10 Best Steam Cleaners UK 2024 | Kärcher, Shark and More

Shark have really made a name for themselves in the cleaning world, especially so with fans of Mrs Hinch who love their products. This is another great appliance from them with its thick and durable double-sided cleaning pads that can be reused time and time again, picking up every trace of dirt as they go.

The 8-metre power cord is also a great plus as it will allow you to clean more of your house without having to unplug. The steam blast technology is super for tackling areas that need more oomph and the swivel head is easy to move and get into all those hard-to-reach spots.

This is a great steam mop for the money from cleaning brand leader, Vileda. A single 0.4 L tank can let the mop run for up to 28 minutes and it only takes 15 seconds to heat up. It also has a fantastic 6-metre operating radius and comes with a glider to keep your carpets fresh and bacteria-free. 

With it being a mop. it doesn't have quite the range of functionality as other types of steam cleaner, but this is an excellent option if you only really need to clean floors and carpets. 

The cube design of this cleaner is really attractive, but it's not only about good looks. It has a large 1.6 L capacity water tank which, while taking 7 minutes to heat, gives up to 50 minutes of cleaning time before a refill is needed. 

The only negative to note is that the handle can get hot while in use, so caution is needed to avoid burns. That aside, this is a really powerful yet compact cleaner that will tackle almost any job that you throw at it. 

This cleaner has a lot to offer with its 21 accessories and steam lock switch which allows for continuous steam without having to press a button repeatedly. The long extension hoses also mean that you get extra reach on top of the 5 m power cord, so you can keep cleaning for that bit longer before moving to another plug socket. 

The main downside of this model is the fact it takes 5 minutes to heat up its roomy 1.5 L water tank, so you'd have to weigh up how important a larger tank is to you. 

This cylinder cleaner from Kärcher is ready to use in just 30 seconds and produces powerful 3.5 bar pressure to give fantastic cleaning ability. The attachments include a descaling cartridge which helps prevent the buildup of limescale – something especially useful if you live in a hard water area like London. 

For such a substantial cleaner, the power cord is relatively short, so you may have to keep changing power sockets as you move around the house. This cleaner also can leave tiles quite wet and when they are dry, streaks and water spots can be left behind.

Bush's steam cleaner offering is ready to use in 25 seconds, and the triangle-shaped head with its swivel steering means that you can get into all the corners and leave your floors sparkling clean. It changes quickly to handheld, so you can clean tiles, hobs and ovens really quickly.

As with some of the other cheaper models in this listing, users have said that the steam output isn't as consistent as it should be and it could be more powerful to give a more thorough clean. That said, the price will appeal to those looking for something only for occasional use. 

This multipurpose model from Vax is quick drying so you won't be left with wet floors and damp footprints as you clean. The 20-second heat-up is really quick so there's minimal downtime and the 8-metre power cord gives you a huge cleaning area without having to change plug sockets.

However, there have been cases of the steam being intermittent which has affected the cleaning ability. Other users also found that the tools and attachments would not stay in the inbuilt holders and had a tendency to fall out onto the floor.

This 12-in-1 steam cleaner has both upright and handheld units to give it lots of different uses around the home. In upright mode it easily changes between hard floors and carpets, and it quickly converts to handheld mode for cleaning worktops, tiles, ovens, grout and more. 

As useful as it is, this is further down our top ten listing owing to the fact that the water tank has a tendency to leak, especially when used in handheld mode. It's also quite noisy during use which could put some buyers off. 

This lightweight and very portable cleaner has a really quick 45 second heat-up time, and is really useful for freshening and taking creases out of clothes and other fabrics. It comes with attachments to suit most types of fabric as well as a detachable lint brush to lift any fluff or pet hairs that may be caught in the weave.

Where this cleaner is very compact, the downside is the small size of the water tank – it's only 260 ml, which is not much different from an iron. This means that you'd need to refill it every few minutes if you've got a fair few curtains to clean, and it can be lacking in power against larger models if you've got stains to tackle.

This handheld cleaner from the well-known brand Hoover is small and relatively light and is perfect for cleaning upholstery, hobs, ovens and bathrooms. It comes with 12 different attachments to tackle a wide variety of jobs and its long cord makes it easy to move around the house without having to unplug and reheat.

This may not be a cleaner for tougher jobs, however, as the steam pressure is not as strong as it would be with larger, more powerful cleaners. It also needs to be reheated after a few minutes of use in order to maintain the steam flow, which could be annoying if you have quite a bit of cleaning to do.