Compare the Best Steam CleanersJuly 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

We currently list 77 steam cleaners ranging from £20 to £699. On average, a new steam cleaner costs £140 and 80% of steam cleaners are priced between £36 and £310. The most expensive steam cleaner that we found is the Polti FAV80 at £699, and the cheapest is the Dirt Devil Versa at only £20.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

Rowenta steam cleaners range in price from £291 to £291, and the highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is Rowenta steam cleaners with an average price of £291.

Kärcher steam cleaners range in price from £39 to £672, and the average price of Kärcher steam cleaners is £281 which is the second highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

Solac steam cleaners start at £214 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £214. The average price of Solac steam cleaners is £214 which is the third highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 24 expert reviews and 3,157 user reviews for steam cleaners and used these reviews to determine the average rating for each brand of steam cleaner.

Biggest Steam Cleaner Retailers

We found 49 current offers for steam cleaners from Amazon UK making it the biggest steam cleaner retailer. That is slightly bigger than the second biggest retailer, eBay for whom we found 46 current offers for steam cleaners. The third biggest retailer is AO Business with 12 current steam cleaner offers.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

March to May is the most common period for new steam cleaners to be released in. In May 2020, three new steam cleaners were released making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. Three new steam cleaners were released in March 2019 making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. The biggest month in 2018 for new steam cleaner releases was April, with four new steam cleaners released that month.

How Fast Do Steam Cleaner Prices Drop After Release?

In the first 6 months after release, steam cleaners drop in price by 8% on average.

That means that on a typical steam cleaner costing £140 you could save on average £11 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 the majority of steam cleaners range from 1,500W to 1,700W. The steam cleaner with the biggest power is the Polti FAV30, which is a 2,450W steam cleaner and is priced at £406.99. The Pyle PSTMH15, which is on sale for £50.48, 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 Polti FAV80, which is on sale for £699.00, has the biggest steam pressure and is a 6 bar steam pressure steam cleaner. The Russell Hobbs RHDSM4001, which can be purchased for £66.99, 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.

Amongst new steam cleaners, the most popular type is upright. We found 83 steam cleaners that are upright steam cleaners. We found 57 steam cleaners that are portable steam cleaners, making this the second most frequently found type amongst new steam cleaners.

Water Capacities

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

The water capacities of steam cleaners range from 0.06L to 5L. The water capacities of most steam cleaners range from 0.3L to 0.5L. The Polti PVEU0075, which is on sale for £599.87, has the biggest water capacity and is a 3L capacity steam cleaner. The Philips GC362, which currently retails for £69.24, 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. 30 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. 65.2% of their steam cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.