Our pick
The classic CrossWave gets floors near-spotless more quickly than any other floor-care tool. It sucks up solid debris, slurps up spills, and wipes away stains, all at the same time. This CrossWave is a plug-in model, so it’s stronger and should be more durable than the myriad cordless mop-vac combos out there. Fair warning: Regular maintenance is essential.
The Pet Pro is essentially the same machine as the standard CrossWave. But this model has pet-centric brushes and detergent, plus a strainer (which makes disposing of the inevitable gobs of wet hair in the dirty-water tank slightly less gross).
Bissell’s standard, green CrossWave and purple CrossWave Pet Pro (they’re very similar) both leave bare floors looking tidier and shinier than any other mop-vac combos we tested. Spills, solids, smears—the CrossWave will easily and safely slurp up all of it from the vast majority of wood, stone, ceramic, vinyl, laminate, and linoleum floors. We expect that the plug-in CrossWave will be more durable than its competitors, which are mostly cordless, battery-powered models—a technology that tends to stop working after a few years. Bissell also has a solid track record of making its branded detergents and basic spare parts widely available for years, even in some brick-and-mortar stores. Though the CrossWave isn’t a substitute for a real carpet cleaner, it can suck up fresh spills from rugs before they turn into stains (something not all mop-vac models can do well). It can also work as a decent regular dry vacuum (which some other mop-vac combos, including our other pick, the Tineco iFloor3, cannot). The CrossWave’s only major downside—apart from the pseudo-burden of being tied to a power outlet, and assuming that a mop-vac model makes practical and financial sense for your home—is that it’s fairly nasty to empty and rinse after a cleaning session. But that’s true of all mop-vac combos.
Also great
The Tineco iFloor3 has no cord, so mopping and vacuuming floors is even easier than with the classic Bissell CrossWave. But it’s not quite as strong at cleaning and probably isn’t as durable. And the iFloor3 lacks some versatility—it can’t dry-vacuum, nor can it really suck up wet messes from rugs.
If you’re willing to pay extra for the convenience of a cordless mop-vac model—even one that doesn’t clean quite as well and probably won’t last nearly as long as the plug-in CrossWave—we’d recommend the Tineco iFloor3. It will still handle nearly any stain or solid or spill, but we found that it leaves behind a little more residue than the super-sucking CrossWave, so your floors won’t look quite as polished. It isn’t really suitable for sucking up spills from rugs, either. One unique feature is that it runs more or less automatically: You turn it on, it starts mopping and vacuuming instantly, and you don’t need to remember to press any buttons or fiddle with any settings.
