Updated on Sep. 26, 2024
The best steam cleaners remove everything from ground-in dirt in your bathroom to the most stubborn wrinkles in your clothes. Check out our top-picks before you add to cart.
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Steam cleaners are truly an underrated small appliance. This tool is one of the most effective ways to clean your house: It can blast through stuck-on food and grease on your cooktop, give you a streak-free shine on your windows and even help you remove wallpaper. Steam cleaners can also help remove stains from upholstered furniture and carpets, and unwrinkle your clothes. There’s practically no limit to the ways you can use a steam cleaner.
Since this multi-use tool has such a wide range of uses, it’s important to get the best steam cleaner for you. Rather than scouring through pages and pages of retail websites, the editors at Family Handyman have tested and reviewed the most popular steam cleaners on the market to find which ones are worth investing in. Keep reading to find the team’s top picks for the best steam cleaner the year.
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Our testing team’s choice for the best steam cleaner overall is Wagner’s Spraytech steam cleaner. The 925e unit is a cleaning monster: From tile and unsealed grout to muddy vinyl flooring to crinkled curtains and fingerprint-laden windows, the Spraytech can clean it all. Our testers were especially impressed with the steamer’s ability to remove coffee from upholstery in 15 seconds flat.
This model comes with 20 tools and attachments to make all types of cleaning a breeze. The unique triangle shape of the mop attachment is nimble for edge-to-edge floor cleaning and has a low clearance to fit under cabinet doors and furniture. Plus, between the 19-inch cord and 77-inch hose, there are few places the cleaner can’t reach.
The steamer also comes with several brass and nylon utility brushes that can get into those tough-to-reach spots around your kitchen and bathroom. Our testers appreciated that the attachments could be stored in the steamer’s front compartment, saving you from having to reuse a plastic grocery bag as a storage bag.
The Spraytech 925e is also incredibly easy to use, even if you’re unfamiliar with steam cleaners. Just fill the unit with water, snap on the attachment of your choice, allow the water to heat for nine minutes and press the trigger to start steaming. While steaming, you can lock the trigger, saving your finger from the strain of squeezing during the entire cleaning. You can change the attachment you’re using without turning the machine off—just be careful of the hot steam!
The cleaning power, versatility, reach and value of Wagner’s Spraytech 925e made it the clear choice for the best steam cleaner for indoor and outdoor cleaning.
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At just a little over 40 bucks, you can’t get a quality steam cleaner for much less than the Dirt Devil’s 7-in-1 handheld steamer. The compact, handheld steamer weighs just 3.7 pounds when filled, and has a 198-inch power cord and 22-inch hose, making it easy to reach awkward spots and angles, even without an outlet nearby.
As you might have guessed from the product title, Dirt Devil’s handheld steamer’s various attachments allow for multiple uses. The steamer comes with a cloth wrap for upholstering steaming, a wide, linen steamer with a snap-on squeegee attachment, as well as multiple brushes and nozzles. Since most of the attachments are solid plastic, the steamer itself doesn’t require much cleaning. Just brush out any debris from the brush attachments and toss the cloth wrap in the washing machine. And when you’re done steaming, all you have to do is let the unit cool and pour out the water.
Given the low price, there are also some downsides to this steam cleaner. Mainly, the cleaning performance is inconsistent. The Dirt Devil was great at getting wrinkles out of curtains and didn’t leave a ton of excess water on the fabric. The squeegee attachment is very wide, which our testers liked, but it left behind some streaks and smudges, even after multiple passes. You’d be better off with other window cleaning tools for window cleaning. The steamer also did a fairly good job at cleaning tile and grout but left behind a good amount of coffee when cleaning upholstery. Since there aren’t any mop attachments, you won’t be able to clean floors or large areas with the Dirt Devil (unless you’re very dedicated).
Our testers also noted that the red and green indication lights can be a little confusing—they seemed to change randomly and would even light at the same time. If you’re looking for a casual steam cleaner to use occasionally, this could still be a great option. However, if you want a lot of cleaning power and versatility, you’ll have to raise your budget. For smaller dwellings, Dirt Devil also made our list of the best vacuums for apartments.
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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.
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 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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
Sean Tirman, Content Updates Editor at Family Handyman, updated and contributed research to this piece. Sean has written shopping guides since 2016 and is a former associate editor at Gear Patrol.
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.
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!
The uses for a steam cleaner are nearly endless. Here are just a few possibilities:
Unless otherwise directed by the manufacturer, don’t be tempted to add a cleaning solution to your steamer to boost its cleaning abilities. This can damage the machine and add unnecessary chemicals to your cleaning routine. Opt for natural cleaning products when possible and limit use to before or after steaming.
