An Unbiased Review of the Tineco Vacuum Mop
Like so many of you out there, I was bombarded with seeing influencer videos of the Tineco vacuum mop on Instagram and TikTok throughout 2023. I was very skeptical. It seemed too good to be true–surely hundreds of mega influencers couldn't really love a hard floor cleaner that much. But when I saw it for an incredible deal on Amazon in July of 2023, I caved and bought it.
In this post, I'm sharing my unbiased review of our Tineco Floor ONE S5 combo after using it for over 7 months. This is not sponsored and I was not gifted anything; I paid for it with my own money and have never had any contact with Tineco. So, is it worth the hype? Keep reading to find out…
In a world flooded with cleaning gadgets, some of which go viral on social media, it can be hard to figure out what's worth the hype and what's not. I haven't even recommended it to my social media followers before today. Why? Because I didn't want to “influence” anyone until I had used it for quite a while. Now that I've put the Tineco through its paces over seven months and can compare it to the other hard floor cleaners I have used, I'm ready to share what I really think of the Tineco Floor ONE S5 combo.
We Used the Hoover Hard Floor Cleaner for Over a Decade
A bit of background for you because I think it's important for you to know that we have used a mop vacuum for well over a decade–the Tineco is not our first. Mopping floors with a traditional bucket and mop has never appealed to me. Even with the newest mops that keep dirty and water separate (yes, we tried one), mopping just isn't as effective as I would like.
My husband and I bought the original Hoover FloorMate Hard Floor Cleaner way back in 2003 or 2204. We were just married and out of school, so it was a pretty big expense for us at the time. It was this magical machine that literally released a cleaning solution and scrubbed your floors and then squeegeed up the wet dirty water. We loved it.
We used that original Hoover FloorMate Hard Floor Cleaner years and years until the squeegee started to lose its effectiveness. So we got a new Hoover Floormate in 2019. It was even better than the original machine we had. It cleaned wet and dry messes. It was kind of pain to clean it after using it, but we didn't really care. We were big fans.
But after about 4 years, the squeegee had lost its effectiveness (yes, again) and it needed a replacement part that we couldn't easily find. This was right around the time that the Tineco floor cleaners started going viral. My reaction every time I saw another influencer video raving about the Tineco was, “It can't be as good as the Hoover Floormate.” Then I saw it for an incredible deal on Amazon in July of 2023 and I bought it. What can I say? I guess I was influenced.
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What I Bought
Tineco Floor ONE S5 Combo
I go into detail about why I chose this particular Tineco vacuum mop model below :)
Tineco Floor Cleaning Solution
This is the only solution I have personally used and I like it. There isn't a strong scent and it seems to work well, so I am sticking with it.
The Features That Made Me Choose the Tineco Floor ONE S5 Combo Model
There are several different models of the Tineco hard floor cleaner, so frankly, I was a bit confused and overwhelmed by which one to choose. The price points vary quite a bit as well.
In the end, I chose the Tineco Smart Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner ONE S5 Combo because of these features:
Enhanced Edge & Corner Cleaning
The brush head design allows you to get right up to the edge of baseboards and into hard-to-reach corners.
Converts to a Handvac
It converts to a handheld vacuum with attachments so you can use it for the interior of your car, stairs, etc.
Hands-Free Self-Cleaning
The hands-free, self-cleaning function automatically flushes the inner tubing and brush roller and it includes a pet hair strainer within the dirty water tank (we have a big, hairy dog, so this is super important).
Lightweight and Fairly Quiet
It weighs less than 9 lbs and it's got self-propelled wheels and swivel steering, so it's incredibly easy to handle and move. I've seen it described as “ultra-quiet,” which I would say is overstating it a bit. But it is reasonably quiet, considering how well it cleans. It's definitely not super loud.
My First Impression of the Tineco Vacuum Mop
When I first unboxed it, there was some amount of “assembly” required, and it looked complicated as I pulled everything out of the box. But in reality, it only took about 10 minutes. I was still leery that I would like the machine, so I left the tags on it and kept the box.
I quickly read the instructions and fired it up. I was prepared to be disappointed. So, imagine my surprise when I was genuinely impressed. Here's what I loved immediately:
- The self-propelled wheels make it beyond easy to move around. I can do it one-handed.
- I didn't appreciate how helpful swivel steering is for turning and getting around tight corners. The swivel steering is impressive.
- It left far less residual water on our floors than our old Hoover floor cleaners, so they dried much more quickly and didn't leave any streaks. The suction was STRONG.
- It easily got visible spots of gunk off the floor.
- The self-cleaning function far surpassed my expectations. Our old Hoover Floormate machine did “self-clean,” but it was nowhere near as lengthy or thorough as Tineco's self-cleaning function.
- You really can clean right up to the edges of baseboards and kitchen cabinets with it!
So yeah, I was very pleasantly surprised. But I still didn't take the tag off or throw the box away. I wanted to make sure it continued to impress me, lol.
How I Feel About Our Tineco After Using It for 7+ Months
Here we are over 7 months later and I love it even more, if that's possible. The tags are off. The box is gone.
It Cleans Well and Doesn't Leave Streaks
Overall, I am THRILLED with our Tineco Floor One S5 combo. It is incredibly easy to use and it gets our floors very clean. I also love that it doesn't leave a ton of water on our floors, so they dry quickly and don't streak. I am always grossed out by how much dirt these cleans off of our hardwood floors. This vacuum mop is a huge help in keeping our house clean with dogs.
BUT It's Not a Substitute for a Regular Vacuum
The Tineco S5 combo vacuum mop does clean up wet and dry messes. So if we have some crunched-up cereal on the floor and a bit of spilled milk, this machine cleans the whole mess up like magic.
BUT, I personally do not feel like we can use our Tineco S5 as a substitute for a vacuum (in case you are curious, our old Hoover Floormate wasn't a substitute for a vacuum either).
You may hear people say “it scrubs and vacuums your floor at the same time!” I disagree with that. Yes, it will pick up wet and dry debris at the same time, so it's perfect for cleaning up accidents of mishaps. But if I am really cleaning the entire surface of my floors, I absolutely vacuum our floors with our plug-in vacuum cleaner to get up any dog hair, etc. before using this machine.
The Self-Cleaning Feature is AWESOME
The self-cleaning function is absolutely one of my favorite features. It really works well. You do still have to empty the dirty water tank when it's done. I dump ours in the toilet and flush it down because I don't want to dump the filth it gets off our floors in any of our sinks.
And because we have a big dog that sheds a ton, I always have to clean out any dog hair that has been caught in the pet strainer. So you do still have to do a bit of work when you are done using the machine, but it is minimal (our Hoover hard floor clean required far more work on our part after it “self-cleaned”).
The Docking Station Stores & Charges It
I love the docking station. Not only does it store an extra roller brush and some other accessories, but it also charges your floor cleaner. That means the docking station needs to be plugged in. We are lucky to have a good spot to plug it in and store it in our laundry room.
The fact that the docking station also acts as the charger means it's always ready to use when I need it, so it's quick and convenient to grab at any time. We haven't had any problem with the battery life. I've read it lasts about 30 minutes, but I've never needed to run ours for that long before charging it again.
Pros and Cons of the Tineco Floor One S5 Combo Vacuum Mop
Pros
- Strong suction–it leaves very little water on your floors
- Cleans wet and dry messes at the same time
- Automatic surface detection senses how “dirty” your floor is
- Self-propelled wheels and swivel steering make it beyond easy to maneuver
- The self-cleaning feature is stellar
- Floors dry quickly with no streaking
- Convenient and cordless
- The docking station has a built-in charger
Cons
- It's expensive (even the sale price I paid for it was tough to swallow)
- It is not a substitute for a vacuum when it comes to cleaning dog hair and dry debris from daily life
- I've heard that it struggles with very large or sticky messes–I can't speak to those personally
- Some people complain about the battery life
- The docking station has to be plugged in, so you need an outlet near where you store it
Bottom Line
Long story short, I could not possibly love this machine more! It's disturbing how much it cleans off of floors that seem clean. It is expensive, but if it's within your budget, it's a splurge that is worth it. If you are thinking about purchasing a Tineco vacuum mop for yourself, I hope you have found this review helpful :) If you have one yourself and feel like I've left something out or you've had a different experience with it, please let me know! And if you have any questions, ask away–I'll do my best to answer.
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Do you have to use their cleaning solution? Water just fine or another substitute?
Hi Mary-Claire. I’m sure they only recommend their solution, lol. And it’s what we have used. But I’m confident you could use just water without any risk to the machine. I would just be cautious about using other solutions. I feel like if you do and have a problem with the machine, they would probably say it’s voids the warranty. I hope that helps!
There are SO many versions, are any substitutes for a vacuum?
Hi Maggie. Yes, there are a lot of different Tineco vacuum mops to choose from–it is confusing. I don’t know of any Tineco’s that just have a “dry” vacuum option, but there may be one out there. That said, even if there is, I can’t imagine that they are an ideal substitute for a dedicated vacuum cleaner. I hope that helps!
Thanks for your honest review. Can this be used for carpet area (only as a dry vacuum, obviously) as I have carpets in the bedrooms?
Thanks
Hi Merle. The Tineco we have does not have an option to use it in dry mode only, so I wouldn’t recommend it to vacuum a carpeted area.
Do you have sealed real hardwood floors or laminate floors? I really want to get this but am looking for testimonials from families with real hardwood floors that they are happy with it. Most I see have laminate flooring that looks like wood but isn’t truly.
Hi Meagan. We have sealed hardwood floors :) I hope that helps!
what is the battery life expectancy? how expensive is a battery?
I’m not sure. That would be a question that someone at Tineco should be able to answer for you :)
I am wondering if this model lays flat to reach under the bed. I know there is a model that does but since this one has the self cleaning and pet hair feature I was hoping this one would go flat.
Thank you
Hi Gigi. I’ve never tried to lay it flat since it needs to be on the base to charge. And I would be concerned about leaving the cleaning solution in it if I laid it flat.
So, as a person with 4 dogs, I have to know – will this mean I no longer have to HAND WASH my floors? I vacuum and dustmop/drymop now, and I had a steam cleaner for a while but it died on me. I’d love to get something like this but I want to make sure it will save me from handwashing my hardwood and tile floors. How does it do in a bathroom? Does the hair ever clog it? What about muddy pawprints? Any thoughts on any of that would be appreciated! From ~Ms. “still on her hands and knees scrubbing that”~
Hi Jennifer. I can’t really answer that because it’s pretty subjective. It cleans our floors well enough that I definitely do not feel the need to hand wash them, but you may have different standards. As I mentioned in the post, I DO vacuum as much dog hair up as I can before using it–I don’t feel that it’s a substitute for a regular vacuum. It does include a pet hair strainer that should keep it from getting clogged. We have never had an issue, but we only have 1 dog (a Bernese Mountain Dog with long hair that sheds a ton) and again, I do vacuum first. After cleaning with it and running the self-cleaning, I always clean out the dog hair that has been caught in the pet strainer. I find that it handles muddy paw prints well. We don’t have a lot of tile, so I can’t really speak to that either. It does well on our smooth tiles, but I have never had the opportunity to use it on natural tiles or tile with any texture. I hope that helps!