Best Vacuum Mops

It’s elementary that you use a mop for wet spills, and a vacuum if you (or your children, or pet) spills something dry, like pet food or cereal. But now there are vacuums that can pick up dry and wet spills--and mop up the floor without leaving a trace of what happened! 

You’ll see that there are stick or upright vacuum mops, which use a reservoir of clean water to loosen stains in carpets or to dissolve dried-up spills on hard surfaces. They then proceed to vacuum up the dirty water and store it in a separate water tank. There are also robot vacuum mops, which can alternate between wet and dry cleaning modes. And there are also hand-held vacuums, which are intended for spot cleaning. (That’s best if your toddler or pet has an accident on a carpet.)

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a vacuum mop. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of vacuum mop for your preferences,

• See useful tips about that particular type of vacuum mop,

• Read reviews of different vacuum mop, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of a vacuum mop, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Robot vacuum mop: Robotic vacuums are commonplace nowadays, and popular for the convenience that they provide (you can program them to clean when you’re not home, or when you’re sleeping). But there are robot vacuums that mop as well. Some require a separate purchase, such as the Bagotte BG600 Robot Vacuum Cleaner Mop, where you have to buy a water tank. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba Combo robot vacuum and mop mops automatically when you attach the microfiber cleaning pad.

• Upright vacuum mop: There are upright vacuums that can wash the floor as well. For example, the Vmai V8 Pro Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner has a multi-surface floor washer that works on hardwood, tile, and marble floors. It has a 680 ml clean water tank, which releases its water onto the surface to be cleaned, while the vacuum sucks up the dirty water into a smaller, 450 ml reservoir.

• Handheld steam vacuum: If you’re interested in spot cleaning, there are also handheld steam vacuums, such as the Vapamore MR-50. You can vacuum up the wet or dry debris with the vacuum function. Then you employ wet or dry steam to loosen the spill from your carpet, and finally vacuum up the remaining debris.

• Robotic mopping: Some customers have their misgivings about the mopping function on robotic vacuums. People who bought the Venga Robot Vacuum Cleaner were pleased with its ability to mop a large area on a single tank of water. If you want it to just vacuum your floor, just run the Venga with the water tank empty. But, it’s not optimal for deep cleaning or spot cleaning, if that’s what you’re looking for.

• Weight: If you decide on a stick or upright vacuum mop, make sure it’s not too heavy. One reviewer said that the Bissell Crosswave was heavier, at 11.5 pounds--but it also came with an additional handle, to allow you to pick it up and carry it around. You may prefer a lighter vacuum mop since you can push it around with less effort.

• Pet friendly: If you’re a pet owner, you’ll want to make sure that your vacuum mop will function well versus pet hair, but also mop effectively if your pet has an accident. The Bissell Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Vacuum (Model 1543A) is an upright vacuum with disposable microfiber pads, in case your pet caused a serious mess. It includes a soft pad, scrubby pad, and steam boost disposable pads. It also has a tank for debris that empties easily, so that you don’t have to get your hands dirty.

• Voice assistant: You’ll see vacuum mops--both upright and robotic--that even give you a voice reminder to empty out the dirty water reservoir, and to turn on the self-cleaning function when the vacuum mop is recharging.

• Changing from hard floor to carpets: The Vmai Wet Dry Vacuum is a cordless stick vacuum, which requires you to manually switch the head when going from mopping to vacuuming a carpet. On the other hand, the Bissell Crosswave All-in-One Wet-Dry Vacuum has a multi-surface brush roll to mop and vacuum--without you getting your hands dirty.

• Cleaning formula: The Bissell Crosswave All-in-One Wet-Dry Vacuum uses a special multi-surface cleaning formula for wood, tile, and area rugs. The formula mixes with the water in the reservoir, for more efficient cleaning. (But, using the special formula involves purchasing a separate product.)

• Noise: The noise that your vacuum makes is also an important deciding factor--especially if you want to run a robotic vacuum mop at night. The Bagotte Vacuum Mop operates at 55 dB--which is about as loud as your kitchen refrigerator when its motor is running.

• Ecovacs makes Deebot robots for cleaning carpets and mopping floors, and the Winbot robot series for doing windows. Their Ozmo robots can perform vacuuming and mopping in one device--and that’s besides all the convenient robot features, such as

• iRobot has been involved in robotic cleaners for 30 years. They make a series of robotic vacuums and mops. They also make the Roomba Combo 111840, which combines vacuuming and mopping functions in one device. It also has a special attachment for cleaning along edges.

• Coredy, founded in 2011, makes a series of innovative robotic vacuums. They feature anti-drop-off and collision sensors so that they can clean without any supervision. Their R550 and R750 models are both vacuum mops and come with a water tank and mop cloth.

• Bagotte makes kitchen appliances, as well as robotic vacuums, cordless vacuums, and air purifiers. They have an optional attachment for their robotic vacuums, so that the robotic vacuum can also mop your floor.