it the biggest month that year as well for new steam cleaner releases. September was the biggest month in 2016 for new steam cleaners, with 14 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 9% in the first 6 months after they wer first released. That means that on a typical steam cleaner costing £114 you could save on average £10 by waiting 6 months before buying.

Powers

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

The powers of steam cleaners range from 550W to 2,450W. The powers of most steam cleaners range from 1,500W to 1,700W. The steam cleaner with the biggest power is the Polti Fav20, which is a 2,450W steam cleaner and is priced at £312.85. The Hotpoint VS S15 AAW, which is on sale for £58.90, has the smallest power and is a 550W steam cleaner.

Steam Pressures

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

Comparing all steam cleaners, the steam pressures range from 1 bar to 7.2 bar. The steam pressures of the majority of steam cleaners range from 3.5 bar to 4 bar. The Black & Decker FSM1615, which sells for £62.00, has the biggest steam pressure and is a 6 bar steam pressure steam cleaner. The VAX S6S, which is on sale for £88.49, has the smallest steam pressure and is a 1 bar steam pressure steam cleaner.

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 Eco Pro 3000, which is a 2L capacity steam cleaner and is priced at £264.99. The steam cleaner with the smallest water capacity is the Philips GC362, which is a 0.07L capacity steam cleaner and currently retails for £52.57.

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. 47 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. 74.6% of their steam cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.