I Tested a Popular Vac/Mop and My Floors Have Never Been Cleaner

I’ve long been intrigued by the vac/mop combo. Can one cleaning product truly vacuum and mop floors at the same time? How can it catch everything and not make a mess of dog hair, dirt, debris, and water? It sounds like a recipe for disaster, or at least another mess I’ll have to clean when I’m finished.

I decided to put one of the popular models to the test. The Tineco line of vac/mops has a large following of people who claim that after using the product, users will be able to wipe a white paper towel on their floors and have zero residue.

As a mom of two and an owner of a large husky, I had to see if these claims were true. I’ve been a fan of steam mops in the past to avoid using harsh chemicals on my floors when the kids were young. Would this all-in-one product replace my steam mop?

Tineco Floor ONE S5: At a Glance

Rating: 9/10

PROS

• Cordless design allows users to take the vacuum anywhere without the limitations of a cord
• Dirty-water tank’s filter catches dry debris, separating it from the dirty water so it won’t be poured down a drain
• Display alerts users to heavily soiled areas so they can focus their cleaning efforts
• Lightweight design has an auto-propelled function that moves the unit forward to help ease back and arm tension

CONS

• Battery lasts only around 30 minutes on a full charge, and even less for some heavily soiled areas
• As with all vac/mop combos, the mop requires cleaning after each use to prevent it from becoming smelly

Get the Tineco Floor ONE S5 smart cordless wet/dry vacuum at:

• Amazon for $499 
• Best Buy for $499 (“Extreme” features different color options)

What is the Tineco Floor ONE S5 vac/mop combo?

The Tineco Floor ONE S5 is a wet/dry vacuum and mop combo. The S5 has suction power to pull up debris while also using water and solution to mop the floor at the same time. The Tineco S5 has two large tanks: one for clean water and one for dirty water. It features iLoop Smart Sensor technology, which automatically senses how dirty the floors are and adjusts water flow, suction, and roller speed to clean the mess with ease.

When you’re done cleaning your sealed hard floors, the Tineco allows you to switch to suction-only mode. The Tineco alerts a user as to when to clean the dirty-water tank, refill the clean-water tank, or run the self-cleaning mode.

After you’re finished cleaning, you can return the mop back to its docking station to resume charging.

How easy is the Tineco S5 to set up?

Out of the box, the Tineco vac/mop required very little setup. I simply had to insert the handle into the main unit, remove the protective coating, and set up the base.

The charging base includes storage sections for an extra roller, cleaning brush, and extra filter; these storage sections were simple to slide onto the charging base. After I’d done that, I plugged the charging base into the wall and placed the mop on the charger.

After about an hour on the base, the mop was fully charged, but it’s important to note that the mop came with a partial charge.

Is the Tineco vac/mop easy to use?

One of the biggest benefits of this vac/mop is its ease of use. To turn on the mop, all I had to do was hold the power button in for 1 second. Once the mop turns on, the LED screen lights up with the battery life left and cleaning power.

At start-up, the mop automatically moves forward thanks to its self-propelling feature. I wasn’t sure if I’d like this at first, but as I started moving around the house, I found it to be effortless and a welcome feature. I owned a different vac/mop prior to this one, which does not have a self-propel feature, so I went back to my old mop to see if the self-propelled movement made a difference, and boy, did it ever! I suffer from an arm injury, and my arm was tired within minutes of using the old vac/mop with no self-propelling function. With the Tineco, I can clean my entire house without getting tired or having to rest my arm.

Along with the self-propel function, the mop glides effortlessly along the floors. The iLoop sensor works to detect dirty areas and adjust the roller speed and solution output to clean those areas without the user having to do anything. I love that I can clean my home without holding down a trigger the entire time I’m mopping; the mop simply knows how much solution to use based on its sensor.

When the vac/mop is returned to its charging base, it will sense if the self-cleaning function needs to run and let the user know. To run the self-cleaning function, simply press a button on the top of the handle. This function cleans the roller brush and dirty-water channel. The mop will also alert the user if the dirty-water tank needs to be emptied or the clean-water tank needs to be refilled. I appreciate the voice assistant telling me so I do not have to pay attention to any gauges.

Another big draw of this vac/mop—and in my opinion, where it outshines other vac/mops on the market—is its large clean-water and dirty-water tanks. I can clean my entire living area, which is about 1,800 square feet, with one full clean-water tank. I appreciate that I do not have to stop to empty the dirty-water tank numerous times.

Does the Tineco S5 really clean floors?

The first time I used the Tineco, I was in love. I could not believe how well it cleaned my floors and left no streaks. I don’t use this wet/dry vac to clean the types of big messes some videos show (like a bowl of spilled oatmeal or cracked eggs on the floor); I use it for cleaning the types of everyday messes that are typical for most homes. For this reason, I was extremely pleased with its ability to clean crumbs, dropped noodles, and other small debris while also lifting sticky messes from my floors.

There is a viral paper towel test associated with the Tineco wet/dry vac, so I tried it for myself. I cleaned my kitchen floor and then ran a paper towel over various spots, and to my surprise, the paper towel was completely clean.

The Tineco comes with its own solution for cleaning floors, but 98 percent of the time, I rely on water only. I’ve used this mop more than 30 times, and its cleaning power and ease of use continue to shine.

Is the Tineco mop hard to clean and maintain?

Anyone who has owned a wet/dry vacuum knows that cleaning and maintaining the unit can be a chore in itself. This is a big reason why I steered away from these units. I owned one years ago and the maintenance took longer than it took to actually mop my floors.

Tineco seems to have taken that into account with the S5. The self-cleaning function cleans the roller after each use. The dirty-water tank has a built-in debris catcher, which catches debris and hair to prevent it from mixing with the dirty water. When it’s time to clean the dirty-water tank, I simply remove it from the device and pull the catcher out to dispose of the debris. Once that’s done, I empty the clean-water tank as I would a bucket of dirty water from a traditional mop.

The Tineco S5 also comes with an extra roller and extra filter. I clean the brush roller every few uses with soap and water, then leave it to air dry. While the cleaned roller is drying, I can use the additional roller if needed.

I want to note that it is important to empty the dirty-water tank after every use. If you leave the dirty-water tank full, you run the risk of a very smelly situation. However, I will use the vac/mop a few times throughout the day and empty and rinse the dirty-water tank after my last use of the day.

Is the Tineco Floor ONE S5 wet/dry vac worth your money?

The Tineco Floor ONE S5 retails for $499, with most wet/dry vacs ranging from $300 to $600. The Tineco is of great quality; when using the mop, I can tell it is not flimsy or cheap feeling. The S5 also has plenty of advanced features like iLoop sensor technology, along with smart features that can connect to the Tineco app.

If you’re in the market for a wet/dry vac, the Tineco Floor ONE S5 is definitely worth the investment.

Is the Tineco Floor ONE S5 right for you?

I would highly recommend this model to anyone, especially those with physical limitations. The self-propelled function made cleaning my floors a breeze, and I had no arm or shoulder pain. When using other mops or vacuums, I would always end up in pain after a few minutes due to the repeated pushing and pulling of a heavy unit.

Since I don’t have to sweep and then mop, the Tineco also saves a ton of time. I can simply clean my floors in minutes with a single product.

Where to Buy the Tineco Floor ONE S5 Wet/Dry Vacuum

Get the Tineco Floor ONE S5 smart cordless wet/dry vacuum at:

• Amazon for $499 
• Best Buy for $499 (“Extreme” features different color options)

Meet the Tester

Stephanie Cronk brings more than 15 years of retail and digital publishing experience to the Commerce/Product Reviews team as executive editor. Her experience spans many industries in the commerce world, and her primary focus is on buyer’s guides and tested-product reviews.