I took the Dupray Neat steam cleaner out for a spin around the house to see if it could tackle a range of icky cleaning jobs.
Unlike most of the best steam cleaners that have an upright, steam mop design, usually designed for floors, the Neat steam cleaner is a portable cube that you can pull along, leaving you with just the lightweight attachment to hold.
Thanks to my young kids and cat, there’s never a shortage of cleaning so I took the Neat steam cleaner through its paces. I also took in the practicalities like its size, storage, accessories, quality and value for money, as well as its cleaning performance.
Dupray Neat steam cleaner product specs
- Capacity: 1600 ml
- Power: 1500 W
- Cord length: 5 m
- Voltage: 230 V
- Dimensions: 26 x 26 x 24 cm
- Weight: 4 kg
- Accessories included (17): 1x floor tool, 1x steam lance, 1x triangle tool, 1x window tool, 2x extension tubes, 1x brass brush, 5x nylon brushes, 3x microfibre pads, 1x microfibre cloth, 1 x microfibre bonnet
The Dupray Neat is a multi-use steam cleaner so it’s perfect for anyone wanting to clean the house from top to bottom. As with any new cleaning gadget, I found myself cleaning more than I’d planned but found it was a faster experience.
As one of the only steam cleaners proven to kill bed bugs, it's a powerful cleaning tool that can clean your house well, and chemical-free.
Unboxing the Dupray Neat steam cleaner
The Neat steam cleaner came in quite a large box but upon opening, I was pleasantly surprised that it was compact, relatively lightweight and faff-free, with its large power button, ergonomic handle and cube shape.
All the accessories were neatly packaged in their own little box, which made it simpler to get it up and running without a ton of packaging to wrestle with.
Setting up the Dupray Neat steam cleaner
There's not much setting up involved with the Neat steam cleaner as it comes assembled and the attachments clip together nicely to the hose, with minimal effort involved. I filled the huge 1200ml tank first, situated on the top of the cube, which Dupray advised filling with distilled water to avoid clogging the system. It took a few jugs of water to fill it, especially since it has quite a small inlet.
I started using the floor head first which can be easily connected to the hose and fitted one of the included microfibre pads. I plugged it in, switched it on and realised I had to wait eight minutes for it to heat up. The power button starts out orange while it's boiling up and once it's at optimum temperature the light turns green.
What is it like to use?
The power cord is a little on the short side at 5m, but then the hose adds another 2m plus the reach of the two-part tube. So I found I could plug it in a distance away and happily clean without switching the plug out.
When changing the attachments, there were plenty of warnings on the tube to avoid connecting them when the unit is in use which makes it a little frustrating when you want to do more than one surface at a time, as you have to wait for the machine to power back up again after it's been turned off.
If you need to refill, Dupray recommends you let all the steam out through the hose and wait 20 minutes for the unit to cool down before attempting to open the boiler cap. Not the best when you're on a cleaning spree but this is to avoid burns from the escaping steam.
The unit produces a lot of steam and a trigger under your finger controls it, which can be locked to keep the steam on constantly or to keep the steam off for safety (as a child lock or while you’re changing tools).
Steam cleaning the floor
I tested the Neat steam cleaner on our bathroom tiles first as I've had a stubborn discolouration for quite some time and thought it was as good a place as any to test out its steam credentials.
In short, it was great on tiles and lifted some, if not most of the discolouration. Considering it hadn't been tackled in quite some time, it made a noticeable difference after a few minutes of steaming. I then tackled it with the scrubbing tool and it lifted it which I was pathetically thrilled about. The tiled floor took minutes to dry because of the powerful steam delivering a lot of water.
I also tried the steam mop head on our wooden floorboards which are sealed (Dupray recommend you only use the powerful steam on sealed floors and not untreated hardwood to avoid warping and damage.)
This is where a controllable steam dial might have come in handy as I was slightly concerned about damaging the delicate wood. It did make me consult our guide to other things I shouldn't clean with a steam cleaner to make doubly sure that I didn't accidentally damage any other surface.
Steam cleaning by hand
I switched out the floorhead for the triangular tool with the microfibre bonnet to clean our lovely Loaf sofa. It worked well to refresh the cotton velvet and lift the dried-in stains left by mucky paws (human and animal.)
I then tackled the kids' chairs which are even muckier with dried-in stains galore. I have to say, it made light work of these and blasted off the stains without a great deal of effort at all.
Another job I have been excited to tackle is our front door lock. It's the original 1860s lock and I've been meaning to scrub it for some time but just kept putting it off. I used the nylon brush attachment to lift undercoat paint splatters and lightly refresh the brass and it came up beautifully. While there I cleaned up the door threshold which also got paint splatters and that also cleaned very easily.
The one thing I did notice when I was going around doing these odd jobs, is that there isn't anywhere to store the different attachments on the unit itself, like the Polti for example.
I was carrying them around to each area I was cleaning which wasn't overly annoying but it would be handy to have onboard storage for putting away at the end of the day.
What's it like to clean?
The microfibre pads and bonnet (triangle tool cover) are machine washable and the rest of the cleaner and the tools barely need a wipe.
To empty the water is another story. It's not overly easy to tip out the remaining water into the sink because of its shape and the inlet but Dupray recommends emptying it by expelling all the steam through the hose instead, which worked well.
Dupray discourages using any anti-calc substances to help reduce buildup, due to safety concerns when using the product. Hence why they recommend you use distilled water in the first place to avoid deposit buildup.
Storing the Dupray Neat steam cleaner
Shaped like a cube, it does take up a little more floor space in my utility room than the steam mop I have. But the cube's clever design ensures it’s kept tidy when stored away in a cupboard. Without any designated area to keep the accessories onboard though, I've resorted to putting them all in a bag beside it, with the hope that everything stays together.
The one big niggle I do have is the power cord storage. it's situated on the underside of the cube which is actually not that handy. It improves the look of the slick-looking cube but from a practical point of view, it would be so much easier if it was situated on the side of the unit.
Should you buy the Dupray Neat steam cleaner?
If you want a steam cleaner that can do it all and then some, Dupray's Neat steam cleaner is a great choice. It cleans really well - so much so, that I found myself embarking on a cleaning frenzy. Once I started cleaning, I literally couldn't stop, which is a good sign for someone who is a self-professed cleaning-phobic. The large water capacity let me go on for quite a while without needing a refill.
It's simple to use, the set-up was minimal and the steam is powerful. However, a few things I feel let it down include a lack of steam control dial, onboard storage and the time it takes to heat up and cool down. These are minor niggles though as I feel its cleaning power trumps everything else.
How does it compare to similar steam cleaners?
Compared to other cylinder-style steam cleaners, the Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner performs just as well as the best of them. However, it is on the pricier end of the scale because of its professional cleaning capabilities.
If you're looking for a similar style but with onboard storage and a controllable steam dial, the Polti Vaporetto Smart 100_B PTGB0077 might be the one for you. Or if you're wondering which is best, a steam cleaner or a steam mop, then I’d recommend the top-rated Vax Steam Fresh Combi, which has the best of both worlds, is more reasonably priced, enjoyable to use and super versatile.
About the review, and our reviewer
Jenny McFarlane is Senior Digital Editor for Ideal Home and has been writing for Ideal Home and other homes titles for many years. She’s a design obsessive, an avid collector of homeware (much to her husband's despair), and a lover of period properties.
She was sent the Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner to test in her Belfast home she's only just moved into, to find out how well it performs across various floor types and surfaces and how well it copes with busy family life, and her black and white cat's many adventures.
As with all our reviews the Neat steam cleaner has been tested first-hand in our homes, using it just as you would so you know exactly what you are buying. The products are given to us free of charge and we test them for as long as possible before sending them back to the brand unless we are able to keep them as we are with this steam cleaner. This means that we can continue to use the product which allows us to return to our reviews for updating, so you can keep up-to-date with how it's fared over a period of time.
