This Best List-Winning Steam Mop Keeps My Floors Sparkling Clean, Even With Two Dogs at Home

Having two dogs at home, with one in the throes of housetraining, I’m never too far away from surface cleaners, odor and stain removers, and more. It’s not only been a test of patience but also a test of the effectiveness of some of my favorite cleaning products. What I’ve learned in this time is that I could be a lot more efficient with my floor cleaning, especially for heavier messes. However, I also wanted a tool that was near effortless to take out and use. I wasn’t sure I could get the simplicity and power in one fell swoop — until I tried BISSELL’s Powerfresh Pet Lift-Off 2-in-1 Scrubbing & Sanitizing Steam Mop, which earned a spot on our sister site‘s steam mop Best List as the top choice for homes with pets.

I didn’t think my floors would return to their former glory after the variety of pet messes they’ve seen (not to mention the smells…), but this impressive mop took care of the job in minutes and I didn’t even break a sweat.

Out of the box, the BISSELL PowerFresh Lift-Off Pet Steam Mop takes some minor assembly that’s not too complicated. Once I snapped a couple of pieces together and screwed the handle securely into the base, it was ready to go. To start, I only needed it for my floors; however, the steam mop has a detachable pod that can be used as a handheld steamer for a number of other purposes. It even comes with all the necessary attachments, including a flat surface tool for countertops, fabric steamer, detail brush, grout brush, flat scraper, angle concentrator (for cleaning tight spaces around the sink), and a handy window squeegee. All of those accessories along with the steam mop’s additional microfiber mop pad can be conveniently stored in a bag that comes with it for safekeeping and to keep the clutter at bay. It also comes with a measuring cup for water that can be snapped directly onto the handle, which I thought was a great space-saving detail. Plus, the cup has an angled spout for easy pouring, so the steam mop can be filled without a spill.

What I loved about this steam mop is that it’s incredibly easy to use and doesn’t have a long wait before you can mop with it. After filling the water tank, the steam mop heats up in 30 seconds and you’ll know it’s ready when the Steam Ready Light illuminates. With a full tank of 13 ounces of water, the mop can be operated for a total of 23 minutes. The only controls on it are its power button, low steam button, and a high steam button. For my floors, I began on low steam to get familiar with the steam mop, and then increased it to high steam once I saw how well it was refreshing my floor. Right away, I could see sticky stains and residue being lifted from my hard flooring, and before long, it was like they hadn’t been there at all! I couldn’t believe how nice the floors looked without the use of chemicals to strip away the mess. 

One hidden feature of the BISSELL PowerFresh Pet Steam Mop is a sleeve built inside the mop pad where an optional scent disc (included with the steamer) can be inserted for a burst of freshness as you clean. The brand suggests breaking it into pieces if you want to lessen the fragrance, but personally, I used an entire disc with mine and I didn’t find it to be overwhelmingly strong. My suggestion would be to see how you prefer the scent with the complete disc, and if it’s too overpowering for you, then break it at that point. The disc won’t dissolve from using the mop right away, which will buy you some time to customize it to your liking. Additionally, though I haven’t had to use it for myself yet, the device has an EasyScrubber brush on the backside that can be pressed down and lifted with your foot to scrub as you mop for a deeper clean.

Overall, I’m super impressed with this steam mop, and even happier that it comes from one of my favorite home cleaning brands. It checks all of my boxes for convenience, ease, and effectiveness. In my book, it’s a clear winner.

Buy: BISSELL PowerFresh Lift-Off Pet Steam Mop, $144.19

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it here: This Best List-Winning Steam Mop Keeps My Floor Sparkling Clean, Even With Two Dogs at Home