Best Steam Cleaner Review – Top 5 Steamiest List

“Should I purchase a steam cleaner for my home? I’m quite satisfied with my mop and vacuum, and I can always hire a professional to steam clean the rugs annually if necessary. Do I really need my own steam cleaner, or is it excessive?”

To be honest, it’s not excessive at all. Using steam has numerous advantages: it’s environmentally friendly since you don’t need potentially harmful (and smelly) detergents, your floors dry quickly, steam effectively eliminates bacteria that might survive traditional mopping, it excels at removing deeply ingrained dirt and stains, all while saving you from strenuous scrubbing – and the best part is, you only need one appliance to achieve impeccably clean floors.

Another crucial point to consider: if you suffer from asthma or allergies, steam cleaners should be on your radar without a doubt. Dust mites, animal dander, and other airborne irritants that affect your air quality tend to hide deep within carpets and upholstery (yes, steam cleaners can be used on upholstery too). You owe it to yourself to invest in a steam machine that can eliminate these allergens before they compromise your health. Additionally, steam cleaners are highly effective at exterminating bedbugs.

You might be picturing those massive steam machines used by large companies or professional cleaning services, but fortunately, you don’t need one of those. There’s a steam cleaning machine to suit every home’s size and budget. After delving a bit deeper into what you should be seeking, we’ll provide Your House Garden’s top 5 steam machine reviews.

Types of Steam Cleaners

Increased power and versatility typically come with a heftier price tag, and the same holds true for steam cleaners. We’re not referring to commercial-grade steam machines, which can range from $750 to several thousand dollars in cost, but you won’t come across a powerful home unit for just $100 either.

Canister vs. Vapor Steam Cleaners

There are two types of full-featured home steam cleaners available. The first is a canister, or cylinder, model with a hose connected to a relatively large water tank on wheels that you pull along, reminiscent of older vacuum cleaners. While they may not be the most convenient machines, they compensate with their exceptional cleaning capabilities.

These canisters produce a significant amount of steam, enabling thorough cleaning of an entire home with minimal refills. Furthermore, they typically come with a wide range of attachments for steaming various surfaces, including countertops and drapes, in addition to floors.

Taking it a step further (along with a higher price point) is the vapor steam cleaner. It closely resembles a canister model, offering the same advantages. However, it distinguishes itself by heating the water in the tank to a much higher temperature. This added heat effectively eliminates excess water from the steam, ensuring only pure, “dry” steam is released through the hose and attachments. As a result, there’s no need to wait for floors to dry after cleaning.

Steam Mops

Is it too much cleaner or too much money for your liking? Fortunately, there are more affordable yet highly effective alternatives available. Allow us to introduce the steam mop, designed in a fashion similar to a stick vacuum, featuring a compact water tank attached to the stick. This design makes it much easier to maneuver, although it does necessitate more frequent refills.

A steam mop proves to be an excellent choice for smaller homes or those on a tighter budget, offering most of the same benefits, such as eco-friendliness and effective bacteria elimination. The steam power and assortment of attachments may vary depending on the model.

For this article, we’ll focus on canister and vapor units. You can find detailed steam mop reviews elsewhere on our website.

Handheld Steam Cleaner

Lastly, an option is to select a portable handheld steam cleaner, which works best for spot cleaning or sanitizing specific areas such as countertops and windowsills. Keep in mind that the smaller water tanks and lower power of handheld units may not suffice for cleaning entire floors, but they offer undeniable convenience for targeted tasks.

What to Look For In the Best Steam Cleaner

Selecting the right steam cleaner that aligns with your requirements and budget will be the primary consideration when making your purchase. Following that, here are the additional criteria you should take into account.

Size and Weight

Canister and vapor units are generally larger than steam mops and handheld models, but they come in a wide range of sizes and weights. It’s important to ensure that you’ll be comfortable maneuvering the cleaner, whether pushing or pulling it and that you’ll have adequate storage space when it’s not in use.

Another closely related consideration is the size of the water tank, which not only dictates how often you’ll need to refill the machine but also affects its overall weight when the tank is full. Smaller tanks tend to heat up more quickly, and some machines even feature dual tanks to provide extended cleaning time without the need for frequent refills.

The effectiveness of the Clean

The performance of a steam cleaner is primarily determined by the temperature and pressure of the steam it generates. It’s crucial for the unit to maintain consistent pressure to ensure reliable cleaning results. Naturally, models with higher temperatures and sustained high pressure often come at a higher price point.

Extra Attachments

Lastly, consider the attachments you’ll require. If your cleaning needs are primarily focused on floors, nozzles, brushes, and crevice tools, similar to those found with a vacuum will suffice. However, many units also offer additional attachments for tasks such as upholstery cleaning, stair cleaning, tile cleaning, and curtain cleaning, along with accessories like microfiber mop pads.

With the introduction covered, here’s a list from our review team featuring the top 5 steam cleaners suitable for use in your living room.

1. McCulloch MC1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner

Powerful, versatile, and remarkably affordable – it’s no wonder the canister-style MC1275 takes the top spot in our Your House Garden rankings. This steam cleaner, despite its initial appearance, is surprisingly lightweight, clocking in at under ten pounds (with an empty tank), and it’s easy to maneuver thanks to its caster wheels.

The McCulloch model boasts a tank with a 48-ounce water capacity, heating up in approximately ten minutes and providing about 45 minutes of cleaning time before requiring a refill. While, like many steam cleaners, you need to wait for the machine to cool down before refilling the tank, 45 minutes should be ample for cleaning floors and rugs in an average-sized home.

For a cleaner of this size and price range, the steam level is impressively potent and effectively tackles a wide range of surfaces, including floors, tile, countertops, appliances, bathroom fixtures, and outdoor furniture. It even features a convenient locking button, sparing you the need to continuously press a button while using it, although it’s worth noting that the handle can get quite hot in this mode. The MC1275 arrives with a generous array of 18 attachments, including two wands, floor brushes, tile nozzles, an upholstery brush, and a squeegee.

2. Steamfast SF-370WH Multi-Purpose Steam Cleaner

This Steamfast model didn’t quite clinch the top position, but the Your House Garden team held it in high regard. It shares numerous advantages with the McCulloch in terms of weight, runtime, and power. Where it fell slightly short was its performance on carpets, where it’s better suited for spot cleaning rather than handling large rugs. Additionally, its accessory set is somewhat less extensive and slightly less robust than that of the McCulloch. However, it still excels in the most critical aspect – delivering impressive performance on a wide range of surfaces.

The SF-370WH boasts a slightly smaller water tank capacity (45 ounces compared to 48 ounces) but still offers approximately 45 minutes of continuous steaming time, along with the handy “stay on” switch. It’s a tad smaller and lighter than the McCulloch, but on the downside, it feels somewhat less robust. While this machine is undeniably more powerful than its provided attachments, its durability may not match up to its top competitor. The SF-370WH comes with 15 attachments, including a steam mop, various brushes (including a brass brush), and a squeegee. However, the review team was disappointed by the absence of an upholstery brush.

3. Vapamore MR-100 Primo Steam Cleaning System

Our sentiments about the Vapamore MR-100 are somewhat mixed. While the marketing materials suggest it’s a dry vapor machine, the steam it produces hovers around the boiling point of water, so it’s not uncommon to encounter slightly damp carpets after cleaning. Moreover, this model falls within the same price range as our recommended “true” vapor cleaner (covered later in this list), making it relatively high-priced for a canister unit.

However, the MR-100 still delivers excellent performance, which ultimately matters most and contributes to our mixed feelings. It features a spacious stainless steel boiler with a 54-ounce capacity, providing a full hour of cleaning time.

You can adjust the steam volume through the hose, and despite its lightweight plastic construction, the unit is sturdier than it may appear. Its extra-wide head covers more surface area than usual, and it glides smoothly on rubber wheels despite its weight. Additionally, it comes with a comprehensive assortment of accessories, including three different nylon brushes (one for grout), and all attachments neatly fit into the back of the steamer.

4. Homegear X100 Portable Multi-Purpose Steam Cleaner

* Unfortunately, this product is no longer available. We are working on a replacement.

Introducing our budget-friendly pick, which offers many of the features found in our top two choices from Your House Garden, all at roughly half the price. The X100 comes with a 33-ounce tank, providing approximately 35 minutes of steaming time. Despite its affordability, it packs a punch with 1500 watts of power and heats up in under ten minutes.

While the Homegear steam cleaner may not quite match the performance of its pricier counterparts, it comes close. It handles most tasks admirably, especially when you opt for the “high” steam setting. With 14 included accessories to cover a wide range of applications, this option is a solid choice for those on a tight budget.

5. Reliable Brio 250CC Dry Vapor Steam Cleaner

Most dry vapor machines come with a hefty price tag, often reaching into the high three figures or even exceeding a thousand dollars. The Your House Garden review team aimed to include a genuine vapor steam cleaner on this list but understands that most readers aren’t ready to invest that much in a home unit. Thus, the Reliable Brio 250CC earned its spot here, despite being nearly three times the cost of our top-rated steam cleaner.

It’s compact and lightweight, with slightly lower power at 1400 watts, but its boiler reaches a scorching 320°F, emitting dry steam at around 250°F, well above the boiling point. This means your floors and countertops receive pure steam without excess water. While the tank holds about 34 ounces, you still get approximately 45 minutes of continuous use from the Brio, with a quick five-minute heat-up time.

With 21 accessories and attachments for various uses, it excels at cleaning and effectively combats many pathogens that some canister models struggle with. The addition of a 360° swivel front wheel is a nice touch as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

In conclusion, selecting the best steam cleaner depends on individual needs, budget, and preferences. Each of the steam cleaners discussed offers unique features and benefits, catering to a variety of cleaning tasks and requirements. Whether it’s the powerful and versatile McCulloch MC1275, the budget-friendly Homegear X100, or the premium performance of the Reliable Brio 250CC, there’s a steam cleaner for every household. The choice ultimately comes down to finding the perfect balance between power, price, and performance to suit your specific cleaning needs and make household chores more efficient and eco-friendly.