Blow Off Some Steam and Grime With Our 6 Favorite Steam Cleaners (2024)

Our Top Picks

The Dupray NEAT Steam Cleaner is easy to use and impressively efficient—the ideal combo for a cleaning tool. You can use this steam cleaner on carpet stains, grout lines, window sills, or a whole host of other messes. In the lab, it cleaned consistently across all the stains we tasked it with, and was the fastest of our four canister-style favorites at clearing a dried mud mask from a grouted tile floor.

After you fill the 40-ounce tank, a glowing icon on the front of the cube turns orange, providing a visual notification that the boiler inside is hard at work. The cleaner took 12 minutes to get fully warm and ready for use, which is longer than the manufacturer’s claim. However, once the icon turns green, you can start using the single trigger to release the steam, and we were impressed by the cleaner's performance.

The precision lance, in particular, did an amazing job with the dirt and grime in the window sills, working much like a mini pressure washer. Although, you’ll want to have a towel or cloth nearby to wipe up the grime that gets released and sprayed nearby. This isn’t unique to just this steam cleaner, and the process is still far easier than manually chipping or scrubbing at the grime, so we’re okay with the extra step.

The triangular attachment with a microfiber bonnet is an excellent tool for cleaning carpet stains, too. The stains disappeared with just a few passes. Plus, the attachments are easy to snap in and out of the cleaner, which could not be said for all of the machines we tested.

The bottom of the canister features wheels, and the 6.5-foot hose gives you plenty of reach, but unfortunately doesn’t wrap or stow anywhere on the steam cleaner; hose management is a bit of a challenge. That said, you can use any regular towel or cloth, as opposed to being limited to specific pads, when cleaning—a real perk for switching tasks, maintenance, and overall cost.

_{Weight: 11.2 pounds empty, 13.8 pounds full | Tank Capacity: 54 ounces | Cord Length: 16 feet | Heat Time: 12 minutes}

In our experience, the Ewbank SC1000 really lives up to the “Steam Dynamo” part of its name. Each mess that we tasked it with (a dirty window sill, muddy grout and tile, and glass with water spots) was removed quickly and smoothly. Like with our best overall pick, some of the dirt and grime did get pushed around a bit, so a microfiber towel or other cleaning cloth is necessary for wiping up residue when you’re all done.

As with our other favorites, though, this steam cleaner is easy to use. There’s a funnel, so filling up the water tank is a breeze (although, there’s no way to see the water level from the outside). A red indicator light turns on when the machine is on, and a second orange one turns off to then indicate it’s ready to use—and the unit is quiet when it’s running, too.

We were also pleased with how simple it is to switch out attachments; there’s an adapter that accommodates any of the accessory tools. We had gloves available for safety reasons for this part, since any steam cleaner’s components can get really hot and unsafe to handle with your bare hands—particularly when you’re swapping out an attachment. But, we didn’t opt to use them because the plastic components didn’t reach uncomfortable temperatures.

One particular convenience with this steamer is that you can press a button for a single spray of steam, or push the button forward for continuous steam. There’s also a lock mechanism, so you can ensure it stays on or off, depending on the situation. It’s also fairly lightweight, at just under 8 pounds when empty and just above 11 pounds when full—which puts it in the same realm as our favorite lightweight vacuum cleaners.

Thanks to the wheels on the base, it’s easy to move in and out of storage and around for your cleaning task, too. However, one limitation that we encountered is the 8-foot power cord, that may tie you to a specific outlet and cause you to make more adjustments when cleaning than you’d like.

_{Weight: 7.8 pounds empty, 11.3 pounds full | Tank Capacity: 50 ounces | Cord Length: 8 feet | Heat Time: 11.5 minutes}

Few products instantly make our team sit up and say, “I should probably buy one of these,” but that’s what happened with this steam cleaner. Thanks to its performance, we came to the quick realization from using it that our current, go-to methods of cleaning are far more laborious than they need to be (and than they'd be if we used a steam cleaner).

Like with some of our other picks, we used a measuring cup and funnel to fill this cleaner, so it wasn’t as messy doing so, and opted to measure out 48 ounces of water instead of guessing. The attachments slide on and off when the push-button latch is pressed, so adjustments are super simple. We did opt to wear gloves, though, to protect our hands when switching out the components. We didn’t feel any heat on our hands while changing out the accessories as a result; the majority of the construction is plastic, but there are some metal accents to be cautious of.

We were pleasantly surprised that the spray pressure didn’t make quite as much of a mess as we expected it to. Everything felt quick and easy, and the noise level was subtle enough that we could have conversations while the cleaner was in use. The extensive collection of accessories and attachments is also a big perk with this machine, and one of the main reasons we see it as incredibly well-suited for deep cleaning—you get multiple brush sizes, pad styles, and nozzles to choose from.

Like our best value pick, you can control the steam spray with a button or set it to steam continuously. We did find that the second button that controls the lock setting didn’t stick well—so, that could be a potential issue you run into with the McCulloch MC1275 Steam Cleaner.

_{Weight: 13.4 pounds empty, 14.6 pounds full | Tank Capacity: 48 ounces | Cord Length: 15.7 feet | Heat Time: 12.5 minutes}

If you’re after versatility, this is one of the best steam cleaners for attachments available. Along with handle extensions and mop pads that allow you to use it as a steam mop, it has other useful accessories like multiple shapes and sizes of brushes, round scrub pads, a squeegee, a bristle brush, and more. In particular, the large surface area of the mop head gives you the ability to clean big rooms with fewer passes.

This canister-style cleaner from Steamfast is most ideal for homes with many square feet of tile, stone, or sealed wood floors. The variable steam levels are managed by a dial. This extra layer of control allows you to manage the volume of steam at any given time to optimize your cleaning session. The cleaner especially excelled at cleaning window tracks, in our experience. It took 56 seconds to get them clean; and this was definitely quick in comparison to other models that took from 19 seconds to 5 minutes to complete the task.

After cleaning, there was some visible residue leftover from the mud mask on both the tile and grout we tested the steam cleaner on—but, we saw this machine manage sauce spills on the same surfaces just fine. The process of picking up a sauce spill took about two minutes and a bit of elbow grease, but the results spoke for themselves.

The 17-foot power cord and 10-foot hose provide better reach than some other steam cleaners, too. The Steamfast SF-375 Deluxe Canister Steam Cleaner has a similar steam trigger lock as the aforementioned McCulloch MC1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner, but it’s wired much more smoothly on the Steamfast SF-375. So, if that’s a feature you could see yourself relying on, this cleaner is likely a better fit for you.

_{Weight: 11.4 pounds empty, 16 pounds full | Tank Capacity: 48 ounces | Cord Length: 17 feet | Heat Time: 15 minutes}

If you’ve ever been on TikTok, you may already be familiar with Bissell’s handheld cleaning tools like the super-popular Little Green Machine for cleaning upholstery and carpets of all kinds. The Bissell SteamShot Hard Surface Steam Cleaner is just as convenient and efficient, and converts all that cleaning power to a handheld steam cleaner.

While it’s significantly smaller than our other favorites, the SteamShot’s cleaning power rivals the bigger models on certain tasks. It was super efficient cleaning out the window tracks in our lab, taking one minute and 18 seconds to complete the task (just keep a towel on hand to wipe up after), and it breezed through tile and grout messes in less than a minute. We didn’t try cleaning windows with it, since it’s not suited for the job and also doesn’t have a squeegee attachment, but its performance on window tracks make it a great option for spring cleaning.

Notably, it has a 20-foot power cord, so you can easily maneuver it without having to unplug it and find a new outlet. The steam cleaner also comes with a measuring cup to match the listed capacity of the cleaner: 6.6 ounces.

This is another pick—like our best overall, the Dupray NEAT Steam Cleaner—that has a trigger button that needs to be pressed for the steam to come out–there’s no option to lock it for continuous steam. However, since this smaller model is more suited to shorter tasks, holding the button down didn’t affect us too much.

_{Weight: 2.2 pounds empty, 3.5 pounds full | Tank Capacity: 6.6 ounces | Cord Length: 20 feet | Heat Time: 5 minutes}

Another pick that’s lighter in design, but not in power, is the Bissell Powerfresh Slim Steam Mop. It’s under 7 pounds, even when filled with water, and it heats up in a speedy 28 seconds by our count—which means you can pull it out, plug it in, and be ready to clean in under one minute.

In particular, we like this steam cleaner as a starter tool, because it strikes a balance between simplicity and cleaning power. It has a basic design that can fit comfortably in a cleaning closet. It’s clearly made for household use and doesn’t feel commercial, and is suitable for most home cleaning tasks—like cleaning up sealed floors, spraying the grime out of your window tracks, or scraping away stuck-on messes from tile floors.

We dabbled with the scraping tool on glass, which wasn’t exactly its intended usage, and it still did very well. Though, the attachments were very hot after use, so handle them with care—put on a pair of gloves and wait for the attachments to cool a bit.

That said, this steam cleaner is also one of the easiest when it comes to filling and managing the water level. It’s the only one of our picks that has a transparent water reservoir, so you can see how much you have filled it. The reservoir has a comfortably wide mouth, so you can use the included, marked measuring cup to fill it up as well, and not worry about making a mess.

The indicator lights also keep you informed when this unit is heating, and tell you when you’re on high, low, or pause. This is a small detail, but unique among our picks, and helpful for users managing their time. The trigger button does need to be held down while it’s in use, and there’s no option to lock it. We always prefer a lock setting, but this is otherwise a super powerful and practical steam cleaner.

_{Weight: 6 pounds empty, 6.8 pounds full | Tank Capacity: 11.8 ounces | Cord Length: 25 feet | Heat Time: 28 seconds}

Final Verdict

Our best overall pick for a steam cleaner is the Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner; it impressed us with how well it cleans and how easy it is to use. If you’re looking for a smaller and less pricey option, we also like the Bissell SteamShot Hard Surface Steam Cleaner. We named it our best handheld pick for its cleaning power and portability.

Prepare for Cleanup

No matter which you pick, plan to use your steam cleaner alongside other cleaning tools. We frequently found ourselves reaching for microfiber cloths during testing to wipe up extra water droplets and debris that was sprayed while cleaning.

Surfaces to Avoid When Steam Cleaning

Don’t linger long when using a steam cleaner on sealed wood, painted surfaces, or any area that has a paper, wood, plywood, or cardboard composite construction. If you're cleaning walls or other areas you’re not sure about, test a small area first and exercise caution. Likewise, don’t use a steam cleaner on antiques. Many vintage items have varnish or shellac finishes that cannot take the heat.

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