9 Best Handheld Steam Cleaners in 2024 – Reviewed and Rated

Among the appliances designed to offer us support in the care and daily cleaning of the house, there are steam cleaners. Thanks to the ease with which they remove dirt without resorting to detergents and chemicals, but only by taking advantage of the high temperature of the water vapor.

They have obtained the consent of consumers. In the market guide that follows, we have examined the three most common types of steam cleaners (2-in-1 steam brooms, steam guns, and steam generators), selecting and evaluating seven models to then create our usual ranking.

However, it is essential to maintain a certain level of hygiene in our homes, and in this, the steam cleaner can be an excellent ally. Thanks to it, it will be easier for us to clean and disinfect certain surfaces. Stay with us if you want to find out more about this practical tool.

Here we will be listing the top 9 best handheld steam cleaners.

How to Choose Best Handheld Steam Cleaners?

Before explaining how to choose a good steam cleaner, we prefer to clear the field of two common misconceptions.

Analyzing the requests for clarification that come to our editorial staff and the questions published by potential buyers on the various e-commerce sites, it is possible to understand how there are two false beliefs.

The first is that the steam cleaners suck the dust before or simultaneously with the steam supply; the second is that they also run on battery power.

Both, unless you consider more expensive models or for professional use, are wrong. Strictly speaking, steam cleaners, whether they are steam guns, electric steam brooms, or steam generators, do not integrate a suction motor and need electricity, therefore an outlet to connect the plug to work.

In this regard, we invite you to read our purchase advice carefully and, in particular, not to confuse the power in watts of the motor that heats the water to transform it into steam, with that type of a vacuum cleaner, nor the autonomy in minutes (of the steam) with the duration of a possible battery.

Maximum Hygiene without Detergents or Chemical Solutions

The title of this paragraph summarizes the success of this particular type of household appliance. Steam cleaners use the high temperature of the water vapor (always above 100 ° C) to thoroughly clean. They sanitize objects and surfaces, removing more than 99.9% of the bacteria that accumulate on them.

What pleases consumers of steam cleaners is, therefore, the possibility of cleaning without using powder or spray detergents, chemicals, or anything else that may be harmful to the health of adults and children.

All tests conducted in the laboratory show that the cleaning power of water vapor exceeds that of conventional supermarket detergents.

So if you had doubts about the ability of steam to remove dirt and bacteria, you can quickly dispel them and decide on the purchase.

For many, relying on steam has become not a convenient solution, but a way of life. A bit like choosing to eat organic. The offers that flock online have also contributed to the spread of steam cleaners by definitively solving the dilemma of where to buy at the lowest price.

You can buy the best brand cleaner online without investing large amounts. Let’s see now how many types of steam cleaners exist.

Steam Gun, 2-In-1 Electric Broom, or Towed Steam Generators?

When talking about steam cleaners, it is good practice to specify their type. There are steam guns, two-in-one devices, and towed steam generators on the market.

In this service – you have already guessed it – we will not deal with steam brooms with an integrated vacuum cleaner, to offer you an overview of products at an affordable price and easy to use.

Steam guns are practical, light, handy, and comfortable to store almost anywhere thanks to their tiny size. Also, they are often offered at low prices. According to reviews published online, steam guns are unsurpassed when it comes to clean hobs, sinks, washbasins quickly, sanitary ware, sofas, mattresses, curtains, and any other object that is at least half a meter high from the floor.

With a good steam gun, you can sanitize the whole house, including windows, and even, if equipped with the appropriate accessory, iron and refresh clothes vertically by exploiting the ability of water vapor to eliminate creases from fabrics without damaging them.

The only use for which steam guns are not indicated at all – and this is the main disadvantage of this category of product – is washing the floor. In this case, you may be interested in a good mop: here you will find our reviews on rotomops, spinning swabs, comfortable and quick to use.

The steam guns that we have decided to include in our ranking are the Kärcher SC 1 EasyFix, the Kärcher SC 1 1.516-300.0, which differs from the first for the more inferior endowment of accessories, and the Bissell Steam shot Titanium.

If you are interested in resorting to the sanitizing power of steam to make the floor shine, the type of cleaner we suggest is the so-called “two-in-one.”

It is an electric steam mop which, if necessary, turns into a comfortable portable one by simply removing the handle. The two 2-in-1 devices covered in our comparison are the Polti Vaporetto SV440_Double and the Kärcher, as mentioned earlier SC 1 EasyFix.

The third type of steam cleaner is represented by towing filters, i.e., equipped with wheels that allow it to be transported on the trolley vacuum cleaners.

They are more traditional machines, which make efficiency their main strength. Equipped with a flexible extension, they allow you to do anything and reach both the low points (when washing the floor, they are excellent) and the higher ones.

Since they do not have to contain the overall dimensions to the maximum, they have powerful engines and particularly capable water tanks, to the benefit of autonomy.

One of the best selling models online is undoubtedly the Ariete 4146 X-Vapor Deluxe. You could seriously consider this if you live in a large apartment and don’t have space problems. Its engineering solutions are genuinely appreciable.

Tank Capacity and Heating Time

Who among you would like to interrupt cleaning continuously to top up the tank and have new steam available?

The question arises when steam cleaners consider the capacity of the tank to be filled with water and the guaranteed average autonomy (not to be confused, as already mentioned in the introduction, with the energy autonomy of battery devices).

Fortunately, the models that this buying guide examines have enough freedom to perform most of the routine cleaning. The fact that the steam is delivered only if the button that allows it to escape is pressed guarantees the total absence of waste.

This particularity, which distinguishes almost all steam cleaners, is in honor of their right cross and delight. If, on the one hand, as just pointed out, it prevents steam from being unnecessarily dispersed in the air.

On the other hand, it forces you to keep your finger always under tension. For some users, especially women, this is a bit tiring (from this point of view, online opinions are definite).

As for the heating time, i.e., the time it takes for the steam cleaner for the water contained in the tank to heat up to the point of being emitted in the form of steam, not all filters are the same.

Some take longer than others. Our purchase recommendations concern models whose heating time is between 15 seconds of the Polti Vaporetto SV440_Double and of the Vileda Steam XXL broom and 8 minutes of the H.Koenig NV6200.

A nice difference. You decide if this particular aspect will be a discriminating factor in the process that will lead you to the purchase of the best steam cleaner.

Our advice is to consider heating times as essential but not fundamental. Sometimes it is better to wait a few more minutes and have a reliable appliance. The immediacy of the steam does not guarantee it is quality and cleaning power (temperature, pressure, and so on).

Steam Pressure and Accessories

The technical data sheet of most steam cleaners includes the item “steam pressure.” This is the pressure exerted by the steam at the exact exit point and is measured in a bar ( CGS System unit of measurement – centimeter-gram-second system).

A bar is roughly equal to the pressure that the Earth’s atmosphere exerts on every square centimeter of our body, at sea level, at a latitude of 45 ° and at a temperature of 0 ° C.

The higher the outlet steam pressure, the greater the cleaning capacity of our new appliance. However, consider that it is sufficient to connect a rigid or flexible extension tube to the vaporizer, if provided by the accessory fleet, to obtain a lower pressure steam jet.