Best Steam Mops of 2024 - Consumer Reports

Oct 26, 2024

CR’s tests reveal ordinary squeeze mops provide a better clean, but steam mops are faster and more convenient

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Steam mops provide a faster, more convenient way to clean tile floors than ordinary squeeze mops. You press a button that heats water from a refillable tank to create steam, then move the mop over your floor. The steam evaporates quickly, leaving you with streak-free, dry floors.

But our tests have shown that, while easy to use, not all steam mops clean very well.

Below, you can read reviews of five of the top steam mops from our tests, listed in alphabetical order, plus the worst. You can also use our steam mop buying guide to get a sense of which features are helpful, and CR members can check out more options in our complete steam mop ratings.

For other cleaning jobs, we test and rate vacuums and carpet cleaners. And to find out what cleaner works best on smaller jobs, check out our face-off between the Bissell Little Green carpet and upholstery cleaners and Resolve sprays.

The top steam mops in our ratings all do a strong job at cleaning stains, have a good steam rate, and are easy to use. Most feature a ready light, which indicates to the user when the steam has reached the optimal temperature and is ready for use.

Bissell Power Steamer 2685A

The Bissell Power Steamer 2685A proves excellent at cleaning soiled tile and produces a steady head of steam, rating very well in both that test and our convenience tests. It has two steam levels, a generous 25-foot cord, and an indicator light that shows it’s ready for use.

Bissell PowerFresh 2-in-1 2814

The Bissell PowerFresh 2-in-1 2814 does an excellent job cleaning tile but lost some ground on convenience, where we gave it a mediocre score. Its steam rate is also middling. At 16 feet, its cord is a bit short, and it offers only one steam level. That said, it does have a handy indicator light, and at 6 pounds filled, it’s lighter than most models we tested.

Bissell PowerFresh Slim 2075A

Best for those with a range of cleaning needs, the Bissell PowerFresh Slim comes with four mop heads (two large heads for floor cleaning and two small ones for use with the attachments). In our tests, it does an excellent job of cleaning various stains off ceramic tiles and has a very good steam rate. It has a 25-foot cord, which makes it easier to maneuver, and a ready indicator light. But our testers note that it doesn’t provide an easy way to wrap the cord for storage when you’re done. Like the other Bissell models, this one includes a two-year warranty for repair and replacement.

PurSteam 10-in-1 Therma Pro 211

Our testers give the affordable PurSteam 10-in-1 Therma Pro 211 a top score for cleaning and a very good score for steam production. It slips a bit on convenience—its cord is just 16 feet long, and it lacks a ready indicator light. But it’s light (just 6 pounds when filled) and among the less expensive models in our ratings.

Tineco Floor One S5

The Tineco Floor One S5 earns the top spot for steam mops we’ve rated. The mop aces all our tests for cleaning and steam rate, and gets very good marks for convenience as well. This model is very easy to use, delivering 20 minutes of cleaning time and heating up in 23 seconds. The mop includes a 27-foot cord, the longest cord length in our ratings, which makes it easy to clean hard-to-reach areas.

The Lowest-Rated Steam MopThe lowest-rated steam mops in our ratings are hard to use and leave a considerable amount of debris in our tests. Here’s the worst offender.

The Shark Steam Pocket S3501 is at the very bottom of our steam mop ratings because it does a poor cleaning job and has a subpar steam rate. It’s the only mop we tested that lacks a motorized pump, which means you have to constantly pump the handle yourself to create steam. Because of this, our testers gave the model a mediocre score for convenience.

How CR Tests Steam MopsTo test how well a steam mop cleans, CR’s engineers apply a mess of ketchup, mustard, and jam to ceramic tiles. After that dries, we take photos, and then a machine pushes the steam mop over each tile in 10 even back-and-forth strokes. We use photo-imaging software to see precisely how much soil was removed.

For comparison, we also put the ordinary squeeze mop to the test, evaluating its cleaning and convenience ability with hot tap water. And guess what: The low-tech squeeze mop cleaned our floors better than all the steam mops we’ve tested. But a traditional mop is a lot of work. It requires a bucket of hot water, and you have to squeeze out the dirty sponge periodically, which may be unappealing.

Mary H.J. Farrell

As a senior editor at Consumer Reports for more than 15 years, Mary H.J. Farrell reported on all manner of vacuums and cookware, as well as microwaves, mixers, freezers, and fans. Starting in the mid-1990s, she held senior positions at People.com, MSNBC, and Ladies’ Home Journal. One of her earliest jobs was at Good Housekeeping.