11 Top-Rated Steam Mops That Will Cut Your Cleaning Time in Half

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If you want to minimize the time and effort it takes to complete one of the most dreaded chores known to man—yes, mopping—then you should consider adding a steam mop to your collection of cleaning supplies, pronto. We're not exaggerating about the "most dreaded chore" part; a 2018 survey reported that 20 percent of Americans have listed mopping as the bane of their household jobs list.

There's certainly a lot to miss from the days of yore, but having to get on your hands and knees to scrub the floors definitely isn't one of them. Thankfully, modern technology advancements in home appliances have made the cleaning game easier. Although you might not be jumping for joy at the thought of cleaning your floors, a good steam mop is guaranteed to change the way you view this task forever.

Benefits of a Steam Mop

With all the benefits a steam mop can provide, chances are, you'll never want to go back to a regular old mop and bucket after you give it a try. Once you fill a regular bucket with hot water, it immediately starts getting cold and losing its disinfecting and sanitizing properties—not to mention, it often gets dirty after the first mop rinse. A steam mop, on the other hand, retains its heat, so it always stays at the optimal temperature to disinfect floors. Thanks to this, you'll never have to use harsh chemicals with overpowering scents—which aren't ideal for use around kids, pets, or anyone with allergies—to make sure your floors are as clean as possible.

Another plus is that the high temperatures a steam mop reaches lift tough stains without requiring extra scrubbing, providing a deep clean for even the yuckiest of bathroom floors. It also gets them spick and span in a fraction of the time because it eliminates the need to stop, re-soak, strain, scrub, and repeat. With a trusty steam mop in hand, you just pass over the whole floor once, and voilà.

And since floors dry pretty much instantaneously with a steam mop, you won't have to wait eons before you can walk on the freshly cleaned floor. You'll never need to empty out grimy mop water, either, which equals less contact with dirt all around!

How to Use a Steam Mop

Although the instructions may vary slightly from model to model, using a steam mop is super easy. Just fill up the steam tank with water, replace the mop cloth—available in disposable, or the more eco- and pocket-friendly reusable wipes—plug it in, and you're good to go. Scrubbing is limited to extremely stubborn, stuck-on stains, but if anything can get rid of those, it's a good steam mop.

Now that you know why a steam mop tops a regular mop in more ways than one, we found 11 of the best—from trusted brands like Bissell, Shark, and O-Cedar—that'll make cleaning your home a breeze.

• Best Rated: PurSteam Steam Mop Cleaner

• Best Easy-to-Use: Shark Genius Steam Pocket Mop System

• Most Versatile: Bissell 3-in-1 Power Steam Mop

• Best for Pets: Bissell Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Steam Vacuum Cleaner

• Best Heavy-Duty: Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner

• Best All-In-One: Light 'N' Easy Multifunctional Steam Mop with Detachable Handheld Unit

• Best Affordable: Shark Handheld Cleaners Steam Mop

• Best for Hardwood Floors: Reliable Steamboy Pro Floor Mop

• Best Scrubbing: Shark Steam and Scrub Mop

• Best Lightweight: O-Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop

• Best Vacuum: Bissell PowerFresh Vacuum and Steam Mop

Best Rated: PurSteam Steam Mop Cleaner

This popular floor cleaner is one of Amazon's best-selling steam mops. Over 11,000 people have given it a five-star review, and even more have left it a five-star rating. "Cleaning my floors is no longer a dreaded chore," wrote one reviewer.

Perhaps it's the fact that it includes a built-in handheld steam cleaner for small messes, or that it comes with multiple attachments, so you can get the wrinkles out of clothing, polish glass, clean grout, and shine windows. It's safe to use on hardwood, tile, marble, ceramic, porcelain, and even carpeted floors, and it offers three cleaning modes to give you control of how much steam comes out. For well under $100, the versatile steam cleaner comes at a reasonable price.

Best Easy-to-Use: Shark Genius Steam Pocket Mop System

When you're done cleaning the floor with the Shark, you simply press a button, and the dirty mop cloth gets released directly into the washing machine or laundry hamper—meaning you don't need to have any direct contact with grime and dirt. This hands-free model also has a steam blaster option for tough spots, getting rid of them with almost zero effort on your part.

Thousands of reviewers seem to agree that this Shark model is lightweight and easy to use. One of the many five-star reviews reads, "I just had shoulder surgery and carpal tunnel surgery, this is the perfect steam mop. It has made my life so much easier. There's no fighting with the pads to put them on or take them off. Plus, I don't have to touch the dirty ones afterwards."

Most Versatile: Bissell 3-in-1 Power Steam Mop

If you're looking for a do-it-all steam mop, this model from Bissel has you covered. Designed for indoor and outdoor cleaning tasks, it comes with 25 accessories, including a handheld steam cleaner, an extension wand, and an assortment of brush heads and nozzles. The tool is powerful enough to rid garages, boats, cars, and decks of dust, grease, and mold, but it's also a suitable option for everyday stains and dirt inside the house.

Thousands of shoppers have given it a five-star rating on Amazon, and while some use it for heavy-duty outdoor cleaning, others simply find it to be a good replacement for less powerful mops. "The Swiffer Wet Jet just wasn't cutting it," according to a reviewer. "So after reading many reviews on this product, I decided to purchase it last week. Holy Cow! It is amazing!"

Best for Pets: Bissell Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Steam Vacuum Cleaner

This pet-friendly steam mop doubles as a vacuum cleaner to help you tackle dirty floors with just one device. It comes with disposable pads for pet messes better left in the trash, as well as washable microfiber pads for lighter cleanups that you can reuse again and again. Along with the cleaning pads, the steam mop offers a powerful vacuum machine to remove pet hair and debris from hardwood, ceramic, granite, marble, and linoleum floors.

With over 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon, the two-in-one steam mop clearly impresses. "Being able to suck up all the dog hair and dirt while steam mopping is seriously the best thing ever," one reviewer wrote.

Best Heavy-Duty: Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner

To achieve a professional-grade clean on larger-than-average areas, opt for the Dupray Neat steam cleaner. This multipurpose, heavy-duty cleaner can run for 50 minutes before you'll have to fill up the water tank again—cleaning and sanitizing everything in its path—so you can likely reach every room in your home with one pass. With wheels and a retractable handle, it comes with 18 professional cleaning accessories to give your floors their deepest clean yet.

Customers rave about its professional-grade cleaning abilities, with one writing, "Thank you, Dupray! I have a 1,000-square-foot home…this cleaner holds half a gallon of water and that's more than enough to steam-clean all of my floors in about 30 minutes. It's freakin' awesome!" Another said it offers "professional quality at a reasonable price."

Best All-In-One: Light 'N' Easy Multifunctional Steam Mop with Detachable Handheld Unit

What sets this steam mop apart from the rest is the fact that it includes a detachable handheld steamer with an array of attachments to make cleaning just about anything a snap. It comes with microfiber mop pads for the floor, grout cleaning brushes for tile, and a jet nozzle for sticky messes that need a little extra scrubbing power. It can even transform into a garment steamer to eliminate wrinkles on clothes or deep clean upholstery.

The steam mop has racked up over 2,000 positive reviews on Amazon from shoppers who say the results speak for themselves. "I wasn't sure that a steamer would make much difference on my floors. I was wrong. It worked miracles!" one customer said.

Best Affordable: Shark Handheld Cleaners Steam Mop

This affordable steam mop is a basic option that will certainly get the job done. It comes with two washable and reusable microfiber pads that lift and trap dirt. All you have to do is fill the included flask with water and let the mop create a powerful sanitizing steam (it gets going in just 30 seconds). The swivel head is easy to move around, and the pads are two-sided, so you'll get every nook and cranny clean.

With over 3,600 five-star reviews and 20,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, it's clear this steam mop has a good reputation. One reviewer even claims it's better than other popular floor cleaners, including Swiffers. "I've basically tried every floor cleaning solution that is not this product: string mops, sponge mops, Swiffers, and the Swiffer Wet Jet thing. They all fall short in some way," the shopper wrote. "This product is all of those things combined, but better."

Best for Hardwood Floors: Reliable Steamboy Pro Floor Mop

With its grout-scrubbing, heavy-duty bristles, this steam mop is perfect for any hardwood flooring as it can simultaneously steam and scrub the area with every pass for the deepest and quickest clean yet. "This is my first steam mop and I love it," reported one customer. "It is amazing how clean my floors are and the ease of getting in the corners."

In addition to cleaning bare floors, the Steamboy Pro can also sanitize carpets thanks to its 245-degree vapor steam temperature. An ergonomic handle, a foot release locking function, and a 180-degree swivel head are a few added bonuses that make for an extremely comfortable user experience.

Best Scrubbing: Shark Steam and Scrub Mop

Sticky, dried-on stains call for a little extra scrubbing power. Instead of doing the work yourself, you can have Shark's new Steam and Scrub Mop do it for you. Like other steam mops, it uses steam to sanitize floors and kill germs, but this model also has two rotating pads to scrub away tough messes. It even has LED lights to help you spot stains you might otherwise have missed, and its cleaning pads are machine-washable, so you can use them over and over again.

Early reviewers say it works better than traditional steam mops and is easy to assemble and use. In fact, one shopper said their 8-year-old daughter "loves this thing," adding that "mopping has never been easier."

Best Lightweight: O-Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop

According to the brand, the O-Cedar microfiber steam mop was tested on E. coli bacteria and killed 99.9 percent of it without any cleaning chemicals. Impressive stuff! Heating up in a mere 20 seconds, it has adjustable steam settings and an ergonomic triangular mop head to reach any area in your home. It also comes with two reusable and machine-washable microfiber pads—which are ideal for reducing waste—and a snap-on glider brush that allows you to clean carpets. And at just 5 pounds, the O-Cedar steam mop is one of the lightest of its kind; it's perfect for carrying up and down the stairs or cleaning multiple rooms without getting a sore shoulder.

"This is an incredible steam cleaner," wrote one customer. "Very easy to assemble and use. It is lightweight and easily gets into corners with the triangle shape head. It is easy to fill and easy to empty when you are finished. It cleans beautifully; I had no idea my floors were so dirty!"

Best Vacuum: Bissell PowerFresh Vacuum and Steam Mop

Both a vacuum and a steam mop, this cleaning powerhouse does it all. No more sweeping before mopping; instead, Bissell's PowerFresh device lets you switch between vacuuming, steaming, and a combination of the two with the push of a button. There's even a smart tank that keeps debris dry while you steam.

It has over 3,500 five-star ratings on Amazon, and shoppers call it a "game-changer." One added, "Throw your mop away… Trust me you won't regret buying this."