Introduction
A kitchen is a messy place. Through the pasta sauce spills, orange juice overflowing, and dirt tracked in from work boots, your kitchen floor can look like it’s actually an outdoor patio. Traditional mops require a large amount of manpower and time to tackle tough cleaning jobs. Steam mops use heated water to blast through tough stains on your kitchen floor and get them sparkling.
Steam mops might all look the same, but a select few are better suited for your cleaning needs than others. Most importantly, look for steam mops that allow you to adjust the amount of steam being output onto the floor. This allows you to use more water when you need it and save water when you don’t, which reduces the amount of times you have to refill the tank.
Brands
Our Top 5 Picks for Steam Mops
When refilling the tank, it’s extra helpful to have a steam cleaner that offers easy detachment. Most quality steam cleaners have a simple button to press which releases the tank, making refilling incredibly easy. Having a long cord on your steam mop will allow you the distance to clean your entire floor, while a rotating or swiveling head will allow you to get under cabinets and into corners.
An added bonus to your steam mop purchase is one that comes with a stand. This allows the mop to stand upright while heating and cooling, and allows any excess water to drip and not create a puddle on your kitchen floor.
We know you’re tired of your traditional mop and bucket strategy. So we’ve compiled a list of the best steam mops we could from Amazon.com, as a buyer guide for you.
BISSELL PowerFresh Steam Mop, 1940 Review
Our Review
Right off the bat, the Bissell Powerfresh Steam Mop sports some great features. With Bissel’s SmartSet Steam Control technology, you can set the density of the steam to tackle anything from a spill from this morning to a month-old caked-on stain. The Easy Scrubber flips down to get those into those grout lines and crevices, while the low-profile mop head easily navigates under tables and kitchen cabinets.
An easy-to-remove water tank allows you to smoothly fill up at the sink, and a 23-foot power cord makes moving around the surface a breeze. At its highest setting with a full tank, the Bissell Powerfresh steam mop can clean continuously for about 15 minutes, which is a considerable amount of time if you set it to less steam.
As an added bonus, the Bissel Powerfresh has easily inserting fragrance disks that give you a fresh clean scent while you mop your floor (thus the name “Powerfresh”).
The only problem with the Powerfresh Steam Mop is that the flip-over scrubber is a little lacking. It’s not big enough to really get down into most grout lines, and forces you to use your foot to press it the rest of the way into the crevice. Still, this is a minor problem.
Pros
- Variable Steam Control
- Flip-over scrubber for grout lines and crevices
- Low-profile mop head for easy navigation
- Removable water tank
- 23ft. power cord
- Easy-insert fragrance disks
- Lasts about 15 minutes on highest setting
- Tap water friendly
Cons
- Flip-over scrubber is a little short, requiring you to press down with your foot to really get in there
Final Word
The BISSELL Powerfresh Steam Mop is the number-one rated steam mop on Amazon.com for a reason. It cleans great, is easy to use, and has the most desirable features a steam mop can have. For your money, it’s probably the best steam mop you can buy.
BISSELL PowerEdge Steam Mop, 20781 Review
Our Review
The Bissel PowerEdge Steam Mop is a powerful steam cleaning tool that comes with two different cleaning pads to clean anything you need it to. The soft cleaning pad coupled with the harder pad with built-in scrubbers are both machine washable. The triangle mop head allows you to easily navigate in and out of corners, allowing you to clean the entire room.
Unfortunately, the mop does not deliver constant steam. Instead, you hold down a button to create a continuous flow. This helps you save water where you might not need it, but if you’re cleaning the entire floor, after a while it can cause hand cramping. Also, the power cord is a bit short, which may require you to unplug and plug back in several times depending on how big your room is.
Pros
- 2 machine-washable cleaning pads (one soft, and one with built-in scrubbers)
- Removable water tank
- Tap water friendly
- Easily assembled
- Short warm-up time
- Swiveling triangle mop head to easily get in to corners
Cons
- Does not deliver constant steam
- Short power cord
Final Word
The Bissell PowerEdge Steam Mop will clean your floor, and pushing the button only when you need steam will help you save water. The 2 mop heads are both machine washable, which is really nice, and the triangle head is great on corners.
BISSELL Symphony Vacuum and Steam Mop, 1132A Review
Our Review
The Bissell 1132A Symphony Vacuum and Steam Mop is an engineering marvel. Instead of buying two separate machines, one for vacuuming and one for mopping, the All-in-One squishes them both together. Easy Touch Digital Controls allow you to choose between vacuuming, steam mopping, or both at the same time, allowing you to save an extraordinary amount of time when cleaning your hard surfaces. It comes equipped with a long power cord to move about your room with ease and get to every corner of your room.
The Symphony Vacuum and Steam Mop is packaged with 4 mop pads; 2 mops heads are soft and 2 have hard scrubbing patches attached to them. All 4 pads are easily washable. The 13 ounce tank for distilled water allows for about 15 minutes of continuous steaming. The steam mop itself takes about a minute to put together right out of the box, and about 60 seconds to heat up for the first time. By properly following the instructions, the heat up time is reduced to 30 seconds each subsequent time.
The problem with the Bissell 1132A Symphony is that you can’t actually turn it off. Instead of an on/off button, the All-in-One start working as soon as you plug it in. That means that when you are finished cleaning, you have to walk all the way back to the plug and unplug it (not doing so and letting it sit there might be a safety hazard).
Even though the water tank is sizeable, it’s a bit difficult to take out. Not impossible, but it may take some hard, labored squeezing to get it out. Unfortunately, the Symphony Vacuum and Steam Mop is recommend to only take distilled water. Continuous use of tap water from a faucet will gradually reduce the overall effectiveness of the steam over time, causing it to get less and less hot. Lastly, it is not effective on unsealed grout, but isn’t billed to be either.
Pros
- Steam cleans AND vacuums (at the same time!)
- Long power cord (23ft)
- 4 mop pads (2 soft and 2 scrubbers)
- 13 ounce tank for about 15 minutes of steaming
- Quick set-up time
Cons
- No on/off button (if it’s plugged in, it’s on)
- Hard to remove water tank
- Distilled water highly recommended (in fact, mostly necessary)
- Not effective on unsealed grout
Final Word
The Bissell 1132A Symphony is a great steam mop that allows you to vacuum your hard floor and steam it at the same time. The large tank and long cord make stopping mid-cleaning a non-issue, and the 4 mop heads are easily cleanable and usable for almost every situation.
Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop, S3601 Review
Our Review
The Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop is a generally “ok” steam mop. The two-sided steam pocket pads are an amazing piece of steam mop technology, allowing you to clean on one side of the pad, then use the swivel head to clean with the other side. This reduces your overall clean time by a lot, allowing you to do twice the work in the same amount of time. Both pads are washable, letting you use them over and over again.
The Pocket Mop comes standard with adjustable steam control; dust, mop, and scrub. Use the lightest setting to give your floors a once over, and the heaviest to clean up those stains. The 2 quick release mop heads and easy to change out, giving you dual-cleaning options. The rectangular head gets around and under tables and cabinets, while the triangular head gets deep into those corners. It heats up relatively quickly and comes with a long power cord to easily navigate the entirety of the floor you want to clean.
Compared to other models, the Pocket Mop is slightly more expensive than its competitors with no real extra features. On top of that, it seems to have slightly less cleaning power than its competitors as well. A dried spill that was cleaned up easily with another steam mop might take a few or more tries with the Pocket Mop, even on the highest setting.
Pros
- 2 sided mop head cleaning
- Adjustable steam control
- 2 quick release mop heads (one rectangle and one triangle)
- Washable microfiber cleaning pads
- Heats up quickly
- Long power cord
Cons
- Slightly less cleaning power than other steam mops
- Slightly more expensive than competitors
Final Word
The Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop slightly pales in comparison to other steam mops. It is priced slightly above its competitors and has slightly less cleaning power. It does come with nice features, like variable steam control and easily switchable mop heads, but if the mop doesn’t clean as well, they’re almost useless.
Shark Lift-Away Pro Steam Pocket Mop, S3973D Review
Our Review
The Shark Lift Away Professional Steam Pocket Mop is very similar to the Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop. The Lift Away features the ability to flip over and clean with both sides of the mop head, drastically reducing your cleaning time. It comes equipped with adjustable steam control, allowing you to choose how much steam is actually output onto the floor. The microfiber pads are washable and will last several strenuous cleanings.
The key feature of the Lift Away is the removable handheld steamer. By pressing a button, the steam cleaning ability becomes instantly more portable, allowing you to carry it around the house and steam clean above the floor. It’s rated for use on above floor surfaces, garments, and upholstery. This is a great feature with a lot of usability around the house.
The Lift Away still suffers from the problem of slightly less cleaning power. It can take several tries to get a relatively fresh spot cleaned on your floor. The good thing is it’s priced at around the same as the Steam Pocket Mop, so you get the usability of the flip-over heads AND the removable handheld steamer.
Pros
- Removable handheld steamer
- 2 sided mop head cleaning
- Adjustable steam control
- Washable microfiber cleaning pads
- Heats up quickly
- Long power cord
Cons
- Slightly less cleaning power than other steam mops
- Slightly more expensive than competitors
Final Word
The removable handheld steamer is a great addition to your cleaning arsenal. The handheld steamer offers an entire new way to clean other surfaces and items around your house. Unfortunately the overall cleaning power of the mop is underwhelming compared to competitors. Steam cleaning is the ultimate way to get your hard floors clean in half the time as a mop and bucket. These are the best steam mop reviews we could assemble, so now it’s up to you to pick yours out and get the fresh, sparkly floors your house deserves. Now get cleaning!
Last Updated: 12th Dec, 2020
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