Dupray’s neat steam cleaner is a powerful and portable option for sparkling floors

The world of steam cleaners is dominated by a handful of brands, but here at IndyBest, we love an underdog. And this is why we were especially excited to get our hands on the neat steam cleaner from Dupray, an American brand that’s gaining popularity in the UK.

Its most unique selling point? This stylish cleaner’s design is much more compact than the average model. A neat white cube replaces the bulky units, which appears to be the norm when it comes to today’s steam cleaners. This admittedly raised several concerns, including ones relating to its portability and the ease with which we could refill the water reservoir – fortunately, these were unfounded (something we’ll elaborate on later).

But first, a quick guide to what to look for in a steam cleaner. Start by figuring out what type of model you’re after. Generally, they fall into three categories: steam mops, cylindrical steam cleaners and handheld steam cleaners. Steam cleaners designed for private homes are typically either handheld models or steam mops – or a combination of the two, with a design that incorporates a mop function. Cylindrical ones are typically heavier, more cumbersome machines designed for a more industrial level of cleaning.

Other areas to focus on include the capacity of the water tank. One downside to a larger water tank is that the water will take longer to heat up. This brings us to another important factor: heating time. The water in a steam cleaner has to be heated before it starts pumping out steam, and on consumer models with smaller tanks, the water can be heated in less than a minute. With larger tanks, it can take several minutes before the water has been heated to the required temperature. The plus side? Longer, uninterrupted steam-cleaning sessions.

Today, the average steam cleaner comes with a decent range of accessories, although add-ons such as grout scrapers, detergent dispensers or squeegees for windows will often need to be purchased separately. But don’t rush to splash the cash – take the time to work out which steam cleaner suits your needs best, and only splurge on extra accessories once you know they’re needed.

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In a nutshell? So much steam cleaning there’s barely a surface or steam-cleanable object in our orbit that hasn’t been steam cleaned to within an inch of its life. We’ve been busy with everything from ovens and garden shed doors to tiled bathroom floors and vast expanses of vinyl. And we didn’t just put its cleaning power to the test, but its accessories, too.

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This corded steam cleaner – which can heat water to a bacteria-busting 135C and can be used on everything from tiled floors and oven doors to sofas and car interiors – looks unlike any model we’ve come across. The neat, white cube looks refreshingly compact compared to most models, which typically resemble small vacuum cleaners. A closer look reveals the key features are built in. The low-profile handle slides out of the top of the cleaner, and a circular cap unscrews to reveal the reservoir.

We loved its deep-set positioning at the bottom of an integrated funnel, which minimises the risk of spills. Even the wheels fail to detract from the cleaner’s sleek profile – they’re low-profile and set into the base so that only the lower parts of the four wheels protrude, but this is more than enough to allow for brilliant manoeuvrability.

And we’re not only huge fans of the overall effect – which creates a sleek, minimalistic look we’ve never come across in the bulky world of steam cleaners – but the way these features allowed for easy storage. Another feature that boosts its stashability is the cable storage. It has a generous length of 5m and wraps around a holder built into the base.

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But back to that water-tank capacity. It will hold a whopping 1.6l of water (enough for a 50-minute cleaning session). We’ve never come across a steam cleaner of this size that has a capacity this large. For comparison, one of the most popular steam cleaners on the market has a reservoir with a capacity of 350ml, which, in our experience, is pretty standard.

There are certain downsides to a larger capacity, but we’re seriously impressed that none are in evidence here. There’s no obvious extra bulk, and although the manual stated that a full tank of water could take eight minutes to heat (smaller steam cleaners can take under a minute to heat the water and turn it into steam), when we filled the tank to the halfway point, much less time was required. For a short and sweet steaming session, we filled it with 200ml of water, which was heated in just under two minutes.

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There were more surprises in store when it came to accessories. There were 17 in total, ranging from standard add-ons, such as a microfibre cloth and steam lance (designed for areas that need a more thorough scrubbing) to a triangle tool and a floor tool. There’s quantity as well as quality here – not one but three microfibre pads are supplied, and there are five nylon brushes, as well as a brass brush designed for areas such as oven doors.

We loved the rarer accessories, too. These include an ingenious microfibre bonnet, designed to be slipped over the triangle tool, and the squeegee-style window tool – the latter typically has to be purchased separately, in our experience.

One aspect that deserves a special mention is the manual. Unlike many, which have encyclopaedia-like thicknesses and are filled with jargon, this one was easy to scan, with the information presented in a clear, concise way. It was a sign of things to come because this particular steam cleaner is all about ease of use.

We loved the integrated funnel, eliminating spills when we needed to top up the tank, and the generous length of the cable (2m) and hose (2m) allowed for plenty of manoeuvrability. To kickstart the heating process, we pressed a large, round button on the side. The button glows orange to indicate the heating process is underway, and turns green when the cleaner is ready to go.

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Given the reservoir’s larger size, we were slightly concerned by the manual’s warning that the light would occasionally revert to orange when water needed to be re-heated. Turns out we needn’t have worried, as during a rather lengthy cleaning session, it only briefly reverted to the orange “heating in progress” glow twice.

Surprisingly, we made full use of the accessories. The ones we used the most included the extension tool, making reaching awkward areas, such as car footwells, a breeze; the triangular tool, to which we added the microfibre bonnet when extra scrubbing power was needed; and the steam lance, which was great for accessing those tight corners that are often neglected.

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Absolutely every accessory has been incredibly well designed – there’s a reassuring sturdiness to the tools we’ve not seen with other steam cleaners. We were particularly impressed with the microfibre pads, which are typically the accessories used most. They’re incredibly easy to attach, and have just the right amount of thickness and underside grip – all too often the microfibre pads supplied with steam cleaners simply skim across the surface in question.

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We love Dupray’s steam cleaner (and we don’t say this regularly about many household appliances, trust us). It strikes the perfect balance between portability and usability. The main body of the steam cleaner is incredibly sleek, despite the fact it houses one of the largest water tanks we’ve come across. We were sceptical about the presence of 17 accessories, but their clever design meant we used every single one. In short? A brilliantly designed steam cleaner that’s ahead of its time – and puts every other steam cleaner we’ve tried to shame.