If you’re set on buying a steam mop for your home, then you’ve come to the right place! We’re going to compare two of the most popular steam mops on the market; Bissell PowerFresh 1806 vs Bissell PowerFresh 1940.
Same brand and mop, but different models.
I’m not a fan of regular mops; they’re messy, give your arms an unnecessary workout, and carrying a bucket of water around is plain annoying, so I adore steam mops. All the excellent cleaning of a regular mop but without the accompanying hassle of one.
So, when I was researching the best Bissell steam mop, I was conflicted between 1806 and 1940. Both are similar in some ways but have different specifications, making both superior to one another across various categories.
Usually, the later model is the advanced version of its predecessor, however, Bissell doesn’t operate like that. Each model has different functionalities and is made to serve different needs.
So, buckle up and read on ahead because these steam mops are coming in hot!
At a Glance
Here, we’ll look at the specifications of both steamers and see how they differ.
| Name | Bissell PowerFresh 1806 | Bissell PowerFresh 1940 |
| Weight | 6.2 lbs | 6.2 lbs |
| Dimensions | 9.5 x 13 x 46 inches | 11.4 x 7 x 28.5 inches |
| Fragrance disks included | yes | yes |
| Power rating | 1440 watts | 1500 watts |
| Water tank capacity | 19 oz | 16 oz |
| Surface type | Bare and sealed floors | Bare and sealed floors and carpeted areas |
Just looking at the specifications of both, it’s easy to see both steam mops are similar across some areas while different in others.
Key Similarities and Differences
This is a comparison article, after all, so we have to pinpoint the key differences and similarities. Before we get into an in-depth comparison, here’s a quick summary below.
How are they both alike?
- Design: While both steam mops have slight differences in dimensions, both are more or less the same appearance and weight-wise
- Supported surfaces: Both steamers can clean all kinds of bare and sealed surfaces that include hardwood, ceramic, granite and marble, and linoleum.
- Sanitizing ability: Both steam mops have included fragrance disks and 100% demineralized water that comes in 3 different scents. This not only leaves your house smelling fresh but also prolongs the life of the steam mops.
- Fast heating: You’ll get steam action within 30 seconds of turning the steamer on!
How are they both different?
- Steam levels: Both of the steam mops have a digital steam control monitor that lets your control the steam level. However, 1806 has two levels, while 1940 offers three.
- Price: While the price difference isn’t a lot, 1940 is slightly cheaper than 1806.
- Accessories: Both of the steamers have accessories that make them suitable to clean hard surfaces, but 1940 has a carpet glider too. This gives it the ability to steam carpets and rugs, which in my book, is one of the best tools in my book.
- Fragrance slot: The 1806 has a fragrance slot while the 1940 doesn’t.
- Water tank: The 1940 has a smaller water tank capacity than the 1806, but the 1806 has a fixed tank while the 1940’s is detachable.
Bissell 1806 vs. Bissell 1940 – Review Comparison
Bissell PowerFresh 1806 – Review
The Bissell 1806 is the perfect steam cleaning solution for any household. With its quick heating, excellent motor, and innovative design, it will clean any surface in a jiffy.
- Every Bissell purchase helps save pets. Bissell proudly supports Bissell pet foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets..Choose between high or low steam settings based on your cleaning needed. Heater warm up time: 30 seconds. Cleaning path width - 12 inches
- Sanitize your hard floors to eliminate 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria without the use of harsh chemicals; (When used as directed; Does not include fragrance disc)
- Powerfresh deluxe steam mop has an on board spot boost brush to remove tough, sticky messes
- Leave behind a refreshing spring breeze scent as you clean. Power rating: 12 ampere, power cord length: 25 feet. Power Source: Corded, Automatic Cord Rewind: No
- Easily fill the water tank with the Included measuring cup
Any hard floors in your house will benefit from its powerful cleaning—washroom tiles, hardwood floors, granite, etc.
It has unique features like a digital steam control, swivel steering, and fragrance cleaning disks that can fit in its fragrance slots. All in all, it’s a fantastic steam mop, which will leave your floors clean and fresh.
Bissell PowerFresh 1940 – Review
The Bissell 1940, in many ways, is the upgraded version of the 1806.
It features a similar build and design, but its steam control has three steam settings, whereas 1806 has two. Besides that, it can also be used on carpets and rugs besides sealed surfaces.
- Clean and sanitize sealed hard floors without the use of harsh chemicals; Eliminates 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria with the natural power of steam
- Power through tough, sticky messes with the flip down easy scrubber
- Choose from high, medium, or low steam based on your cleaning needs with the smart set digital steam control
- Features swivel steering and a 23 foot power cord. Ready to use in 30 seconds
- Includes: (1) microfiber soft pad, (1) microfiber scrubby pad, (2) spring breeze fragrance discs, and a carpet glider. Power rating: 1500 watts. Power Source: Corded
It also comes with two different kinds of microfiber cloth pads; one for delicate surfaces and the other for removing tough stains. It does, however, have a smaller water tank than 1806.
See how it stacked up against the Shark Pocket Mop!
Bissell 1806 vs. Bissell 1940 – Buying Guide
If you’ve made it this far, you’re passionate about cleaning as I am.
Now, we move on to the main round. We’ll compare both steam mops across various categories, comparing their functionalities before finally deciding the winner.
Performance
We’re starting this guide with the most important aspect of all—how the steam mop performs. So, in almost all cases, both the Bissell 1806 and 1940 perform pretty much the same.
The steam mops can be used across all hard surfaces, as well as 1940 working on carpets and rugs because of the glider. However, the 1806 can also clean carpets and rugs if you purchase a carpet glider for it too.
Besides that, both have similar microfiber pads that can mop all you can think of and more. We don’t just mean food or drinks, they can easily mop away urine, oil, blood, etc., and leave all the spaces sanitized and smelling fresh.
How many times have you accidentally spilled wine on the carpets, even a few drops seem like someone drew a circle around them and wrote “look, look, stains on the carpet. We don’t clean our house in these parts.”
Not just that, our pets often have small accidents on the rugs and sometimes, even our children do.
This will be a quick fix with the Bissell 1940 steam mop!
To conclude, the performance of these models is both superb, but the 1940 steals my vote purely for the included carpet cleaning functionality.
Water Tank
Like all steamers, both of these steam mops also have a water tank through which steam is produced… and that’s where the similarities end.
The Bissell 1806 has a larger, but fixed, water tank of about 0.56L and also comes with a measuring cup so you can always get the exact amount of water in without any spills.
The 1940, in comparison, has a slightly smaller but detachable water tank. Since it is detachable, it doesn’t come with a measuring cup.
I know, for a lot of people, the detachable feature is a huge win since it makes cleaning the steamer easy—just remove the water tank and tip over the extra water in the sink or, even better, water your plants with it (after the water has cooled down of course).
Studies even show distilled water is better for plants than plain tap water.
Not just that, you can fill the water tank in the bathroom sink or with a hose outside so even if any spills occur, you won’t need to clean them.
Personally, I always use up all of the water and there’s never any remaining in the steamer’s tank, so the detachable feature, while attractive, doesn’t appeal to me that much. But hey, that’s just my preference.
But, since this is a competition, the 1940, with the detachable feature is the winner of this round, but only by a razor-thin margin.
Steam Action
Both of the steam mops are beasts when it comes to power. With a minor difference in power, both steamers heat up in under 30 seconds and are able to eliminate 99% of the germs and bacteria.
Now, both steam mops share the innovative steam control panel, but there’s a difference in levels. The Bissell PowerFresh 1806 has two levels— low and high. While the 1940 has three levels—low, medium, and high.
You know what this means, right? 1940 can not only steam clean fragile surfaces like hardwoods with ease while on the low steam setting but also scrubs away stains and grime from the bathroom tiles while on the high steam setting.
The 1806 can do both of these things too, however, we like the tailored approach of 3 settings, making the Bissell 1940 the winner of this round.
Design and Appearance
Both the 1806 and 1940 are similar in appearance and design; both of the steamers have a triangular, looped handle at the top, and at the bottom, there’s a 12-inch cleaning head.
The steam mops are white with blue accents; the 1940’s are bright blue, whereas the 1806 has dark blue and gray.
Besides that, the 1940 has a flip-down, easy scrubber that is great at tackling dried messes, while the 1806 can be quickly turned into a SpotBoost brush. Both of these are excellent choices for spot cleaning.
There’s a negligible difference when it comes to dimensions, but both are the same in weight;
- 1806: is 9.5 x 13 x 46 inches in size
- 1940: is 11.4 x 7 x 28.5 inches in size
This round ends in a draw seeing as both of the steamers are near-identical when it comes to design.
Accessories and Parts
Let’s cross off the similarities from our list first. Both of the steam mops come with 8 fragrance disks and also have fragrances to scent your water with. Along with that, they also come with two kinds of mop pads, which we have talked about previously.
That’s where the similarities end. The Bissell 1806 has a separate scent disk tray, an accompanying measuring cup, a spot brush, and a 25 foot-long power cord.
In comparison, the 1940 has a detachable water tank with a cap, a carpet glider tool, an easy scrubber attachment, and a 23 foot-long power cord.
It’s difficult to determine which steam mop wins this round, but If accessories and parts are high on your list for choosing a steam mop, the 1940 is a better choice, especially if you have carpets or own a lot of rugs. Otherwise, save a few bucks by choosing the 1806.
Ease of Use
I may be wrong when I said performance is the most important aspect, it definitely has to be usability. There’s no point in buying any cleaning equipment if it’s difficult to use.
Both of the steam mops are easy to set up. All you have to do is attach the cleaning head as well as the handle to the main unit.
Afterward, fill up the water tank, plug in the power cord, wait for 30 seconds for the steamer to heat up and you’re all set to clean!
Both of the steam mops have a swivel-head feature, making them alike when it comes to maneuverability. The same goes for the weight, both have the same weight so there really is no lighter option between the two.
One aspect that is different is the length of the power cord. The Bissell 1806 has a 25 foot-long power cord while the 1940 has a 23 foot-long power cord.
Everyone knows the longer the power cord, the easier a steamer is to use. No? Just me?
Save yourself the hassle of pulling on the steamer, hoping the power cord will extend somehow when going from one room to the other. The winner of this round is the Bissell 1806!
Warranty
Like all Bissell Steamers, both of these steam mops come with a generous 2-year warranty. Unlike other steamer companies that only offer a 1-year warranty. Besides that, Bissell also offers reliable and efficient post-purchase customer service.
So, if you decide to go with either option, you won’t have to worry about ending up with a faulty steam mop or poor customer service.
Bissell 1806 vs. Bissell 1940 – Which is the Best Overall?
Please don’t slap me like Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock for the words I’m about to say. There is no clear winner of this competition. Both steamers are excellent in their own way, and as I said before, each steamer has features that are suitable for different buyers.
Speaking of different buyers, we’ve outlined which buyers would benefit from both of these steam mops in the next section.
Is Bissell 1806 the One for You?
If you want a spot brush, a measuring cup, a longer power cord, a separate disk tray, and a larger water tank then this is the Bissell model for you.
If your main purpose for getting a steam mop is to spot clean then you can’t get a better option than 1806. With the inclusion of the fragrance disk tray, you can easily and quickly scent the water.
The 1806 is the perfect choice for anyone who’s looking for quick cleaning without the added hassle of removing the water tank and adding in the fragrance disks manually.
If you have a busy schedule, are always short on time, and aren’t looking to regularly deep clean your house, then this is the Bissell model for you.
- Every Bissell purchase helps save pets. Bissell proudly supports Bissell pet foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets..Choose between high or low steam settings based on your cleaning needed. Heater warm up time: 30 seconds. Cleaning path width - 12 inches
- Sanitize your hard floors to eliminate 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria without the use of harsh chemicals; (When used as directed; Does not include fragrance disc)
- Powerfresh deluxe steam mop has an on board spot boost brush to remove tough, sticky messes
- Leave behind a refreshing spring breeze scent as you clean. Power rating: 12 ampere, power cord length: 25 feet. Power Source: Corded, Automatic Cord Rewind: No
- Easily fill the water tank with the Included measuring cup
Is Bissell 1940 the One for You?
If you’d like to clear up dry messes before or during steam mopping as well as have greater steam action then the Bissell 1940 is the one for you. This is the steam mop that should be every deep-cleaning enthusiast’s first choice.
Besides that, with the detachable water tank, you can better clean up your steamer by removing it and washing it inside out.
This is the perfect steamer for anyone who’s looking for more accessibility seeing as it has a detachable water tank, can clean up carpets, and offers greater control over the steam output. Anyone looking to deep clean their house or want their floors and carpets thoroughly cleaned.
- Clean and sanitize sealed hard floors without the use of harsh chemicals; Eliminates 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria with the natural power of steam
- Power through tough, sticky messes with the flip down easy scrubber
- Choose from high, medium, or low steam based on your cleaning needs with the smart set digital steam control
- Features swivel steering and a 23 foot power cord. Ready to use in 30 seconds
- Includes: (1) microfiber soft pad, (1) microfiber scrubby pad, (2) spring breeze fragrance discs, and a carpet glider. Power rating: 1500 watts. Power Source: Corded
Bissell 1806 vs. 1940: Final Words
I can see why it was hard for you to choose between either of these steam mops, it was no walk in the park for me either. I know I said there’s no clear winner between the two, but personally, I’m leaning towards the Bissell PowerFresh 1940.
I love a steam mop that can quickly clean up carpets and rugs, combined with superior steam action, what can I say, I’m sold.
But, either way, whichever you choose, both of these steamers will leave your house as clean as a Bissell. Don’t worry, I’ll see myself out.
Both of these steam mops can be purchased from the Bissell site as well as on Amazon.
Let us know which option you went with, and as always, happy steaming!
Interested in seeing other comparisons or learning more tips? Then check out these guides: