5 Best Hardwood Floor Cleaning Machines

The Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop has lots of features for potential customers to get excited about. The main thing is how fast it manages to heat up. You won’t ever find yourself sitting around waiting just to be able to use the machine.

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Another thing is the cord. It’s very long and sturdy, encased in thick rubber that’s strong enough to last a lifetime without breaking. Turning it along any corners is a breeze; you’ll finally be able to get in those stubborn areas that you may have had trouble reaching. Once you have it started and ready to clean, notice the different steam settings featured on the mop.

You can control how much comes out by pressing the buttons that indicate the level you need. But at you steam, water levels will drop very slowly. You could finish off hundreds of square feet and have a good amount of water to spare. Just remember that steam is automatic, so you won’t need to hold down any buttons as you clean. Bissell has tried to simplify things with this machine to allow for more concentration during mopping. Once everything is done, no streaks will be left behind for you to “vinegar” away.

Pros

Pros

• Heats up very fast
• The cord is long enough to reach far apart from the location of the outlet
• The amount of steam applied can be set to a small amount or high
• Doesn’t take much water to clean an entire floor, even on the highest steam setting
• Since steam is automatic, no buttons need to be pressed to deploy
• Doesn’t leave streaks when cleaning is completed
• Doesn’t seep residue on the floor during cleaning
• Turns easily without applying too much force

Cons

Cons

• The scrubber doesn’t work so well on heavily soiled patches
• The unit has no button to turn it on or off, starts up (and heats) immediately when plugged in regardless of water levels
• Tap water could potentially shorten the lifespan of the machine.

BISSELL 2039A Spinwave Powered Hardwood Floor Mop and Cleaner – Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner for Steam Cleaning (People’s Choice)

The Bissell Spinwave Powered Floor Cleaner is another machine that’s specifically built to leave hardwood floors spotless. But this isn’t the only good thing about the product. As you power it on, the machine will hardly vibrate at all.

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It’s very easy on the arms and hands, a good cleaning tool for people that are sensitive to using products that vibrate too forcefully. Noise levels are minimal, with the mop’s decibel level staying low enough to not wake up sleeping family members or roommates nearby. The cord is also quite long, only a foot shorter than the previous Bissell product reviewed above.

As for the water tank, you’ll get a lot in here, more than enough to finish off one (and in some cases, two) floors without needing a refill in the kitchen. Two scrubbing pads come with it, one of them being very soft and the other more rugged. The hard one is a bit more difficult to scrub quickly with, so take your time whenever you need to use that one. Hooking all of the pieces together is easy enough for someone to do that has never put together such machines before. You won’t likely even have to look at the instruction booklet that’s included in the packaging. Try to remember to use distilled water if you can, especially if you spray from a nozzle a lot. Tap water may clog up the interior parts and make it come out uneven, if at all over time.

Pros

Pros

• Doesn’t vigorously shake when held; good for people with hand-arm vibration syndrome
• The cord is very long and has a hook on the back; doesn’t need to be held with a free hand
• The water reservoir can be filled to the top
• The pads are machine washable
• Assembly is straightforward; won’t require assistance
• Doesn’t make much noise when turned on

Cons

Cons

• The sprayer may clog fast, particularly if water that isn’t distilled is used excessively
• Doesn’t heat up water
• The water dispenser protrudes towards the front, which could hit furniture during cleaning

Hoover FH40160PC FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner, Moondust – Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner for Cluttered Rooms

The Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Cleaner can be used on Hardwood and Tile Floors. It’s built to leave no annoying residue on the floor when you’re done. One big problem with ordinary mops with the same shape is the how they’re handled when too much dirt is picked up.

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Change them too late and you’ll find yourself spreading more dirt around than picking it up from the hardwood floor. This isn’t an issue at all with the FloorMate. Just plug it in and let the machine do the rest. The tip of the machine is quite small, so you should have no problems getting the front into places you might have thought were untouchable.

You’ll finally be able to rid your floor of those hard-to-reach dust bunnies stuck in the back of your couch’s legs. It has a strong cleaning brush included, but will never scratch up your floors no matter how much elbow grease you put into your mopping. But before you even start this process, you should always sweep as well as you can before mopping commences. Small, grimy patches will be a pain to get up with the mop, and might even result in you using the old fashioned method of hand scrubbing. If the dirt is caked into the floor, this is something that will have to take place. Still, don’t let that scare you away from the trying the Floormate out for yourself. You won’t look at plain old mops the same way ever again.

Pros

Pros

• Doesn’t leave residue on the floor after dirty water is vacuumed
• The front is narrow, making it easy for users to maneuver the cleaner in “hard to reach” areas
• The brush is tough but doesn’t leave scratches or streaks on the floor

Cons

Cons

• Floors must be thoroughly swept prior to using the machine
• Not effective against floors with lots of grime

Bissell 1806 Powerfresh Deluxe Steam Mop, Steamer, Tile, Hard Wood Floor Clean – Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner for Spot Cleaning

The Bissell Powerfresh Deluxe Steam Mop is another steamer with enough power to clean up a large home or apartment in minutes. The swivel is one of the most agile you’re liable to come across. Another cool little feature is how it stands upright without anyone needing to hold it from toppling over.

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There are dual pads added with the cleaning machine, with each made to pick up dirt for different floor textures. If your hardwood floor has a lot of soiled areas that haven’t been touched over in a while, the scrubbing pad would work best.

The softer one is great for general purpose or quick cleaning jobs that don’t require any detailing. Furthermore, a steam rob is featured, which can be set to shoot out jets of steam according to the setting you have it on. This is an outstanding way to do spot cleaning without scrubbing by hand. But before you even start using it, you’ll have to get through with the assembly. Thankfully, the instructions provided are easier to follow than a majority of Bissell’s competitors. You can get a glimpse of it using the link in the product’s description.

Pros

Pros

• The swivel moves around tight corners easily
• Can be placed in an upright position without being held
• There are two pads included with the product for cleaning easy and heavily soiled floors
• Has a steam rod that’s great for spot cleaning stubborn floor stains
• The instructions for assembly are very easy to follow; doesn’t take long to put together

Cons

Cons

• Takes a long time (30 seconds) for the machine to fully activate every time it’s turned on
• Pads fit a little too tightly at the bottom

Bona Hardwood Floor Premium Spray Mop – Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner for Tap Water

Finally, the Bona Hardwood Floor Premium Spray Mop ends the list with a bang. It has most of the features that you would look for in such a product, with some notable exceptions. Starting with the good, assembly is painless.

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With or without the manual, getting all the parts hooked up is quicker than the time that it will take on many of this product’s rivals. Go ahead and fill up the reservoir with any water that you wish, whether it be distilled or straight from the taps. There’s no risk of clogging, and water won’t leak from the bottom of the tank either. The cleaning pads sold with the Bona are completely machine-washable. Throw them in and they’ll come out as good as new.

But what is there to say about improvements? For one, it’s what’s leftover after you clean. Use it enough times and you’ll be left with streaks that can be seen. They’re not always clearly visible but could stand out depending on how much sunlight or interior light is let into your home. And be very careful to not hit anything too hard with this one, as the inside piece that connects the reservoir to the nozzle could snap and render the mop useless. And this isn’t electrically powered, so there’s no way to heat water from the inside; you’ll have to fill it with hot water before you begin cleaning.

Pros

Pros

• Has a straightforward assembly process
• No matter if distilled or tap water is used, the sprayer will not clog
• Cleaning pads can be placed in most washers
• Doesn’t leak no matter how full the reservoir is

Cons

Cons

• May leave behind faint streaks
• The sprayer can be broken easily if the machine hits something with too much force

Buyer’s Guide

How to Choose the Right Floor Cleaning Machine for You

Looking for a good floor cleaner that will last a long time isn’t always easy. There are so many brands sold on the market that it can be difficult to tell the junk from products that work. And since hardwood floors are highly sensitive to poor cleaning, you won’t want to end up damaging them with a machine that doesn’t live up to the promises made on the label. When you’re shopping for new machines, be sure that the tool’s primary objective is in cleaning hardwood floors, to begin with. Getting the wrong scrubbing pad could leave you with streaks, or even worse, permanent scratches. Check to see what kind of pads are featured with it. Do you think they will last for a while or need to be thrown away after a couple of uses?

Furthermore, take a mental note of the kind of water you’re used to cleaning your floors with. Do you use from the tap, or are you okay with buying distilled water to finish the job? Distilled water is better for cleaning machines, and could make yours last a lot longer than filling up from the tap on every cleaning session. Some products might even recommend that you strictly use distilled water and nothing else. But truthfully, a lot of this is for warranty purposes since tap water’s mineral consistency can change depending on the region. Cord length can also be an important factor in deciding on a product. The average length for most hardwood floor cleaners is around 20 feet. Many of those featured in the reviews have lengths that are considerably longer than this.

But if you must get one that meets a certain specification, measure off the distance from the outlet you plan on using the most with the machine. If the areas you want to clean thoroughly extend past the range of the product you’re interested in, you could consider looking at another from the list. Alternatively, an extension cord could be used so long as it won’t be too much of a burden for you to take out every time you’re ready to clean the floor.

Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning is one of the most important features you’ll find on a hardwood floor cleaner. Not all of them will possess such an attribute (the last product in the reviews, for example) but it’s still a good thing to look for nonetheless. Try to find out how fast the water will heat up with the product of interest. If it takes longer than a few seconds to do this, think about which you would prefer. Are you patient enough to wait that long for the machine to activate, or do you like to move with a purpose when you’re cleaning? Some floor cleaners may also have an additional tube that you can use to spot clean portions of the floor that would be tough for you to reach otherwise. Disabled people or those who hate the thought of scrubbing the grime by hand should put the products with this first on their list.

Video Tutorial: How to use the SpinWave Hard Floor Cleaner

Conclusion

Do you have an idea about which hardwood floor cleaner you want? If so, then stick to your choice if it looks more promising than the rest of the four. But if you’re unable to make up your mind, there are two that no one would be unhappy with. As far as cleaning power and reliability go, it arguably gets no better than the Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop and Spinwave Powered Floor Cleaner. Again, if you’re confident in your pick, go with the product that you think is best. Each of the five is great for cleaning floors, which is all that one really needs them to do. Looking at the floor cleaners from this perspective, you can’t go wrong with them, even if you were randomly picked the first brand that comes to mind!