Pros:
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Sleek design
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Long reach
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360-degree wheels
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Retractable carrying handle
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Trigger lock
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Built-in funnel
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Great cleaning performance
Cons:
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Expensive
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Nowhere to store the hose
For one of the best steam cleaners that looks as good as it cleans, turn to the Dupray Neat steam cleaner. The all-white, cube unit looks like something designed by Apple, but it’s not just a pretty face. The testing team loved the performance and durability of the Dupray Neat.
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Like our overall best pick, the Neat comes with a lot of attachments including a range of brushes, pads, floor and triangle tools, a squeegee, microfiber towel and bonnet, and two extenders. Paired with the steamer’s superior steam pressure, these attachments made cleaning upholstery, vinyl flooring and curtains easy work. Our testing team really enjoyed pairing the triangular brush with the microfiber bonnet (which felt high-quality) to clean upholstery and other fabrics. The combo dispersed the steam, leaving the fabric without any stains or wet spots. While most of the attachments are great, the Neat’s squeegee isn’t the best. It frequently skipped and got stuck while cleaning a mirror, leaving some streaks.
An area where the Neat excelled, though, was its reach and maneuverability. With a 16-foot cord and 6-foot-6-inch hose, this steamer has the longest reach of any cleaner tested. When you do need to move the unit around, there is a retractable handle at the top to do so. The Neat also has 360-degree wheels that were greatly appreciated by the testers. This steamer can move back and forth, side-to-side and all-around, totally negating the usual tugging and yanking you might experience with other steam cleaners or vacuums.
Dupray’s steam cleaner takes just eight minutes to preheat 54 ounces of water, and has a trigger lock for a continuous flow of steam. When you’re done cleaning, just let the steamer cool and then dump out any remaining water. The Neat doesn’t have a place to store the hose, so you might have to look into some creative storage ideas.
While Neat’s price tag lands the cleaner on the highest end of this list, be sure to watch for steam cleaner sales on Dupray’s website and other online retailers to snag the unit for less. This unit felt solid and durable to our team of testers, but if anything goes wrong, Dupray offers a lifetime warranty on the boiler and a two-year limited warranty on everything else. If you’re really not feeling this steam cleaner after purchasing, you can return it for a refund within 30 days of its delivery, though you may be charged for used brushes and attachments.
Pros:
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Handheld steamer and steam mop
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Can steam carpet
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Two steam settings
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Extremely long cord
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Dial instead of trigger
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Button release for attachments
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Cord management
Cons:
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Not good at cleaning glass
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Awkward fill hole location
The PurSteam 10-in-1 steam mop is fantastic if you’re planning to use your steamer mostly on your floors. In fact, it made our list of the best steam mops. What takes this model to the next level is the detachable handheld steamer to clean fabric, cooktops, counters and windows.
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The steam cleaner has a 12-ounce capacity and two steam levels, high and low. These levels are on a dial, which replaces a trigger to start steaming. The steam will run for 12 minutes on high and 25 minutes on low, so if you’re aiming for high-powered steaming, you may need to refill the tank as you go. The PurSteam also has a crazy-long, 322-inch cord, which is really nice when mopping a large room or open-concept area. When not in use, the mop has an area to wrap the cord and keep it out of the way.
Speaking of mopping, our testing team really liked how the mop head swivels up and down and side-to-side. This feature made the mop glide effortlessly over tile. You could also use the mop to clean carpets and rugs. If you need to take a break to move furniture, simply lock the mop and it’ll stand on its own.
When you want more detailed cleaning, pull out the handheld cleaner and add a nozzle, brush, steamer jet, scraper, squeegee or steamer attachment, and get cleaning. These attachments connect using a button release, which makes it easy to switch from attachment to attachment. The handheld steam cleaner can be used on clothes, drapes, hard surfaces and glass.
While this steam cleaner did a great job cleaning tile and grout, vinyl flooring and curtains, the testing team wasn’t impressed with its glass cleaning abilities. The PurSteam releases a lot of water, which left mirrors with streaks and smears. There was some slight discoloration left over after testing it on coffee-stained upholstery, too.
Our testing team also noted that it was difficult to pour all of the excess water out of the unit because of where the hole is located (the angle of the hole prevents the water from fully draining out). Despite the minor downsides, the PurSteam is still a great value since it’s like getting two steam cleaners in one.
Pros:
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Unique corner tools
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Great cleaning power
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Cord and hose management
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15 attachments, tools and pads included
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Good value
Cons:
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Can’t clean fabric, upholstery or carpet
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Customer service isn’t the best
When you have nooks, crannies and tough-to-reach corners to clean, turn to the Steamfast SF-370 steam cleaner. The canister steam cleaner comes with unique attachments to get wherever you want to clean.
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Those attachments, which include a mop head, scrubber, corner tool with sponge and scrub pads, brass utility brush, two nylon brushes, squeegee, jet nozzle and two microfiber pads, are backed by some serious cleaning power. The Steamfast earned top marks cleaning tile and grout, vinyl floors and even glass—a material many other steamers fall short on. The corner tool is a nice addition, and along with the scrubber and brushes, allows you to clean tight spots.
The unit has an 184-inch cord, 78-inch hose and a 35 ½-inch extension wand, which lets you move pretty freely while cleaning. When not in use, the canister steamer has a cord-wrap system on the back and a spot where the hose handle can lock in.
The only downside to this steam cleaner is that it can’t be used on fabric and upholstery, and thus doesn’t come with any fabric attachments. Despite that, our testing team was still really impressed by this unit and still found it to be a good value, despite only being able to clean hard surfaces. If you’re anticipating using your steamer mostly on carpets and rugs, check out our picks for the best carpet cleaners instead.
What to Look for When Buying a Steam Cleaner
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All steam cleaners use water plus heat to clean and disinfect. But how do you know which one is the best steam cleaner for you? Here are some considerations to keep in mind:
- Intended Use: Where, or for what type of cleaning, do you plan on using your steam cleaner? A handheld steamer is great for cleaning kitchen counters, but not the right choice for floors. And if all you want to do is clean hard floors, you don’t need a steam cleaner with lots of attachments. There are even car steam cleaners that can be dedicated to your garage. Figuring out where you want to use the steamer will help narrow down which steam cleaner types and attachments are best for you.
- Cord Length: Hand-in-hand with your target use is the amount of cord and hose you’ll need. Since steam cleaners use quite a bit of energy, they are all powered with a cord. So, if your home is low on outlets or you want to steam large areas, having a cord that is long enough to reach the areas you want to clean is vitally important. Also, those who will be primarily cleaning floors should skip units with a short hose, and it could get annoying to jerk the steamer with each pass. If you’re looking to do more detailed work or have a plethora of outlets, a super-long cord isn’t as high a priority. Cord too short? Invest in the right extension cord for the job.
- Tank Capacity: Those who will be regularly using their steam cleaner for big projects should aim for a big water tank, while those who are more interested in handheld steamers will want a smaller, lighter tank. The largest tank capacity of the steamers we tested was 54 ounces on the Dupray Neat, while the smallest capacity was 8.5 ounces on the Dirt Devil unit. Keep in mind that the larger the tank capacity, the heavier your steamer will be.
- Ease of Use: When you purchase a cleaning machine, it’s important that it actually cleans. Make sure the steam cleaner you’re considering has the steam power you need for your cleaning projects. Also check that, if the cleaner has wheels, they roll smoothly in the direction(s) you need it to and that they are durable.
- Features and Attachments: Consider the attachments that come with a steam cleaner. Make sure that it comes with attachments you know you’ll utilize for cleaning projects, like small brushes for bathroom grout, a steamer to unwrinkle clothes or a mop attachment for floors. Also, look into how the attachments are joined to the steamer hose: They’ll usually snap, screw or button on.
Beyond attachments, take a look at cord and hose storage ability, carrying handles, heating time, steam settings and attachment storage. Mix and match the attachments and features you’ll most use to find the right steam cleaner for you.
Why You Should Trust Us
Family Handyman has been a trusted source in the home and DIY space for decades. In that time, we’ve covered a huge range of cleaning topics from how to get rid of stains to the right way to clean floors to finding and testing the very best cleaning supplies and machines.
For this piece, our dedicated, in-house product testing team researched and tested 10 steam cleaners to see how well they perform real-life cleaning tasks. Beyond the 40 hours spent testing these units, we’ll also be checking in on our top performers in the coming months and years to see how they hold up over time.
How We Found the Best Steam Cleaners
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Our editors started the hunt by searching the internet for the most popular and highly rated brands and steamers. We then identified 10 steam cleaners to be put through the testing gauntlet.
From there, our product testing team took charge and put these steamers through the gauntlet. First, they examined each product’s packaging, what it came with and how easy it was to assemble and get started. Then, the team performed five cleaning tests: dirty tile and unsealed grout, upholstery with coffee stains, muddy vinyl flooring, curtains and a glass mirror smudged with fingerprints and toothpaste. The performance for each of these tasks, plus the steamer’s ease of use and maneuverability, was given a score out of five.
Next, the testing team evaluated how much water the steamers left behind on the cleaning surface, the units’ measurements and tank capacity, how easy the cleaners were to clean and the value of the steamers in relation to their price.
In all, our testing team spent 40 hours assessing over 300 data points to find you the absolute best steam cleaners available.
FAQ
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How do you use a steam cleaner?
Steam cleaners are really easy to use. For pretty much all units, fill the tank with water and allow the cleaner to heat up. This could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on the tank capacity. Once the water is hot enough, pull the trigger or turn a dial to start the flow of steam. Then you’re ready to clean!
What can you clean with a steam cleaner?
The uses for a steam cleaner are nearly endless. Here are just a few possibilities:
- Kitchen: Use a steamer to clean an oven, your countertops, backsplashes, sink, grill grates and appliances (though it shouldn’t be used inside a cold fridge—the temperature change can cause problems with plastic and glass components).
- Bathroom: Clean and disinfect your bathroom sink, toilet, floors and shower. You can also use a squeegee to clean glass doors on your shower.
- Fabrics: Get stains out of your couches and chairs, unwrinkle your clothes and get your curtains in tip-top shape. If your steamer has the right attachments, you can also steam clean rugs and carpets.
- Floors: Linoleum, vinyl and tile floors are great candidates for steam cleaning. However, there are some types of floors you don’t want to steam clean. These include hardwood and laminate flooring. Steam cleaning can cause these floors to warp or peel. If you’re unsure if a steam cleaner can be used on your flooring, check with the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Car: Steam cleaners can be used to detail your car from cupholders and cloth seats to flooring, trunk and wheels!
- Mattress: Believe it or not, a steam cleaner can help get rid of bed bugs.
Can you add cleaning solution to a steam cleaner?
Don’t be tempted to add a cleaning solution to your steamer to boost its cleaning abilities. Not only can it damage the machine but it can also be bad for your health.