Best Steam Mop for Hardwood Floors of 2022

Steam mopping took a while before gaining popularity for wood floor cleaning because of the fear of steam on wood. However, using steam mops on wood floors actually does more than just clean-off dirt from the surface. It gets rid of spill stains, dirty footprints and smears, and even the most persistent and stubborn dirt.
Steam mops do better than other solutions and cleaning products when it comes to bringing out your floor’s early luster. Moreover, steam mopping gets you excellent results without resorting to harmful chemical cleaners. And yet more, they get you these results easily, so you get sparkly clean floors without the hard work.
With steam mops, you’re also sure to get completely sanitized floors. See, the steam power not only removes dirt, it also kills 99.9% of bacteria without using chemicals. This makes steam mops an excellent choice for households with kits and pets.
With that, we’re happy to help you find the best choices when it comes to steam mops for wood floors.  Check out our favorites’ features covered in our reviews below, and see why they stand out in the market. In addition to that, our buying guide below will help you will help you choose one which fits you best.

Considering the many different steam mops on the market, this guide will help you narrow it down to the best. Moreover, you’ll want to make sure you choose the right ones for your wood floors to avoid damaging them. See, some models feature scraper heads or low quality mop heads that can scratch the floor’s finish, trim and molding.       

Our featured models come cleans safely with adjustable steam settings unlike other models which only have a single trigger. See, without adjustable steam levels, the blast of steam may end up being too harsh on your wood floors. Additionally, the best steam mop for wood floors come with the right features and accessories best for cleaning wood floors.

We’re sure you’re here because you only want to buy the best options worth spending your money on. Considering that, we’ve completed this review and guide to the best steam cleaners that work great for wood floors. Our picks work well on other flooring types too whilst considering aspects like lifestyle, home environment, pets and kids.

Simple features make the O-Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop perfect for wood floors yet it performs wonderfully. This model features microfiber pads cushioning over a triangular mop head that easily gets you into tight corners. Moreover, it comes with a spot cleaning attachment for carpets, giving you a little extra.

To start with, its included Snap-on carpet accessory makes this steamer glide on your carpet surface like a plastic sled. Then, with its steam power, you can easily brush the unit over stains and spots to remove them.  So more than just floor steam cleaner, it works like a small-scale carpet cleaner too.

We say small-scale carpet cleaner, since the design can’t really cover fully carpeted rooms and homes. However, the extra feature comes in handy for spot-cleaning and quick touch-ups for a refreshed carpet surface.

Along with its attachment, adjustable steam settings give the O-Cedar extra points for versatility.  It lets you adjust steam level according to your flooring type or task, from low steam to high. And while it doesn’t come with a trigger, many reviewers consider it a convenience on their fingers.

The absence of the trigger means you don’t have to cramp your fingers from pressing on or off. You can simply adjust the settings as you clean and move from one surface to the next.

O-Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop gets room temp water into steam in as fast as 20 seconds. So, you don’t have to wait much long as it heats water. Moreover, it has a 400ml capacity tank and comes with a measured cup to avoid spills and messes. This cup makes an ideal and simple solution for getting the right amount of water than manually gauging it.

Its triangular mop head features excellent maneuverability along with a 360-degree swivel control. So that combination means easier cleaning around furniture and into corners. Meanwhile, if you find the triangular design small, it actually covers a large ground print, cleaning a wide space easily.

The O-Cedar features microfiber pads features a thread design similar to traditional rags. It then polishes and protects your hardwood floors in a similar sense as you clean. Moreover, this textured surface lets you easily rub off dirt, stubborn stains, and smeared substances from your wood floors.

Apart from wood floors, the rag fiber design cleans through grout on tile floors.  So altogether, the O-Cedar covers wood floors, tile floors and carpeted areas too. Moreover, apart from simply cleaning it disinfects through its steam production, killing 99.9% bacteria.

Affordable, versatile, and an intelligent design, you’ll easily see how Bissell PowerFresh takes the number one spot on Amazon. See, this bestselling steam mop sports a clean simple design with a deluxe mop kit with an all-around fit.

The Bissell PowerFresh cleans from light to tough dried messes with its 3-level steam controls. Moreover, controls are easily accessible with a push of a button, so you can easily switch between modes easily. This means you can switch from light spot cleaning to full-on steam over hardened dirt muck as you glide it.

To further support that steam’s powerful cleaning, the PowerFresh features a convenient flip-down Easy-Scrubber.  So while the steam dissolves stubborn dirt, stains or grime, the bristles loosens and brushes them off.  This combination will surely get rid of those tough spots be it stuck dried gum or even paint splatters.

The Bissell PowerFresh also comes with two machine-washable reusable mop pads with soft microfiber material. One mop pad features a soft surface for daily cleaning tasks, while the other works well on intense cleaning tasks. The latter comes with a rubber scrubbing detail for added cleaning power for dirt and stain removal.

Users like how the mop pads feature an all-around fit and goes as far as the head’s bumper. This reduces the risks for scratching or damaging molding and walls as you clean room edges and corners. Moreover, this cushioning design helps avoid scratching hardwood floors, furniture legs and sides as you mop.

It’s easy to appreciate how its mop head’s cushioning design supports the fit without any other clips, accessories or clasps. Moreover, though these mop heads are reusable, they feature Microban anti-bacterial chemical-treated material that inhibit bacteria growth.

A removable water tank may be a simple design feature but it offers the convenience of easy refilling. The PowerFresh features this, so you can easily fill up for the next cleaning session on from you sink. Moreover, its water tank holds enough water for a 20-minute cleaning time on regular mode and 15-minutes on full blast.

The PowerFresh lets you cover a wide cleaning area thanks to its 23-foot power cord. In addition to that, on top of cleaning and sanitizing, its Spring Breeze fragrance discs add a fresh scent.

If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck pick, the Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop brings top value. It features a sizeable mop head, an enormous boiler tank, two double-sided mop pads and many other useful features. This means you get all your basic mopping essentials covered without hurting your pockets.

Its 12” wide rectangular mop head easily attaches with a quick-release switch and maneuvers easily with a swivel design. And while it looks fairly common at first glance, but the double-sided mop head gives so much convenience. Just imagine how much cleaning mileage you get off each pad as you flip it over.

Many users appreciate its wide cleaning path coupled how much cleaning gets done with both sides of the pad. Moreover, the two included pads themselves feel plush and cushions well making them safe on hardwood floors. Plus, the absorbent material performs excellently whilst durable enough to stand up to 20 washes.

While most mops come with a plastic shaft, this steam mop features a metal shaft made from aluminum. If you’re worried about it being heavier compared to others, the material actually makes it both lightweight and durable.

This Shark steam mop comes with a huge 500ml water tank that heats up in as quick as 30-seconds. Moreover, it quickly sanitizes your floors as fast as 15 seconds on normal mode and almost immediately on full blast. Then, its smart steam delivers a constant delivery of hot steam without the need to press-hold on a trigger.

This steam mop features 3-level steam settings namely Dust, Mop and Scrub modes. For basic light cleaning tasks and surface dirt, the Dust mode works well enough. Then, for light messes, you can clean with Mop mode, and finally Scrub mode for tougher stains and dirt.

These three-level adjustable settings also help you clean multiple surface/floor types apart from the magnitude of the mess. So, following your floor’s warranty details, you can adjust between modes accordingly. For polishing wood floors, the lowest setting works best without having to scrub rigorously or constantly buff the floor.

One of our favorites among other steam mops on the market, the Reliable Steamboy 300cu has a lot to offer. It specifically does well on hardwood floor cleaning but performs just as excellently on other floor types. Moreover, it produces calescent “dry” steam, which means no streaks and leaves the least possible moisture on the surface.

When we say dry steam, this steam mop gets you the driest steam any steam mop can produce. This makes it quite powerful especially compared to other underpowered models that leave moisture behind due to mildly heated steam. The Reliable’s high temperature steam output makes this possible, so it leaves barely any residual moisture while you clean.

Similar to the O-Cedar, this steam mop sports a triangular head allowing it to clean tight corners and spaces. While the Shark and Bissell models feature a wide cleaning path and coverage, we favor its floor attachment.  See, it actually performs more efficiently as the steam extends up to edges effectively cleaning in a single pass.

The Reliable Steamboy also comes with ergonomic features, which outshine our other listed choices. See, while it features the same swivel steering head, it performs the smoothest in comparison to other steam mops. The combination allows you to balance and maneuver the mop easily without any stress on your wrists.

Apart from a dryer output, hotter steam also means better sanitation and disinfecting. It outshines others when it comes to performance on tougher spot-cleaning tasks.

As expected, this steam mop also includes two extra reusable/washable, and fairly plush, microfiber pads. They have enough thickness to effectively capture dirt without obstructing the steam’s path and performance.

Most users clean multiple flooring types apart from hardwood and note how happy they are with the Reliable’s versatility. It performs just as well on tile and linoleum surfaces as it does on wooden floors. It’s one of the few steam mops we found that performs just as well as a full-size canister model.

Similar to the Bissell, this steam mop comes with a built-in scrubber to reach dirt in grout and clean deep-seated dirt. It also comes with a carpet glider to freshen, clean, treat spots and deodorize carpets. So, while it doesn’t have any flashy attributes like Shark’s two-sided mop head it has enough versatility.

While all these features already seem impressive, its best feature lies under the hood, and rarely highlighted though it should be. We’re referring to its included replaceable water filter, which means unlike other models, you can use tap water. It should be highlighted as a big selling point because other models only use distilled water, else they risk clogging.

Its thick plastic make and metal shift outperforms other models when it comes to durability. Many users note how it feels well made and managed with excellent quality control. Even so, it still comes with a one-year warranty.

There are a couple of things to consider when buying a steam mop. You’ll want to consider both so you can get the best value for your money.

As moisture and hardwood don’t get along so well, you’ll want a steam mop that produces minimal residual moisture. See, moisture can damage wood floors.

When choosing the best steam mop consider which one best fulfills your household cleaning needs.  The best models can work as well as your favorite carpet cleaners and even have the capacity of some handheld steamers.

Our top picks each outshine other models in different aspects, particularly budget, value and versatility. However, our ultimate best recommendation, the Reliable Steamboy balances these needs well.

Following our buying guide above, you’ll find the steam mop that best caters to your floor types and cleaning requirements. Moreover, you’ll find one which offers the best value for your budget.