I Tested Steam Mops in My Kitchen for 3 Months. These Were My Favorites

This all-in-one cleaner from Tineco has lots of bells and whistles. It’s easy to set up and easy to use, though I had to read the instructions a few times to make sure I understood all the different modes and options. Press the power button and it’ll start up in Auto mode, which detects how dirty the floor is and automatically adjusts steam output as needed. Use Steam Mode to deep clean, and Boost mode for stubborn spots and stains. Using the companion smartphone app, which requires 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, you can also put your mop into suction-only mode for dry vacuuming—which is handy when you accidentally spill half a bag full of coffee grounds on the floor. The companion app can also let you know the status of your mop’s charge, and help walk you through any errors. It’ll also track how often you clean, if you want that feature for some reason.

The mop has two water tanks—one for dirty water, one for clean—and you can fill it up with water or Tineco’s cleaning solution. (I haven’t tried this solution, but the manufacturer recommends that you use its product and not one from a different company.) It left my floors drier than any other mop I’ve tried thus far. When you’re done cleaning, you can return it to the included charging dock to top off the battery and enter self-cleaning mode. This mode is loud and it takes a few minutes, but it washes and dries the brush roll and moves everything to the dirty water tank. Rinse out the dry filter, rinse out the dirty water tank, and your mop will be sparkling clean. There’s even storage for the dry filter and brush roll on the charging dock.

In addition to the various modes, this steam mop has a neat ring light around its display that moves from red (dirty) through purple and finally blue (when the section of the floor you’re on is clean). That, combined with the built-in lights on the mop head, helps ensure you never miss a spot. This mop is also self-propelled, which is a blessing and a curse since the machine is on the heavier side—I found it was easiest to turn it off by pressing the button, rather than trying to stand it fully upright. If you’re taller or stronger, this may not be an issue. I also wish the battery charged up faster—it takes four or five hours, and the battery can die quickly depending on what mode you’re using the most and how big the cleaning area is. I also wish the battery was replaceable. And similarly to the Shark model recommended above, this Tineco doesn’t have fantastic edge support—you might have to do some manual cleaning around corners and baseboards.

Finally, this mop has a voice that will proudly announce the cleaning mode you’re in, when the tank needs to be cleaned, and more. You can turn this voice feature off if it annoys you. I liked having it on, but sometimes it would tell me something during the middle of the cleaning process, and I couldn’t understand it over the noise of the machine itself. That’s not a detriment, just a quirk. If you’re looking for a steam mop that will bust through even the grossest of messes, this is the one you want.