Compare the Best Steam CleanersFebruary 2020

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

In total we found 59 steam cleaners ranging from £21 to £490. A new steam cleaner costs on average £100 and 80% of steam cleaners are priced between £29 and £200. The most expensive steam cleaner that we found is the Kärcher SC5 at £490, and the cheapest is the Dirt Devil Versa at only £21.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

The highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is Kärcher steam cleaners with an average price of £224. Kärcher steam cleaners start at £86 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs £490.

The average price of Polti steam cleaners is £138 which is the second highest average price of all steam cleaner brands. Polti steam cleaners range in price from £50 to £350.

The third highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is VAX steam cleaners with an average price of £121. VAX steam cleaners range in price from £40 to £443.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 25 expert reviews and 2,326 user reviews for steam cleaners and used these reviews to calculate the average rating for each brand of steam cleaner.

Biggest Steam Cleaner Retailers

We found 43 current offers for steam cleaners from eBay making it the biggest steam cleaner retailer. That is over 3 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Amazon UK for whom we found 13 current offers for steam cleaners. The third biggest retailer is Appliances Direct with 6 current steam cleaner offers.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

Over the last 3 years we couldn't see any obvious pattern in the release month for new steam cleaners. Two new steam cleaners were released in January 2019 making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. January was also the biggest month in 2018 for new steam cleaners, with four 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.

How Fast Do Steam Cleaner Prices Drop After Release?

On average, in the first 6 months after release, steam cleaners drop in price by 4%.

That means a saving of £4 on a typical £100 new steam cleaner if you wait 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 Kärcher SC5, which is priced at £489.99, has the biggest power and is a 2,200W steam cleaner. The Ariete 4139, which can be purchased for £39.99, 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 1 bar to 7.2 bar. The steam pressures of the majority of steam cleaners range from 3.5 bar to 4 bar. The Shark S6003UK, which is priced at £90.00, has the biggest steam pressure and is a 5 bar steam pressure steam cleaner. The steam cleaner with the smallest steam pressure is the VAX S6S, which is a 1 bar steam pressure steam cleaner and is on sale for £99.00.

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 popular type is upright. We found 79 steam cleaners that are upright steam cleaners. Portable is the second most frequently found type amongst new steam cleaners. 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.

The water capacities of steam cleaners 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 currently retails for £199.99. The Philips GC36280, which sells for £61.37, 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. 18 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. 41.9% of their steam cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.