Compare the Best Steam CleanersNovember 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

The price range of steam cleaners is from $33 to $569 and in total we found prices for 19 steam cleaners. A new steam cleaner costs on average $136 and 80% of steam cleaners are priced between $45 and $246. The most expensive steam cleaner that we found is the VAX S4 at $568, and the cheapest is the Pyle PSTHH05 at only $34.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

Hotpoint steam cleaners range in price from $424 to $424, and the average price of Hotpoint steam cleaners is $424 which is the highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

Kärcher steam cleaners range in price from $246 to $246, and the average price of Kärcher steam cleaners is $246 which is the second highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

VAX steam cleaners range in price from $68 to $568, and the third highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is VAX steam cleaners with an average price of $212.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 32 expert reviews and 2,446 user reviews for steam cleaners and used this data to calculate the average rating for each brand of steam cleaner.

Biggest Steam Cleaner Retailers

We found 25 current offers for steam cleaners from eBay making it the biggest steam cleaner retailer.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

We couldn't see any noticeable trend in the release dates for new steam cleaners over the last 3 years. Five new steam cleaners were released in January 2018 making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. In 2017 most new steam cleaners were released in January as well, with eight new steam cleaners released that month. In September 2016, 14 new steam cleaners were released 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 13% in the first 6 months after release.

A typical new steam cleaner costs on average $136. By waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average $18.

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 Kärcher SC3, which currently retails for $245.80, has the biggest power and is a 1,900W steam cleaner. The Hotpoint VS S15 AAW, which can be purchased for $423.50, 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.

Across the range of 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 steam cleaner with the biggest steam pressure is the Solac PC1500, which is a 5 bar steam pressure steam cleaner and sells for $190.32. The steam cleaner with the smallest steam pressure is the Pyle PSTHH05, which is a 3 bar steam pressure steam cleaner and is on sale for $33.99.

Types

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

Upright is the most frequently found type amongst new steam cleaners. We found 79 steam cleaners that are upright steam cleaners. Portable is the second most popular type amongst new steam cleaners. We found 49 steam cleaners that are portable steam cleaners.

Water Capacities

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

Across the range of steam cleaners, the water capacities range from 0.06L to 5L. The water capacities of most steam cleaners range from 0.3L to 0.5L. The Kärcher SC3, which is priced at $245.80, has the biggest water capacity and is a 1L capacity steam cleaner. The Philips GC351, which is on sale for $89.97, 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. 16 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. 64% of their steam cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.