The Best Steam Cleaners

If your floor is looking a little grungy, a steam cleaner can help. These appliances heat up water past the boiling point, allowing you to push pressurized steam out through a nozzle or brush. As the steam vapors come in contact with dirt or other types of debris, the heat loosens everything up. It also kills dust mites, mold, or other allergens that have been hiding out of sight. When you're done, your floor will be sanitized and oh-so-fresh. And the best part? Steam cleaners aren't just for floors. Depending on the model you get, you can also use them on upholstery, furniture, ceiling fans, and more. With a good quality steam cleaner like the ones below, you'll have your whole house in tip-top shape before you know it.

PurSteam Steam Mop Cleaner 10-in-1

A Clean Sweep

This steam cleaner comes with all of the accessories you need to clean almost everything in your home.
Best Overall

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You’ll be able to quickly clean your home with this powerful steam cleaner from PurSteam. It comes with several different attachments to help you work efficiently, no matter what part of your home you’re tackling. The mop pads and stick-style mop make it simple to steam-clean your floors. Then, you can pop out the handheld steam cleaner and go to town with some of the other accessories. With the window squeegee, you can get your windows to shine. There are several different styles of nozzles to help you clean grout, tile, stainless steel, and more. You really can get your whole house clean with this awesome machine.

You won’t have to wait long to get to work, either. You fill the reservoir with tap water, and in about 30 seconds, the water will be hot enough to produce steam. It holds 340ml of water, which will produce enough steam to last for 20-25 minutes on the low setting. This steam cleaner is the perfect mix of a great price, amazing features, and simplicity.

Pros

  • Kills up to 99.9% of germs without using any harsh chemicals to help keep your home clean and healthy
  • 3 adjustable modes so you get the cleaning power you need
  • Easy to maneuver, you won’t have trouble getting this one around the home
  • Can be used as a garment steamer to give you more bang for your buck

Cons

  • The power cord is a little short, so you may need to frequently unplug and move it as you clean.
  • You’ll need to buy some extra mop pads so you can switch them out as they get dirty. These are washable and reusable which helps, but you can’t clean all of your floors with one or two pads.

Bissell Steam Shot Deluxe Hard Surface Cleaner

Small in Size, Not Cleaning Ability

You won't struggle to drag this small steam cleaner around your house, which makes cleaning even easier.
Best Compact

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Some steam cleaners are heavy and hard to maneuver around your house. You won’t have that trouble with this one. It’s very compact, and only weighs 4 pounds when it’s empty. While you won’t be able to clean your floors with this hand-held cleaner, it is perfect for sanitizing just about everything else. It comes with all of the attachments you need to clean your grout, showers, counters, windows, and more. You’ll be amazed at how much this tiny machine can clean.

When you’re ready to clean something, you add 220 ml of water and give it a few seconds to warm up. Then, you can aim it where you want it and press the trigger. Steam will shoot out and instantly sanitize your chosen target. The steam dries up quickly, and it will leave your house smelling clean and fresh.

Pros

  • Designed for hand-held use, so it can reach hard-to-reach places
  • Long power cord to keep you from constantly moving the plug
  • Comes with eight accessories to help you keep your whole house clean
  • Warm up time is only 30 seconds, so it’s ready to go in less then a minute

Cons

  • It would take too long to use this tiny cleaner on your floors, so you’d need an additional steam cleaner for those.
  • Small tank won’t produce steam for long. You’ll need to refill it for larger jobs.

Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner

Go the Distance

With the large capacity of this steam cleaner, you can clean for up to 50 minutes before the tank runs dry.
Best Heavy Duty

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When you’re cleaning with steam, power helps. This heavy-duty steam cleaner will help you get big jobs done in a jiffy. It produces super-heated steam that’s 275 degrees Fahrenheit. It also features a large-capacity tank that can produce steam for up to 50 minutes before you’ll need to stop and refill it. Translation? You can get a lot cleaned in that amount of time.

For a heavy-duty machine, this one is surprisingly portable and light. You won’t struggle to move this around inside your home. As an added bonus, this steam cleaner comes with an 18-piece accessory kit to help you clean your floor, nooks and crannies, and everything in between. It’s an excellent choice for a heavy-duty steam cleaner.

Pros

  • Large-capacity tank (54 ounces) that turns ordinary tap water into powerful steam
  • Smooth rolling wheels so you can easily maneuver through your home
  • Can use regular towels on the mop portion if desired, which means you won’t have to spend money on replacement pads
  • Able to de-grease your kitchen oven to make cleaning that appliance a breeze

Cons

  • Takes longer to heat up than other models (7 minutes)
  • Cord is not retractable – you’ll need to manually wind it

McCulloch Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner

Extra-Long Reach

Between the extra long power cord and the long steam hose, you'll be able to maneuver this steam cleaner almost anywhere.
Longest Cord

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When you’re steam cleaning, it can be annoying to stop and unplug the machine to position it near a new outlet. With a short cord, that’s something you have to do frequently. But this steam cleaner features a 15.7-foot power cord that can reach a lot further than many other brands. In addition, the steam hose is extra-long as well (9-foot), to give you plenty of reach around your home.

The canister-style tank holds a whopping 48 ounces of water, which will keep producing steam for up to 45 minutes at a time. Once the water is heated up, you have two options for releasing steam: you can use the steam lock switch to provide a continuous stream, or you can push the steam button for a powerful flow of steam on demand. With the 18 included accessories, you’ll be cleaning nearly everything in your home with pure steam.

Pros

  • Storage compartment to help you keep track of your attachments
  • Long power cord and steam hose to reach places that are out of the way
  • Holds enough water to keep you in steam mode for up to 45 minutes, so you won’t waste as much time waiting for the tank to cool so you can refill it

Cons

  • The brushes don’t last long, so you’ll need to replace those over time, especially after really grungy jobs
  • Long heating time (8 minutes)

PurSteam Steam Mop Cleaner 12-in-1

Don't Cut Corners, Clean Them

The head of this steam cleaner features a triangular shape that can reach into the corners with ease.
Best Stick Style

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Stick-style steam cleaners are so easy to move through your home that they make cleaning your floors almost fun. This stick-style steam cleaner is better than most. The head has a unique triangular shape that fits nicely into corners and helps you clean hard-to-reach areas. And, this cleaner features a detachable handheld unit, which greatly improves its versatility. You can use the handheld cleaner to clean and sanitize your appliances, sinks, and furniture.

This steam cleaner comes with multiple accessories to help you clean almost your entire house. The extension rod keeps you from bending over while you’re cleaning, and the nozzle fitting will help you direct steam precisely. You’ll be trying the brushes out on random items just to see how many things you can clean with this awesome machine.

Pros

  • Easy to maneuver, stick-style steam cleaner
  • Can pop out a handheld steam cleaner, which means it cleans a lot more than just floors
  • Produces heat quickly (within 25 seconds)

Cons

  • It’s a little top heavy, which means this unit can fall frequently. If it falls just right, your water reservoir can crack, so you’ll want to take care when putting it away or setting it down while in use.
  • The triangular mop head doesn’t fit easily into tiny spaces (like around the toilet) so you’ll need to use a brush when your mop won’t fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you clean with a steam cleaner?

A better question might be, what can’t you clean with a steam cleaner? Seriously – you will be able to clean nearly every surface of your home with one of these powerful machines. You can use them on floors, kitchen appliances, countertops, faucets, windows, curtains, mattresses, and more. It’s also helpful outside of your home. I’ve seen people use them to clean up their car wheels, wash up their sidewalks, and make their patio furniture look like new. Basically, if it’s grungy and can hold up to some heat and a bit of moisture, you can likely clean it with a steam cleaner.

Does steam cleaning actually clean?

Yes, steam cleaning is an effective way to reduce the germs in your home and keep things clean and sanitized. The steam that comes out is really hot, and the heat will eliminate most germs. It’s a great way to clean your home when you have kids or pets, since you won’t be using any harsh chemicals.

Can I use my tap water?

Not everyone’s tap water is the same. When I tried to use my mineral rich tap water from a well in a steam cleaner, I clogged it within a week. The machine simply couldn’t handle this water. If you have similar water, take the safe route and use distilled water. It’ll be a little bit more of a hassle, but it sure beats destroying the life expectancy of your new steam cleaner.