The best wallpaper strippers, compared.
Top pick: BLACK+DECKER KX3300T-GB Best value: Swiflee Bartoline kit, 500 ml – 500 ml Bartoline, a scraper, a sponge and gloves at about £13.99, the highest score per pound. Updated October 2026.
A wallpaper stripper on a UK shop shelf is either a diluted concentrate or a corded steamer that boils tap water and pushes steam through a plate. You buy one when warm water and a scraper have already failed. A steamer needs a UK 3-pin plug, a tank of about 4 litres, a hose that reaches a landing, a relief valve or boil-dry cut-out, and a short hold on the plate. A kit needs a named dilution, gloves that last, and a stiff scraper. The [wallpaper stripper buying guide](/hub/painting-supplies/wallpaper-stripper/sub/wallpaper-stripper-buying-guide) covers method, tank, hose and plate before the model names. B&Q puts a chemical stripper on a small area and a steamer on a large or stubborn one. A hire shop is a real one-off option. This comparison has no hire price, and it does not rank steamers that are not in the folder.
A wallpaper stripper on a UK shop shelf is either a diluted concentrate or a corded steamer that boils tap water and pushes steam through a plate. You buy one when warm water and a scraper have already failed.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
How much wallpaper are you taking off?
The BLACK+DECKER KX3300T-GB bullet says a 2,400 W motor, a 4 L tank, up to 60 minutes, a 3.6 m hose and a 3 m cable, at £39.99 with 4.6 from 4,917 reviews, the longest star line in this folder. Reviewers describe ordinary paper and some woodchip coming off faster than a sponge, with heat-up around 10 minutes and a large, light plate. Painted or silk-emulsion woodchip still needed scoring and a second pass, and one reviewer says painted paper did not steam well. Holding the plate too long cracked or blew plaster in the sample. A later spec block prints 12 Volts and 2,400 Amps beside that 2,400 W bullet, so those lines are not the supply you should plan for. The maker's UK page says 230 V and 2,400 W. One review says there is no off button, so the pad needs a bucket when you pause. Two reviews say the unit arrived looking used.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A whole hallway and landing of ordinary paper, if you can ignore the conflicting voltage lines and test a plaster patch first.
Less suitable: A buyer who needs the amazon spec block alone to show 230 V, or painted woodchip you will not score.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a 12 volt steamer?
The bullet says a 2,400 W motor and a 4 litre water tank. A later spec block prints 12 Volts and 2,400 Amps. Those lines conflict with the wattage bullet. The maker's UK page says 230 V and 2,400 W. The model is KX3300T-GB.
What safety features does the listing name?
The bullets name safety release valves and a boil-dry cut-out, plus onboard storage for the hose and steam plate. They do not name a small plate.
The Wagner SteamForce is a 2,000 W, 230 V steamer with a 4 L tank, a printed maximum of 70 minutes, and a 3.7 m hose, at £33.00 on the saved amazon.co.uk listing. Across 2,386 reviews at 4.5, writers describe a room taking about two hours instead of two days with a sponge, including woodchip and several layers. Heat-up in the sampled texts runs from about 3-4 minutes to about 12 minutes, so you should not treat that wait as one number. The listing has no on/off switch and no indicator light, and the title does not include a scraper or a small plate. Sampled faults include a hose broken on arrival, a connector that unscrewed while steaming, and a unit that blew fuses the day after it worked. The listing says you descale about every sixth use if the water is hard. In this folder it is the top pick at 89/100, because the voltage, tank, hose, and review count are all on the page, and that figure is not a laboratory test.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Several rooms of ordinary paper or woodchip where a 3.7 m hose matters and you already own a stripping knife.
Less suitable: A window reveal that needs a small plate, or a buyer who wants a switch on the tank.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the SteamForce include a small steam plate?
The title lists a 4 L tank, 70 minutes, a 3.7 m hose, 2,000 W and 230 V. It does not list a scraper or a small plate. The Plus listing is the one whose title adds those two items.
Is there an on/off switch?
The bullet says you plug it in and let it heat, and that no on/off switch is available. Reviews also mention the missing switch and the missing indicator light.
The Wagner SteamForce Plus prints the same 2,000 W, 230 V, 4 L tank, 70 minute claim and 3.7 m hose as the base SteamForce, at £34.99 with 4.4 from 1,139 reviews. The title adds a scraper and a small steam plate, which is the £1.99 difference in this folder. Reviewers who received the small plate used it in tight areas, and hard-water users kept the steamer going with filtered water and a descaler tablet. Several of the first 50 texts call the included scraper useless, and one says a pictured plate was not the small plate that arrived. The bullet still says there is no on/off switch. The extract also includes a hose thread that lets the hose come off, plastic that snapped at the hose joint on a second use, a broken leg on arrival, and one account of the unit setting on fire. The included-components field names only the stripper, so the title and that field do not match.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Reveals and sockets, if you want the small plate named in the title and you will bring your own knife.
Less suitable: Open walls where the base SteamForce's large plate is enough, or a buyer who needs the box list to match the title.
Specifications
Common questions
What does Plus add over the base SteamForce?
Both print 2,000 W, 230 V, 4 L, a 70 minute claim and a 3.7 m hose. The Plus title adds a scraper and a small steam plate. The included-components field on the Plus still names only the stripper.
Do the reviews accept the scraper in the box?
Several of the first 50 reviews call the included spatula useless and say they used a separate stripping knife. One review says a pictured plate was not the small plate that arrived.
The Draper Storm Force 08090 is a 230 V steamer with 2,000 W in the title, a 4 L tank, about 60 minutes of steam, about 10 minutes to heat, and a 3 m cool-touch hose, at £44.87 with 4.4 from 157 reviews. A bullet says the safety cut-out activates at 115°C. Reviewers praise steady steam that does not cut in and out, including a ceiling strip, and regular or layered paper that came off. Self-adhesive vinyl was less effective than regular paper in one review. The same extract records units that stopped heating after one area, after three days, on the third use, or after a living room and a bedroom. One heating element burnt out in six weeks and glowed orange before a breaker tripped. Another review says the supply flex falls out of the tank if it moves, and that the steamer cuts out to cool with the drum still half full. The box line names the steamer only, with no scraper and no small plate.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants 230 V and a stated 115°C cut-out on the listing, and will accept a 3 m hose.
Less suitable: Self-adhesive vinyl, or a job where an early element failure would stop the rooms.
Specifications
Common questions
What cut-out does the Draper listing print?
A bullet says a safety cut-out activates at 115°C. The same bullets say about 10 minutes to heat, a 4 L tank and about 60 minutes of steam, with a 3 m cool-touch hose.
Does the box include a scraper or a small plate?
The included-components field names the 230 V, 2,000 W steamer. The bullets do not list a scraper or a second plate.
The Swiflee and Co kit is 500 ml of Bartoline wallpaper stripper, a 6 inch scraper, a sponge and nitrile gloves, at £13.99, and it is not a steamer. On amazon.co.uk it sits at 4.1 from 84 reviews. One review diluted a quarter of the bottle in 4.5 L, waited 15 minutes, and pulled sheets from the top of a stair and landing. Other short texts say it does the job, and one writer preferred spraying the liquid to using the sponge. The scraper is the repeated complaint: it flexes, two reviewers bought a stronger blade, and one found burrs that cut a hand. Gloves are called very flimsy, and one pair split so the liquid touched skin. A few reviewers judged the solution no better than warm water once the paper was scored. In this folder it is the best value at 79/100, the highest score for the shelf price, for one wall rather than a whole house.
Pros
Cons
Best for: One stair, landing or single wall, if you will dilute the bottle and use your own knife.
Less suitable: Several rooms, painted woodchip, or anyone treating the included scraper as the only blade.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a steam wallpaper stripper?
No. The listing is a chemical kit: 500 ml Bartoline wallpaper stripper, a 6 inch scraper, a large sponge and nitrile gloves. There is no tank, hose or plug.
How was the bottle used in the reviews?
One review says a quarter of the bottle was diluted in 4.5 L of water, left for 15 minutes, then the paper was pulled. That is a review of the instruction, not a second specification.
The second Swiflee and Co kit is £18.99 with 4.1 from 25 reviews, and the listing does not agree with itself on what is in the box. The title says 2 x 500 ml, a bullet says 1 x 500 ml Bartoline, and the size field says 1 l, so this comparison does not decide the bottle count. The title says a 4 inch scraper and another bullet says 6 inch. Eight UK texts are in the file. Praise includes paper that slid off after a sponge and a short soak, sticky-back tiles after scoring and 20 minutes, and one reviewer who preferred the kit to an electric steamer. Other texts say it saved only a little time, that thick paper did not yield even when scored, and that the liquid was no better than hot water. The scraper is called no better than a normal wallpaper scraper. At £5 more than the 500 ml kit, with a thinner review sample and two unresolved contradictions, it is the weaker of the two chemical listings.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A shopper who can inspect the bottle count on arrival and needs a soak for a small scored area.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs the listing to settle one bottle or two before they pay.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this kit contain one bottle or two?
The title says 2 x 500 ml. A bullet says 1 x 500 ml Bartoline. The size field says 1 l (pack of 1) and the unit count says 1,000 ml. The listing does not settle it, and this page does not decide it.
What width is the scraper?
The title says a 4 inch scraper. Another bullet says a 6 inch stainless steel scraper. Both lines are in the same listing.
The green VLOXO WP002B title says 2,300 W, a 4.5 L tank, 70 minutes and a scraper, at £41.99 with 4.0 from 149 reviews. The technical table does not print a voltage, a fuse or a plug type, and one review says the unit arrived with the wrong adaptor. Included components name a hose, a safety cap and a steam plate, which is clearer than the blue listing of the same model number. English reviews describe painted wallpaper, woodchip and multi-layer paper lifting once steam was up, with heat-up often around the printed 15 minutes. One review got about 30 minutes and slow heat, against the 70 minute claim. Repeated faults include water that heated but sent no steam to the plate, units that stopped after about 15 hours, one day or a month, fuses that kept blowing, water leaking through the power supply, and a hose that broke after a couple of hours. There is no printed on/off switch, so you unplug to stop.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who has already confirmed a UK 3-pin plug on the unit in hand, and wants the 4.5 L tank.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a printed voltage, or a steamer whose reviews do not cluster around early stoppages.
Specifications
Common questions
What voltage is printed for the green VLOXO?
The title says 2,300 W. The technical table does not print volts, a fuse or a plug type. One review says the unit arrived with the wrong adaptor. This page does not invent a voltage.
How does this differ from the blue VLOXO?
Both print model WP002B, 2,300 W, 4.5 L and a 70 minute claim. This file is green, £41.99, 2.59 kg, and lists a hose, safety cap and steam plate. The blue file is a different ASIN and its components field says only Wallpaper Steamer.
The blue VLOXO WP002B uses the same model number and the same title claims as the green listing: 2,300 W, 4.5 L, 70 minutes and a scraper, at £45.99 with 3.9 from 148 reviews. The included-components field says only Wallpaper Steamer, so a hose, a safety cap and a steam plate are not in this file even though the green file names them. Voltage is not printed. Many of the first 50 review texts are in French, German, Spanish or Italian, so the 148 count is not 148 UK write-ups. English comments in the file include woodchip that came off, a flimsy hose connection, and a level mark that is hard to see. The wider extract, including those non-English texts, repeats units that stopped after one or two uses, a hose joint that failed, and heavy dripping with little steam. You pay more than the green WP002B in this folder and get a vaguer box line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Nobody, until you have confirmed a UK plug and a box that actually contains the hose and plate.
Less suitable: A buyer choosing between the two WP002B colours on the box line alone, or anyone who wants UK review texts behind the star line.
Specifications
Common questions
What is actually listed in the box?
The included-components field says Wallpaper Steamer. The title also says a wallpaper scraper. Hose, safety cap and steam plate are not in this file's component line. The green WP002B listing names those three.
Are the star ratings only from UK reviews?
The star line is 3.9 from 148 on the amazon.co.uk listing. Many of the first 50 review texts in the file are in French, German, Spanish or Italian, so that count is not a set of 148 UK write-ups.
Scores use the eight amazon.co.uk listings kept after the category-fit check on 16 October 2026. Scrapers sold alone, scoring tools and strippable adhesive were removed and are not scored. Each score is out of 100. This is not a laboratory test, and it does not rank a hire shop or a steamer that is not in the folder.
Star line
40%The base is the amazon.co.uk stars divided by 5, times 32, with halves rounded upward. Add 8 at 1,000 reviews or more, add 4 at 100 to 999, and subtract 4 at 10 to 49.
What the listing prints
30%Up to 10 points for a clear supply or a clear bottle, up to 10 for capacity or the tools in the box, and up to 10 for a hose length plus a named safety line. A kit scores 10 on the bottle when Bartoline and one size are printed, and 4 when the title, a bullet and the size field disagree.
Shelf price in this folder
15%Start at 15 for £13.99. Subtract the amount above £13.99 divided by 4, with halves rounded upward. The floor is 3. The best value is the highest score per pound, on a different product from the top pick.
Limits in the reviews
15%A large sample that praises the job, and complains about a missing switch or a connector, scores higher than early stoppages, a weak scraper, or a star line whose sampled texts are not UK English.
A wallpaper stripper is a diluted concentrate or a corded steamer. Match the method to the size of the job, then check the plug, the tank, the hose and the plate.
A wallpaper stripper in a UK shop is either a chemical concentrate you dilute, or a corded steamer that boils tap water and pushes steam through a plate. People buy one when warm water and a scraper have already failed. B&Q puts a chemical stripper on a small area and a steamer on a large or stubborn one. A hire shop is a real one-off option. This comparison has no hire price, and it does not rank steamers that are not in the folder. The paper decides the first step.
Vinyl, washable and painted paper need a score before a soak or steam. Bartoline says so for washable paper. Wickes says steam will not cross an unscored sealed face.
Wickes says excessive steam softens plasterboard, so do not leave the plate in one spot. Try no longer than about 30 seconds, then adjust. B&Q's first trial is about 10 seconds. Those are two sources, not one timer.
Wagner says wait at least two minutes before the filler cap comes off, and to put water only in the tank. Electrical Safety First wants a UK 3-pin plug, not a travel adaptor, and says to unplug before a refill.
The first choice is the method. B&Q puts a chemical stripper on a small area and a steamer on a large or stubborn one. One stair or a single wall can use the 500 ml kit. Several rooms are the steamer job. Hire exists as a one-off. This folder has no hire price. The paper comes next. Score vinyl, washable and painted faces first. Bartoline says so for washable paper. Wickes says steam will not cross an unscored sealed face. Then the wall.
UK mains are 230 V. Electrical Safety First wants a UK 3-pin plug, not a travel adaptor, and says to cover sockets, open windows, unplug before a refill, and stop if you smell burning or a breaker trips. A 2,000 to 2,400 W steamer matches their 13 A fuse band, about 700 to 3,000 W. Add an RCD plug if the consumer unit has none. The Health and Safety Executive treats that RCD as extra protection only. These steamers print 4 litres or 4.5 litres and a claimed 60 or 70 minutes.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are stripping ordinary paper or woodchip across more than one room, and you want 230 V and a long hose printed on the listing. The Wagner SteamForce is about £33, with 4.5 from 2,386 reviews, 2,000 W, a 4 litre tank and a 3.7 m hose. There is no switch and no small plate. Bring your own knife.
You have one stair, landing or single wall, and warm water has already failed. The 500 ml Bartoline kit is about £13.99, with 4.1 from 84 reviews, a sponge and gloves. It is the best value in this folder. The included scraper flexes, so use your own knife. It is not a steamer.
You need a small plate for a window reveal or a socket, and you will check the title for it. The SteamForce Plus prints the same 2,000 W, 230 V, 4 litre tank and 3.7 m hose, at about £34.99, and the title adds a scraper and a small plate. Reviewers who received the plate used it in tight areas. Several called the included scraper useless.
The top pick is the Wagner SteamForce at about £33, with 4.5 from 2,386 reviews. The listing prints 2,000 W, 230 V, a 4 litre tank, a 70 minute claim and a 3.7 m hose. The large review sample is about the job being done, with complaints about the missing switch, and the title has no scraper and no small plate. The best value is the 500 ml Bartoline kit at about £13.99, with 4.1 from 84 reviews, the highest score per pound, for one wall if you bring your own knife. The SteamForce Plus adds a small plate in the title at £34.99. The second Swiflee kit does not agree with itself on one bottle or two.
Swiflee Bartoline kit, 500 ml
500 ml Bartoline, a scraper, a sponge and gloves at about £13.99, the highest score per pound.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources on plugs, fuses, steam, dilution and plasterboard. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in the eight listings, snapshot 16 October 2026. Prices move.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores use the star line, what the listing prints, the shelf price in this folder and the limits in the review extract. They are not a laboratory test.
