The Ultimate Test: The Best Steam Mops

1. Reservoir: This was the only steam mop that had both a pouring device and a funnel — the opening is that small. You have to lay the mop flat to fill it, which wasn’t ideal. I also felt like the latch didn’t close quite as well. 
2. Clean test: Ok, wow, now I’m impressed. The crayon was entirely gone in five swipes. It had no trouble with the soda and it also cleaned up chocolate and mud in four swipes each.
3. Mop head: Again, wow. I washed the mop head once and it came out looking almost brand new. Also they’re velcro-attached, which is my favorite.
4. Overall impressions: I love that the mop head could rotate ¾ of the way around so you can get into tight spaces. The steam was really coming off of this one, and I really felt like it was doing its job. While filling the reservoir was a little fiddly, it was so nice that the mop head got completely clean in the wash. There are attachments that allow this to switch to a handheld machine for cleaning grout and more, which is a plus. It’s also one of the least expensive options, and I can’t get over how it took out the crayon. While it’s not the most aesthetic, even a year after I first got it, it still gets the job done in spades. This one is the winner: 1st place out of 9!

1. Reservoir: An angled opening makes it easy to fill while the mop is standing straight up. Gotta love that.
2. Test: The crayon was just barely visible after five swipes. The chocolate and soda were taken care of in two and three swipes respectively, but any pieces of dirt in the mud were “dispersed” and took some extra coverage to clean.
3. Mop head: This uses velcro mop pieces that are easy to remove with one hand. After two washes with OxiClean, there still were stains on the mop heads, but they were faint.
4. Overall impressions: We tested the older version of this mop last year, and the new one has a couple of nice updates: it’s lighter (almost a whole pound lighter!), more sleek, and even quieter, if that’s possible. It’s still just as fun to use—you can see the steam coming off of it. Because the mop heads are spinning it kind of propels itself so there’s not as much pressure needed to move it. While waiting a minute for the water to heat, make sure you have it in its “locked and upright” position, otherwise it starts spinning, so you have to keep a handle on it. It’s fun to use; I feel like my floors are getting really clean. There are also cool little spotlights on it that brighten up those dark corners. I would use this with liquids, nothing with particles. This newer model easily defends its spot as 2nd out of 9.

1. Reservoir: This model includes a water reservoir bottle that inserts onto the base with a satisfying click. Even though you can’t see the water levels, the bottle helps you fill to the correct level — there are NO spills with this one!
2. Test: With the amount and pressure of steam coming out, it does feel like the floor is getting a deep clean. The soda came up in 1.5 swipes, however, the pad didn’t do as well with the thicker materials like ketchup and chocolate, which took 3 swipes each. The dirt never really held on that well.
3. Mop head: First of all, the mop pad has a tag on it that says to step on the tag to remove the mop pad, which makes it so you don’t have to yank it off. The mop pad cleaned really well with OxiClean—I can’t tell which pad I used and which one is new.
4. Overall impressions: This is a new addition to our test this year, as the company reached out to see if we would give their model a try. The unboxing experience was like driving a Rolls Royce versus a Camry…there were canvas cases for accessories instead of plastic bags, and the polished matte black looks really high end and feels heavy duty. There’s even a “parking pad” for your steam mop to heat up and cool down on, so it doesn’t mess up your floors! (Brilliant.) This does have a longer ramp up time: an orange light shows you the mop is plugged in, and you wait until a green light turns on before the water is ready, which takes 3-5 minutes. The downside? I found it took closer to 5 minutes, and the green light was a little hard to see—there were no other signs that it was “on.” There are 27′ of cord included, which is…a lot. While it’s whisper quiet, the mop head didn’t seem to maneuver as easily as others. We tried out the handheld attachment on an older pen stain on a upholstered chair, and it did fade the stain out! Another accessory allows you to clean rugs and carpets, which we want to try. This is the pick for someone who does a lot of steam mopping or wants versatility to clean over a variety of surfaces. It’s so fancy! Balancing price and usability, I’ll put this one 3rd out of 9.

1. Reservoir: A little latch opens for filling the reservoir, but the mop needs to be at an angle in order to fill it with water or it spills out. That was a little frustrating.
2. Test: This one got crayon almost out at five swipes, soda was done in three and chocolate and dirt only took four. 
3. Mop head: This has a velcro for easy-on, easy-off cleaning. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the stains came out easily in the wash! The mop head looks practically new. 
4. Overall impressions: There’s a toggle on the front to select the type of floor you’re mopping, but it’s kind of cheap-looking and feels like a kid’s toy. This one is hard to stand straight upright. I do like that you can control the steam based on the floor type, and it was pretty effective. Lots of attachments so you can get into crevices. This was also the quietest one we tested. This one landed 4th out of 9.

1. Reservoir: The included funnel is just such a nice touch, even if it’s one more thing to store. This one has an incredibly large reservoir area that’s pretty easy to access. I appreciate that.
2. Test: The crayon was slightly visible after four swipes. The soda and chocolate were up in 3, but mud was dispersed a bit and never really gripped on.
3. Mop head: Just like the other PurSteam on the list, these mop heads clean so nicely in the wash. No notes!
4. Overall impression: This is PurSteam’s answer to the Shark rotating mop head that has stayed in our No. 2 spot, and this is our first year testing it. It’s heavier than the Shark model (by quite a bit) and there is more assembly required. There is just one setting instead of 3, but it does have a much longer cord—we’re talking 7 extra feet! Not quite as smooth in its cleaning process, but since the water reservoir is larger and the cord is longer, you can mop longer without having to refill or shift outlets as much. I like the look of it more than the other PurSteam model on the list, and the rotating mop heads seem like a deeper clean. It gets points docked as the mop heads were a little trickier to snap back on correctly, and it’s much heavier. But still a nice machine—with easier-to-clean mop heads! This one takes 5th place out of 9.

1. Reservoir: Hmmm…you have to put pressure on either side and lift it up to remove the reservoir, which can be tricky as there’s very little grip. Not satisfying and a little frustrating.
2. Clean test: The crayon was slightly visible after five swipes. The soda, chocolate, and mud mixtures were absorbed in four swipes each.
3. Mop head: The elastic band shower cap mop piece is pretty easy to remove/replace. But what I don’t love? The fact that the mop head still looks almost as stained as it did before washing.
4. Overall impression: This one has the widest surface area, and it uniformly steams the floor. I like the three levels of steam you can choose from (I tested with the strongest level). It’s quieter than some, but a little stickier to push. It just isn’t as sleek or as effective as the others. I’ll give this one 6th place out of 9 for the sizable surface area and steaming qualities.

1. Reservoir: This one is very easy to fill, and the lid almost feels like a pressurized close, which feels secure and more expensive.
2. Test: Unfortunately the crayon is still very visible after five swipes. Soda and chocolate were handled in four swipes, but the dirt was not up in five.
3. Mop head cleaning: You have to thread the mopping piece through both sides so the install is not as easy as the others — downright a pain to put back on. Also the chocolate and mud did not come out in two washes with the OxiClean. 
4. Overall impressions: It was nice that you get two-sided cleaning action so you don’t have to clean the mop head as often, and the mop head rotates a good 360 degrees for easy maneuvering. However, it was kind of “sticky” to push — I had to use some muscle — and it was one of the louder ones we tested. I also didn’t love that the mop head was a little more fiddly to install, and it is still stained after washing twice. I’ll have to put this one in 7th place out of 9.

1. Reservoir: There’s a little opening that makes it easy to fill, but the steam mop needs to be leaning against a wall or latched into its wall-mounted position, which makes it more awkward.
2. Test: The crayon was almost all the way gone after five swipes, just a faint outline. It also felt like it pushed the soda, chocolate syrup and mud more than soaked it up, so I had to circle around the mess more.
3. Mop head: This one is an elastic band shower cap mop piece, so it’s pretty easy to install. But it did not wash out well so it’s still stained.
4. Overall impressions. It’s not the heaviest steam mop, but it almost feels like it is because it’s so top-heavy. Plus, it’s more taxing on the hand and wrist, as you’re pushing the steam with a button the whole time. There were no clear hooks to wrap up the cord so it was kind of a mess, and it was one of the loudest we handled. I rated this one in 8th place out of 9.

1. Reservoir: You need to remove the reservoir, unscrew the cap, fill the reservoir, tighten the cap and replace the reservoir. I guess that will make it easy to clean later (if you need to), but I think I prefer filling the tank on the machine itself.
2. Test: The crayon was still prominent after five swipes. The soda was taken care of in three swipes and the chocolate in five. The mud didn’t fare as well with dirt particles left behind.
3. Mop head: This has a velcro mop head, which I’ve found to be the easiest to work with. But unfortunately after washing it twice, it’s still quite stained. 
4. Overall impressions: I couldn’t tell if it was working, even though the light was on. Then I realized that you have to push the handle down to emit the steam, but it comes out in quick puffs. I didn’t like how little steam actually seemed to come out and how much effort it took. This one was in last place for me: 9th out of 9.

The winner is…

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Hats off to the PurSteam 10-in-1 Steam Mop for the most efficient clean! I could tell the steam was really powerful on this one, and it truly did get every mess up (at a great price point).

But don’t shy away from the runner-up, the Shark S8001 Rotating Steam Mop. It’s like a personal Zamboni for your kitchen and so much fun to use—even better than the same model last year.

And if you want to invest in a mop that can also steam your carpets and upholstery, then give our new third-place winner, Euroflex Vapour Pro, a try.

You can shop all of the mops we tested here, hope this helps you in your quest to have a cleaner home!