Compare the Best Steam CleanersSeptember 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

In total we found 23 steam cleaners ranging from $28 to $438. The average price of a new steam cleaner is $121 and the 80% of steam cleaners are priced between $35 and $221. The cheapest steam cleaner that we found is the Pyle PSTMH02 at only $28, and the most expensive is the Polti Vaporetto Smart 100_T at $438.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Price Range

The highest average steam cleaner price out of all brands is Polti steam cleaners with an average price of $300. Polti steam cleaners range in price from $161 to $438.

Solac steam cleaners start at $221 and their most expensive steam cleaner costs $349. The average price of Solac steam cleaners is $285 which is the second highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

VAX steam cleaners range in price from $126 to $174, and the average price of VAX steam cleaners is $150 which is the third highest average price of all steam cleaner brands.

Steam Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 13 expert reviews and 3,206 user reviews for steam cleaners written online and used these reviews 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 21 current steam cleaner offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Target with 5 offers. That means eBay is over 4 times bigger than Target when it comes to steam cleaners. Overstock is the third biggest retailer with 3 current offers.

When Are Most New Steam Cleaners Released?

Over the last 3 years we couldn't see any noticeable trend in the release month for new steam cleaners. Nine new steam cleaners were released in June 2017 making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. In October 2016 15 new steam cleaners were released making it the biggest month that year for new steam cleaner releases. January was the biggest month in 2015 for new steam cleaners, with 16 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 42% on average. That means a saving of $51 on a typical $121 new steam cleaner if you wait 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 Philips GC518, which is available at $104.42, has the biggest power and is a 1,600W steam cleaner. The steam cleaner with the smallest power is the Pyle PSTMH02, which is an 800W steam cleaner and is available at $28.35.

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 bar to 3.4 bar. The Philips GC518, which is priced at $104.42, has the biggest steam pressure and is a 6.5 bar steam pressure steam cleaner. The Polti Vaporetto Smart 100_T, which can be purchased for $437.94, has the smallest steam pressure and is a 3 bar steam pressure steam cleaner.

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 3L. The water capacities of most steam cleaners range from 0.3L to 0.5L. The steam cleaner with the biggest water capacity is the Philips GC518, which is a 1.6L capacity steam cleaner and currently retails for $104.42. The steam cleaner with the smallest water capacity is the Philips GC330, which is a 0.06L capacity steam cleaner and is available at $148.50.

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. 19 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. 90.5% of their steam cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.