You’re probably all too familiar with the strenuous task of cleaning vinyl floors. Traditional methods leave tacky streaks, require harsh chemicals, and take ages to clean, but steam mops are an alternative that works.
Instead of chemicals and detergents, steam mops use heated water to safely lift and remove stubborn stains, grime, dust, and spills to leave floors looking brand new.
In the following article, we’ll cover the best steam mops for vinyl floors, ranging in different budgets and needs, as well as show you what to look for in a steam mop.
What to Look For in the Best Steam Mop for Vinyl Floors
Temperature & Tank Size
The best steam mops need to reach temperatures between 175 – 250°F to effectively sanitize and clean floors and protect your family from harmful bacteria.
How long it takes to reach that temp is called heat-up time, which takes anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on tank size.
So essentially bigger tank = longer heat-up time = longer steam cleaning capacity and time between refills. And vice versa, smaller tank = faster heat-up time = shorter spurts of steam cleaning and more frequent refilling.
Most brands come with a container that holds around 10 – 15 oz of water, which is enough for a medium-sized home – so don’t think you need a massive steam mop – however, if you know you have a large home, then opt for a bigger tank.
Budget
Just as vinyl floors are an affordable option for your home, steam mops are also an affordable option.
Even steam mops under $50 effectively clean, sanitize, and revitalize your floors, but if you want to splurge, more expensive options come with a range of features and accessories that completely change the game.
Extra mop pads, cleaning tools, and extension mechanisms are just a few of the attachments you should expect when choosing a high-end steam mop.
The Best Steam Mops for Vinyl Floors
Dupray Neat Steam – $200
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
Pros
- 50 minutes of cleaning time
- Steams up to 275°F
- No need for microfiber pads
- 2-meter hose
Cons
- 7-minute heat up time
The Dupray Neat Steam offers powerful cleaning with plenty of accessories that make it suitable for a variety of surfaces.
With an impressive 50 minutes of cleaning time, it’s ideal for a large home with vinyl floors and comes with a 17-piece accessory kit that has multiple heads for tackling stubborn stains on multiple surfaces.
Want to protect children from harmful bacteria? The Neat Steam generates steam of up to 275°F – that’s more than enough heat to eliminate bacteria and leave surfaces safe to crawl and play on.
One of the most impressive features, though, is its versatility. Although it’s compatible with microfiber pads, this isn’t essential for steam cleaning with the Dupray Neat Steam.
Simply attach any cloth or towel to the cleaning head and save money as you clean, degrease, and deodorize your vinyl.
The Neat Steam also has great portability with its retractable handle and compact design that’s easy to move up and down stairs.
The only downside is the 7-minute heat-up time, but as we mentioned previously, its 50 minutes of steam cleaning is more generous than most, so you shouldn’t need to refill it often.
Bissell Powerfresh Slim Steam Mop – $125
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
Pros
- Handheld and regular steam cleaning
- Plenty of accessories
- 25 ft power cord
- Easy to maneuver
Cons
- Other brands offer more cleaning time
The best steam mops for vinyl floors don’t get more convenient than this lightweight Powerfresh Slim with its 2-in-1 cleaning capability.
Doubling as a handheld steam mop, this machine allows you to clean every inch of your home, including your love-worn vinyl floors and neglected tight spaces that are otherwise impossible to reach.
Further demonstrating convenience, this mop comes with an extension tube that makes for comfortable large area cleaning, and a massive 25 ft. power cord to keep up!
Other fantastic features are the grout tool, flat scraper tool, bristle scrub brush, and angle tool that are all kept onboard within the Powerfresh unit. This means trouble-free switching between attachments and easy tracking of all these removable parts.
The only downside is the short cleaning time. Its 12 oz water tank is great for moving around the house, but at only 15 minutes of steam flow, other brands give you more cleaning time.
However, the Powerfresh Slim wasn’t built for endurance, but rather quickly tackling and removing your vinyl’s caked-on grime and stains.
From its swivel head to its handheld model, this steam mop is great for those living in tighter space and want to max versatility from their vinyl floor steam mop.
O’Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop – $75
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
Pros
- Angled head for easy cleaning
- Ready to go in 20 seconds
- Lightweight and easy to use
- Adjustable steam settings
Cons
- Not as many accessories
With an angled head, the O’Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop makes cleaning seem less of a chore. It’s one of the best steam mops for vinyl floors and is known for making light work of cleaning tight corners in your kitchen and living areas.
It’s far better for your vinyl floors than traditional cotton mops because of the super absorbent refill pads that allow your floors to dry faster.
This is ideal for vinyl since excess water causes it to warp when it gets between the seams.
Weighing at just 5lbs, when you’re done with your downstairs, you’ll have no trouble at all taking the O’Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop upstairs to finish the job.
Then, when the cleaning is finished, simply throw the mop refills in the wash to reuse them time and time again.
Overall, this is an excellent, economically minded option that provides plug-in steam in just 20 seconds and adjustable steam settings that blast away stubborn stains in no time.
Shark Genius Steam Mop – Best Overall
Pros
- Touch-free pad detachment
- 3 levels of steam
- Glides over surfaces
Cons
- Others have bigger water tanks
- Water tank capacity: 220 milliliter 3 setting intelligent steam control.Watts: 1200. Volts: 110-120 volts.
- Double sided dirt grip washable pads
- Genius head with direct steam channeling
- Steam blaster technology: Never use bleach, powdered detergent, or fabric softeners, as they may damage or leave a coating on the pads
- Touch free technology
From the reputable brand, Shark comes their brilliant Genius Steam Mop. This steam mop comes with double-sided grip pads that make easy work of stubborn stains on hardwood and vinyl floors when combined with its powerful steam.
As one of the most efficient steam mops on our list, it saves you plenty of time on household chores. This is because of the 3 different levels of steam it produces, making it one of the most customizable mops that will effortlessly glide over vinyl floors.
Direct steam channeling allows it to concentrate steam on stubborn grime and stains on vinyl and other surfaces, killing 99.9% of bacteria without the need for harsh chemicals.
To make it even more hygienic, you don’t even come into contact with a dirty pad. The Genius Steam Mop has touch-free technology that allows you to detach the mop pad directly into the wash when you are done.
Its 11.8 oz tank capacity isn’t the biggest on our list, but it makes light work of stains and cuts down cleaning time with powerful steam that makes a noticeable difference to your vinyl floors with every use.
Pursteam 10-in-1 Steam Mop – $70
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Plenty of accessories
- Detachable cleaning head
- 3 adjustable steam modes
Cons
- Other steam heads are wider
- Cleans Literally Everything! Nobody likes cleaning! But with the help of our 10-in-1 Steam Mop you can clean the whole house more quickly and easily, making it cleaner and fresher than ever! Clean a lot more than floors with the built-in handheld steam cleaner, or use the flexible hose to put the cleaning power of steam in the palm of your hand. Works great as floor Steam Mop, Carpet Cleaner, steam cleaner, handheld garment steamer window, mirror & glass cleaner & much more.
- Child & Pet Safe - Best steam cleaner for tile & hardwood, cleaning with no chemicals, leaves the floors looking new and really clean. Comes with special surface scrubber, providing versatile cleaning from Top to Bottom. Ideal for Glass, Sealed Stone, Stainless Steel, and Sealed Tile/Grout.
- Light And Maneuverable. 3 Adjustable modes help you cater the mop's steam level to your specific needs. That's especially important when you're trying to preserve your hardwood floors finish. The steam cleaner’s 380 ml (12.8 oz) reservoir provides around 25 minutes of steam at the lowest setting and about 12 minutes of steam at the maximum steam setting. One real bonus is that it uses tap water alone to steam off dirt, eliminating the need to buy pricey detergent.
- Multifunctional Household Tool - Safe to use on any surface you want to clean: hardwood floors, vinyl, tiles, marble, ceramic & porcelain tiles. Not only that, but you can also clean anything around the house with our built-in handheld steam cleaner. Just install the attachment you need and let the steam do all the work for you!
A 10-in-1 steam mop for vinyl floors is almost unheard of, but the convenience of a detachable unit for this price is arguably the most surprising.
You can get your hands on this powerful steam mop for under $70, and with tons of accessories, it cleans pretty much anything.
A flexible hose makes it easy to clean your vinyl floors but detach the unit and use it to clean grout lines and kitchen surfaces. It can be used as a steam mop, but the accessories make it ideal for cleaning the entire house. It is also a carpet cleaner, steam cleaner, mirror, glass, and garment cleaner!
The 3 adjustable steam modes allow you to tackle stains that would otherwise never come out, while still preserving a vinyl floor’s shiny finish.
For a steam mop so inexpensive, you’d expect longer than a 30-second heat-up time, and less than 20 – 25 minutes of continuous steam, but with its 11.5 oz reservoir, you get the best of both worlds.
Light N’Easy 7618 ANW
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
Pros
- Weighs only 3.5 lbs
- Ready in 20 seconds
- Flexible mop head
Cons
- Included pads don’t last
Weighing just 3.5 lbs, this is one of the lightest steam mops for vinyl floors. Combined with its moveable mop head, and you have an easy, breezy, flexible steam mop to push over your surfaces.
In just 20 seconds, you’ll be pushing this over your kitchen floor, lifting those stuck-on stains and embedded bacteria. The flexible mop head makes it easy to reach those difficult areas and glides effortlessly over the likes of vinyl, tiles, and hardwood floors.
Its manual pump allows you to control the steam and tailor the clean depending on the surface. Delicate areas can be given lighter treatment to help protect their coatings.
Overall, there is plenty to like, and although the pads don’t last long, they do an excellent job of cleaning multiple surfaces. It also has a quick-release cord that moves the 20-foot power cord out of sight, giving you easy clean-up and storage.
What’s the Best Way to Clean Vinyl Floors?
Because vinyl floors are primarily made up of PVC, and usually treated with a special surface coating, they’re fairly easy to clean.
However, if water gets into the seams between the planks, your floor becomes susceptible to peeling and warping, so it’s best to use a steam mop when cleaning a vinyl floor to reduce leaving excess water behind.
Steam mops also make cleaning effortless. They take the strain out of mopping up stubborn stains, kill 99.9% of harmful bacteria, and leave floors sparkling in a way that traditional methods just can’t achieve.
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