The 2 Best Steam Mops of 2025
Top pick
This nimble, tough cleaner offers the best combination of performance and value.
The Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop 1940 has been our top pick since 2016, and it continues to offer the strongest combination of price, quality, and ease of use. We don’t think many people need a steam mop, but if you do, this one is the best of the bunch.
It consistently emits a reasonable amount of steam. The Bissell PowerFresh mop produces a steady output of steam in a variety of adjustable intensity modes. It never left our test surfaces too wet after mopping, but it still supplied enough hot water to effectively clean them — all without a potentially cumbersome trigger operation.
It’s lightweight and agile. The Bissell PowerFresh mop weighs 6.5 pounds — one of the lightest models we tried. Its mop head pivots for easy maneuvering, so you can tackle corners more easily. It can also lie nearly flat to get under most furniture.
The water tank is detachable. It’s quick and easy to fill the tank from a tap, rather than having to use a pitcher. (Many of the models we tested, including our pick for large spaces, did not have a removable tank.) You can also set the tank out to dry between uses, preventing mold or mildew accumulation and unpleasant odors.
It gets going simply and quickly. Once you’ve filled the tank, plugged in the machine, and selected your cleaning-intensity level, the Bissell PowerFresh mop gets up to steaming temperature in about 20 seconds (this tied for the fastest time in our testing). Depending on the intensity mode selected, this mop will operate for about 20 to 30 minutes until it runs out of water.
The back-mounted brush aids in cleaning performance — even on grout. If you use enough elbow grease, all steam mops can lift up grime and stuck-on stains, but the agitation of this steam mop’s rear-mounted scrub brush helps speed up the process. And while the brush doesn’t apply enough pressure to deeply clean grout, it can at least lift up lighter discoloration.
It stands up on its own. This feature is helpful if you need to stop in the middle of cleaning. And since this mop doesn’t have to lean against a wall, it can be stored just about anywhere.
Replacement pads are easy to get. The Bissell PowerFresh mop comes with two machine-washable pads, and if they wear down too much, you can easily order replacements. There are cheaper dupes available that will work with the Bissell PowerFresh (we haven’t tried them).
Flaws but not dealbreakers
You have to wait a bit to change the mop head. It takes a couple of minutes for the Bissell PowerFresh mop to cool down enough to be safely handled. So if you’re tackling a large space, and you need to swap mop heads (they tend to pick up a lot of grime, which is part of their appeal), you’ll have to take a short break in the middle of cleaning.
