9 best steam cleaners to buy in 2024

This is a steam mop that’s ready to party (read: blitz that dried food stain) in 30 seconds. As well as having three different steam settings, the cleaner’s pads are dual-sided and can be flipped over for touch-free, maximum cleaning power – ideal if you have a big kitchen to tackle.

It's only intended for use on hard floors and it proved to be incredibly reliant on them, rapidly cutting through dirt and drying in double quick time. It easily reached under furniture and its steam blast function eradicated sticky stains. The water tank can't be removed, but a beaker is supplied for topping it up.

This wallet-friendly steam mop was easy to assemble and blissfully lightweight to use. It was ready to go in a blistering 15 seconds and it's long 5m cable gave it significant reach, meaning less changing plug sockets.

Its cleaning performance impressed at this price point, slicing through dirt, but it did leave our floors a touch too damp. It doesn't come with any attachments and only has a simple on/off dial, but the machine-washable cleaning pads detach easily.

This neat little steam mop is super lightweight and manoeuvrable, making it a top buy for regular clean-ups. It heats up quickly but takes a few seconds to register any steam setting adjustments.

Its performance impressed us for its affordable price tag, especially on tiles and vinyl flooring, but it left our windows smeary and struggled to soften dried-on dirt in the oven. However, its included tools are helpful, particularly the grout cleaner, and it's comfortable to use.

For maximum cleaning power, look to Polti’s cylinder steam cleaner that comes with a ‘turbo steam’ setting. Its generous 3-litre tank takes five minutes to heat up – the helpful display unit alerts you when it’s ready and needs refilling.

Multiple attachments all fit on the cleaner, including one that’s specially designed for carpets. It excelled at banishing mud from ceramic tiles and sealed floors, making this a top pick for families.

This lightweight handheld model is more powerful than it looks. It burned through dried-on grime in a speedy 30 seconds, after taking just 50 seconds to heat up. The steam output can't be tweaked, but the responsive thumb trigger lets you control its steam bursts.

It comes with tons of attachments, including a squeegee, and it can be used as a garment steamer thanks to the supplied steaming cloth cover. It's a versatile choice, then, and great value for under £40.

Looking for an upright steam cleaner that lets you easily take care of the floors without bending? But also after a quick little handheld number for blitzing your shower screen before guests arrive? Well, the beauty of this Shark model is that it does both. With the press of a button, this expert upright steam cleaner becomes – dun dun dun – a handheld steam cleaner.

Once we recovered from the slight rigmarole required to build this mop – you’ll need a screwdriver and at least a modicum of patience – we were super impressed with the versatility it offered. We’re talking extra-long flex, multiple steam settings, peak mop head manoeuvrability, and of course, that handheld option for when you’re short on time.

A tip from our tester: the attachable cloths shrunk a little when we washed them, so opt for a lower temperature than the one suggested by the manufacturer.

This smartly designed cylinder model is as neat as its name suggests. It’s super powerful, making it ideal for heavy-duty cleaning jobs but less so for smaller ones, as it can splatter dirt.

It comes with lots of accessories but there’s only one (high!) steam setting. It’s heavy when full and takes nearly 10 minutes to heat up. But a huge pro is how professionally it cleans windows, leaving ours totally smear-free.