Best Bissell Steam Mops (2026)

The SmartSteam is the only model in this lineup that moves the pads for you. Two round pads spin at up to 230 RPM, which Bissell claims is faster than the leading spinning steam mop, and the steam supplies heat while the rotation supplies the scrubbing stroke. Because the motion happens at the floor, you mostly guide the machine instead of pushing it.

The cost of that design is a motor, a gearbox and a heavier head than the plain uprights here. Fingertip controls let you pick between two steam levels or a no-steam spin mode, so a laminate or luxury vinyl floor can get the gentle setting while a kitchen gets the stronger one. Next to the PowerFresh Deluxe 1806, which relies on a flip-down brush, the SmartSteam covers more floor per minute but is the one to skip if you store your mop in a tight closet.

Upkeep centers on the two pads, which should be rinsed and air dried so mildew does not settle into the fibers. Use clean water in the tank and let the mop cool before you remove the pads, since the head holds heat after you switch off.

This is the plain upright in the family, and that is its charm. A boiler heats water, steam reaches a microfiber pad and a small scrubber flips down to loosen dried drips, with no motors to fail. Bissell adds scent discs that clip into the head, which perfume the steam to cover litter box and wet-dog smells, though they mask rather than remove the source.

The weakness is the same as any pad that you push by hand: you supply the scrubbing force. Compared with the 1940A, which offers three steam settings, this model keeps controls simple, so there is less to adjust and less to explain to a family member. Of the seven machines here it carries the lowest price position, which makes it the logical first steam mop for a rental or a first apartment.

Pet owners should vacuum or sweep before every session, because a steam pad smears fur into streaks. Wash pads after each use without fabric softener, which coats fibers and stops them from soaking up dirt.

The Deluxe 1806 is built for floors that get sticky. A bristle brush sits in the head and engages when you press it to the floor, so a burnt-on syrup patch gets a brush stroke and a puff of steam in the same pass. The High and Low switch is the other useful change: Low suits a finish you worry about, High handles the stuck-on patches.

A brush that engages on demand is quicker than hunting for a handheld attachment, yet it cannot reach vertical surfaces. If you want cabinet fronts or window glass, look at the PowerSteamer 2685A instead. The 1806 sits in the middle of the price range, which lands it between the Pet 19404 and the SmartSteam: it adds a brush and two settings, without the motor and weight of the spinning-pad design.

Owners mostly repeat two habits. Fill with distilled water if your tap water leaves white crusts on kettles, because scale narrows the steam outlet and weakens output over a few months. Pull the brush bristles clear of hair once a week so the head sits flat and does not leave a streak line.

Where the other two uprights give you one or two steam choices, the 1940A gives three. That matters on a mixed-floor home: a bottom setting for a finish you do not trust, a middle one for weekly cleaning and the top one for bathroom tile. Bissell also fits a flip-down scrubber meant for grout lines and dried messes.

The extra setting is a controller, not extra boiler power, so it does not out-clean the Deluxe 1806 on a baked-on spill. What it buys is control. At the second-lowest price position in this lineup it is the model I would pick for a house with tile in the wet rooms and sealed wood elsewhere, since you can drop the steam on the wood without changing machines.

After each session, tip out leftover water so the tank does not grow a film, and leave the lid open to dry.

Instead of sweeping and then mopping, the 2747A does both in one pass: a suction nozzle picks up debris just ahead of a steam pad. Touch controls switch between vacuum only, steam only and combined cleaning, so you can run suction alone on a dusty day and add steam when it matters.

Folding two jobs into one frame makes the body bigger than the 1806 or the 1940A, and it asks you to empty a dust bin as well as fill a water tank. It will not match the CrossWave-style wash models for wet messes, because it steams a pad instead of rinsing a roller. The upside is that it never smears crumbs into the pad, which is the usual complaint with an ordinary steam mop.

Keep the vacuum path clear of hair wrap by cutting tangles from the roller every couple of weeks. Empty the dust bin before you add steam, since damp dust cakes onto the filter.

The 2685A is a convertible. The upright body works as a floor mop, a long-reach steamer for ceilings and high shelves, or a handheld through the SteamShot unit, so the machine is a cleaner for the whole house rather than just the floor.

Versatility is why you would choose it over the PowerFresh models, and tools are what you pay for: more parts to store, more nozzles to lose. Against the Spinwave SmartSteam the PowerSteamer cleans fewer square feet per minute but can reach a stove hood or a shower track that a floor-only model never touches. Reach for it as a deep-clean tool, not a daily mop.

Because hot steam passes through hoses and fittings, inspect the seals before every session and keep the cap threads free of mineral crust. Use a nozzle that fits the job; a narrow jet on painted drywall can lift paint.

The HydroSteam Deluxe is a different species from the other mops here. A rotating brushroll washes the floor while a suction path pulls the dirty water into a second tank, and a steam function adds heat to the cleaning solution. Because clean and dirty water never mix, the pass stays fresher than with a pad that you keep rinsing.

That design asks for the largest budget in the lineup and the most upkeep. Compared with the PowerFresh Vac and Steam 2747A, which steams a pad, this one washes with a wet roller and recovers the water, so it handles sticky juice and muddy paw prints that would overwhelm a pad. A tangle-free brushroll resists hair wrap, which suits long-haired pets and people.

Rinse both tanks after each use and leave them open to dry, or a sour smell develops in the recovery tank.