Compare the Best Steam CleanersApril 2018

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

The price range of steam cleaners is from £20 to £390 and in total we found prices for 91 steam cleaners. The average price of a new steam cleaner is £98 and 80% of steam cleaners are priced between £31 and £233. The cheapest steam cleaner that we found is the VAX S4 at only £20, and the most expensive is the Kärcher SC 5 at £389.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

The highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is Kärcher steam cleaners with an average price of £267. Kärcher steam cleaners range in price from £100 to £389.

The average price of Rowenta steam cleaners is £233 which is the second highest average price of all steam cleaner brands. Rowenta steam cleaners start at £233 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £233.

The average price of Polti steam cleaners is £149 which is the third highest average price of all steam cleaner brands. Polti steam cleaners start at £24 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £311.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 5 expert reviews and 2,305 user reviews for steam cleaners written online and used this information to calculate the average rating for each brand of steam cleaner. The top rated steam cleaner brand is Kärcher with an average rating of 89%. The second best brand is Shark with 87% and the third best brand is Russell Hobbs with 84%.

Biggest Steam Cleaner Retailers

We found 71 current offers for steam cleaners from Amazon UK making it the biggest steam cleaner retailer. That is significantly bigger than the second biggest retailer, eBay for whom we found 59 current offers for steam cleaners. The third biggest retailer is Wellindal with 10 current steam cleaner offers.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

Over the last 3 years we couldn't see any clear pattern in the release month for new steam cleaners. Six new steam cleaners were released in June 2017 making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. September was the biggest month in 2016 for new steam cleaners, with 16 new steam cleaners released that month. The biggest month in 2015 for new steam cleaner releases was January, with 18 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 5% in the first 6 months after they wer first released. On a typical new steam cleaner costing £98, by waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average £5.

Powers

This 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 the majority of steam cleaners range from 1,500W to 1,700W. The PoltiPTGB0041 has the biggest power. This steam cleaner is a 2,250W steam cleaner and can be purchased for £119.99. The PoltiPTGB0041, which currently retails for £84.90, has the smallest power and is a 550W steam cleaner.

Types

Amongst new steam cleaners, the most frequently found type is upright. We found 59 steam cleaners that are upright steam cleaners. The second most popular type amongst new steam cleaners is portable. We found 37 steam cleaners that are portable steam cleaners.

Colours

We found 82 steam cleaners that are steam cleaners that have a White coloured, which makes this the most common colour amongst new steam cleaners. We found 53 steam cleaners that are steam cleaners that have a Black coloured, making this the second most frequently found colour amongst new steam cleaners.

Capacities

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

The capacities of steam cleaners range from 0.06L to 2.5L. The capacities of the majority of steam cleaners range from 0.28L to 0.49L. The Steam OneH10S, which is priced at £119.99, has the biggest capacity and is a 2.5L capacity steam cleaner. The Steam OneH10S, which can be purchased for £33.66, has the smallest capacity and is a 0.06L capacity steam cleaner.

Biggest Steam Cleaner Retailers

We found 71 current offers for steam cleaners from Amazon UK making it the biggest steam cleaner retailer. That is significantly bigger than the second biggest retailer, eBay for whom we found 59 current offers for steam cleaners. The third biggest retailer is Wellindal with 10 current steam cleaner offers.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Steam Cleaners?

Amazon UK most frequently has the cheapest steam cleaner prices (found to be cheapest for 43 steam cleaners).

Proportion of Steam Cleaners for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

The shop that most frequently offered the cheapest price on steam cleaners is Amazon UK and offers the cheapest price on 60.6% of its steam cleaners.