In the right homes, though, vac-mop combos can make your floor-care routine much easier. And the best models are decent-quality appliances that do the job they say they’ll do. A vac-mop combo can be especially valuable in households where messy floors seem to just emerge from nowhere. They’re great for sucking up spills, too, especially if there are solid chunks mixed with liquid (certain models can even do this on rugs). Personally, I got a visceral thrill from watching the dirty-water tanks on the best vac-mop models fill up with murky, swampy water, knowing that the filth was no longer on my floor. The Bissell AirRam scores great in the convenience category with a weight of less than eight pounds.
“I probably wouldn’t spend that much on a vacuum no matter how good it was. I love how simple it is to swap out the nozzles for varying uses. My regular vacuum has a cord, making it less maneuverable.” — Bill S.
The circuit board inside the vacuum’s battery pack can overheat and smoke, posing a fire hazard. On the low end, the Shark VacMop is pretty much equivalent to a spray mop like the Swiffer WetJet and an extremely cheap vacuum. The Dodo may receive complimentary samples to test in our Paw of Approval program, but all our opinions are 100 percent our own. We only publish endorsements of products we (and our dogs and cats) absolutely love!
This corded upright has a tangle-free brush roll and a hair spooling system in the dust cup that makes pet (and human) hair pickup — and the inevitable cleaning of the vacuum after — a breeze. It comes with three attachments, and two are specifically for tackling more pet hair messes. The sealed filtration system keeps allergens trapped inside the vacuum, which means less sniffling and sneezing. Our experts appreciate that the dust cup can be removed with the push of one button, and Febreze odor technology in the filter prevents pet odors from building in the device.
Also, you can use the CrossWave Max in dry-vacuum mode (unlike with the Tineco iFloor3), and you get some control over how much cleaning solution it dispenses (much like you do with the regular CrossWave). Vacuum-mop combos, wet-dry vacuums—whatever you call them, we’ve found in our testing that these machines can wash the filthiest bare floors much faster than any other cleaning tools. It is possible that you might be better off with a different type of product. But if you think the sheer speed of a vac-mop combo is your best option, consider the plug-in version of the Bissell CrossWave first.
While testing, we found that it still has many of the same attributes as some more expensive cordless stick vacs like a long run time, a variety of helpful attachments and variable suction levels. The tangle-free brush roll helps prevent hair from wrapping around it while cleaning, and the full-width suction means you’ll find an easier time getting those tight corners clean. We also appreciate that it includes a crevice and dusting brush tool so you can remove dirt from even the smallest spaces. When we test stick vacuums, we assess how well they pick up debris from bare floors and pet hair from carpets. We check the weight, battery run time and how easy they are to use, store and convert to a handheld vacuum to clean your car, upholstery and stairs.
It impressed us with how easily it maneuvers around obstacles like table legs and how it fits perfectly on a stair tread for speedy side-to-side cleaning. It has powerful suction and whole-machine filtration to trap at least 99.7% of dust and allergens. With high and low power modes, the Vactidy did a great job cleaning bare floors. And while it did a good job picking up pet hair from carpet, some hair clung to the nozzle and had to be removed by hand. We found it refreshing to review this vacuum among all the other pole vacs in the test. It was simple and straightforward to use and did a great job in our bare floor and pet hair pick-up tests.
At this point, there are multiple competitors with top models that can go toe to toe with Dyson on our test floors. The tanks need to be switched when going from vacuuming to wet mopping, bissell cordless vacuum but they are easy to remove and empty when your robot is done cleaning. The SpinWave’s microfiber mopping pads are machine-washable and we found the brush roll easy to remove and clean.
In relative terms, vac-mop combos work much better than a wet Swiffer or robot mop (or other pad-style cleaner). But they are not quite as effective or versatile as a traditional wet mop (when used properly); for example, combos don’t clean grout lines as well as traditional mops bissell cordless vacuum do. Convenience-wise, you get up to an impressive 55 minutes of battery life on the low power setting, but only 18 minutes on high power. This vacuum is definitely better for cleaning smaller spaces, especially since the battery needs to be fully charged before each use.