Cleaning tile floors can be tricky. But we’ve got you covered with our recommendations for the best mop to clean tile floors here. We reviewed many top cleaning styles to bring you the top 5 products we believe will make those ceramic tiles sparkle again. Whether you’ve got toddlers (like us), or animals (also like us…), we’ve thought it through to give you our perspective and hopefully you will relate!
CLICK HERE TO SKIP ALL THIS AND JUMP DOWN TO SEE OUR TOP RECOMMENDATION
Page Contents
- 1 Quick Guide: Our Top 7 Recommended Mops To Clean Tile Floors
- 2 Your Tile Floor Cleaning Tool Guide
- 3 The Best Mop To Clean Tile Floors Reviews in 2018
- 4 Top Traditional Mop To Clean Ceramic Floors
- 5 The Best Spin Mop To Clean Tile
- 6 The Best Steam Mop For Tile Floors – The Best Tile Floor Cleaner
- 7 The Best Scrub Mops For Cleaning Tough Grout Between Tiles
- 8 If you ask us, here’s our recommendation:
Quick Guide: Our Top 7 Recommended Mops To Clean Tile Floors
Picture | Product | Type | Our Rating | See More |
---|---|---|---|---|
O Cedar Microfiber Cloth Mop | Traditional Mop | | See on Amazon | |
O Cedar Easy Wring Spin Mop | Spin Mop | | See on Amazon | |
Twist & Shout Spin Mop | Spin Mop | | See on Amazon | |
Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop "OUR RECOMMENDATION" | Steam Mop | | See on Amazon | |
Shark Steam Pocket Mop | Steam Mop | | See on Amazon | |
OXO Tile Scrubber | Grout Cleaner | | See on Amazon | |
Fugenial "Fuginator" | Grout Cleaner | | See on Amazon |
Your Tile Floor Cleaning Tool Guide
So you’ve got dirty tile floors like me huh?! Well, welcome and let’s get cranking to some answers. Here’s some common questions we’ve run across during our time, and you may have them too. Or you can just skip them and jump down to the reviews.
What kind of mop do I use on tile floors?
That’s a question that more relies on your personal preference. Most of the options we’ll talk about today can work for nearly any type of tile floor. In case you were wondering… yes, there’s a few different types of tile! The common ones are ceramic (most popular) and porcelain (less popular because more expensive).
What is the best product to clean tile floors?
Well that’s why we’re here silly. I’ll show you our preferred and recommended option below so stick around! But there are several different options you can choose:
- Traditional mop –> the old fashioned one we’re all familiar with
- Spin mop –> has a motorized brush on the end that literally spins (hence the name haha)
- Steam mops –> just like it says, it creates steam to help clean. See our top steam mops for laminate floors here.
- Scrub mops –> has tougher bristles to handle grout and stuck on food
Do steam mops work on tile floors?
Short answer… yes quite well. As long as the tile is sealed. Some tiles are “unsealed” or more raw and those likely wouldn’t want a steam clean. Porcelain tiles would be alright because they absorb very little moisture.
How often should I mop my tile floors?
Good question, and the answer depends on your level of dirt. If you’re like me (I have 3 messy kids who always track dirt and grim around), it would be smart to mop at least twice a week. Some others might be fine with just once a week. I wouldn’t recommend mopping every day as that can wear down the tiles over time. Let’s say minimum once per week and maximum 4 times per week. You judge it based on how you feel.
Should I vacuum my tile floors before using a cleaner?
Ideally, yes! It will pick up the bigger pieces allowing your tile cleaner to just focus on cleaning the tile. Otherwise, you’ve got to drag those larger crumbs around while you clean…
And we’ve got some solid recommendations for vacuums here and here.
The Best Mop To Clean Tile Floors Reviews in 2018
Let’s jump into it here and actually talk about products. As mentioned above, there’s 4 main types of mops to clean tile floors. Let’s start with the traditional mop:
Top Traditional Mop To Clean Ceramic Floors
We’re all familiar with traditional mops. Honestly, we believe there’s better options than standard mops these days, but we understand some people just love these. So of all the basic mops out there, this is the one we found that we actually like:
O-Cedar Microfiber Cloth Mop – Our Top Traditional Mop Choice
It is what it is. A standard mop we’ve all seen hundreds of time. Nothing fancy here about the mop, and certainly nothing fancy about the price. It’s ol-reliable if you want to put it. Traditional mops have their place, but they wouldn’t be the ideal solution if you can afford better.
Here’s the Pros:
- Great price
- Lightweight around 3 lbs.
- Adjustable handle that can expand to 56 inches
- Removable head can be machine washed 100x
- Very gentle on tile (and hardwood)
- Can be versatile to clean on laminate and hardwoods
Here’s the Cons:
- Not a deep clean
- Can leave streaks
- Won’t get up stuck on junk
- Lightweight handle could break
- Requires a bucket to travel with you
Overall, if you’re happy with a standard mop, this will work well for you. But in my honest opinion, there’s better options out there.
Click Here to see the O Cedar Microfiber Cloth Mop on Amazon.
The Best Spin Mop To Clean Tile
What is a spin mop? Good question.
Basically, it’s a full mop system that includes a handle mop and bucket. The spinning refers to the bucket which has a centrifugal wringer inside. It rotates quickly to remove water from the mop head. And depending on the design, the wringer can operate either with a handle or foot pedal.
Here’s what great about spinning mop buckets. They are a complete system designed to help you mop faster. They also give you simple control of how wet or dry to make the mop head. And most of the spinners are very simple to use.
But there’s some drawbacks. Obviosuly, with a moving part (aka the spinner) comes a higher risk of broken parts. Plus the quality of the spinning wringer can vary greatly with brand. That’s why we’re here to help though!
O-Cedar Easy Wring Spin Mop & Bucket
As of 2/13/2018, this is a top rated Amazon choice spin mop! So clearly it’s a good quality and performs well for most users. It’s got the foot pedal style hands-free wringer which people definitely love.
Here’s the Pros:
- Mop & bucket system all in one
- Built in wringer system
- Triangular shape to get in corners
- Machine washable microfiber cloth
- Splash guard
Here’s the Cons:
- Not a deep clean
- Requires the bucket to travel with you
- Won’t clean stuck on junk
- Foot pedal means more parts that could break
If you’re looking for a more “upgraded” style of traditional mop. These spin mops are a great choice at a great price! In all honesty, if you were truly the type that preferred a more standard style mop, spend a few extra bucks for the spin mop. It’ll clearly make your life much better!
Click Here to see the O-Cedar Spin Mop on Amazon.
Twist & Shout Hand Push Spin Mop
An underrated performer (especially on Amazon), but don’t sleep on this off brand spin mop. It’s got everything you need and more to be the perfect addition to your kitchen cleaning arsenal.
Here’s the Pros:
- LIFETIME WARRANTY!!
- Award winning top rating
- No moving parts
- Self wringing with twisting motion
- Includes 2 machine-washable microfiber cloths
- Metal spinning axis
Here’s the Cons:
- Requires more work with hand twisting
- No wheels for moving bucket around
- Still need the bucket
Once again, having a mop for your tile floors is a good thing if that’s what you prefer. And this Twist & Shout Spin mop is clearly a top-of-the-line style. As of 2/18/2018 it’s been rated on Amazon over 4,500 times with an average rating of 4.7 stars! That should really boost your confidence in using it on your tile!
Click Here to see the Twist & Shout Spin Mop on Amazon.
The Best Steam Mop For Tile Floors – The Best Tile Floor Cleaner
Steam mops are a relatively newer trend in floor cleaning (at least compared to regular mops). They have a water tank, heating element internally and a pad to pick up the dirt and scum. By heating up the water, a steam mop can throw a concentrated amount of steam down at the ground to loosen anything and then simply wipe it up with the mop pad. In our opinion, steam mops are the best tile floor cleaner.
Some of the great aspects of steam mops are that they clean and sanitize your tile floors. They can also clean dried (and sometimes stained) food off your floors with little work. And steam mops are extremely portable given their cleaning ability. Lastly, they allow you to clean and disinfect WITHOUT any harsh chemicals on your floors (great for toddlers or pets!)
But there are drawbacks to steam mops like the requirement of a power cord. So you have to be close to outlets to operate them. And they’re noticeably more expensive. Plus they can’t clean grout from in between your tiles.
Bissell PowerFresh 1940 Steam Mop
Bissell has long been known as a leading brand in floor cleaners (including many vacuums). They’ve made several items that we’ve reviewed here and here. And this PowerFresh steam mop is no exception to top quality. This would be our preferred option for the best mop for ceramic tile floors!
As of 2/19/2018, it’s an Amazon’s Choice top rated steam mop with over 9,000 reviews. We like the Bissell PowerFresh model best because of their unique design to include fragrance discs to make the floor smell heavenly!
- Adjustable steam control
- Adjustable scrubber for flexibility
- Continuous steam (no pumping)
- Fragrance discs can be added
- Removable water tank (distilled water preferred)
- Only weighs 6 lbs.
Here’s the Cons:
- More expensive than traditional mop
- Shorter 23′ power cord
- Cannot clean tough grout
- Heater can fail
Overall, we prefer steam mops for most tile cleaning. Why?
Because it can provide a deeper clean than a standard mop with less effort. We have small toddlers at our house so food is constantly dropped, stepped on, and just caked on our floors. Steam mops help me stay off my knees to clean these messes on my tile flooring. For us, the cost is just worth it.
Click Here to see the Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop on Amazon.
Shark Steam Pocket Mop
Another incredibly popular brand in floor cleaning is Shark. They’re quite popular and versatile on our lists here at Freshly Clean Home. But for this specific list, we’re looking at the Shark Steam Pocket Mop. It’s an amazing tile floor steam cleaner!
It’s another Amazon Choice product as of 2/19/2018 with just under 3,000 reviews so far. Shark seems to constantly push the limits for design and creativity. The Pocket Mop has a unique double-sided mop head to double the amount of time you can mop before changing heads. Here’s what else we like about this steam mop.
- Only 30 seconds for steam to be ready
- Large, double-sided cleaning cloths (machine washable)
- Longer 25 foot power cord
- Lager 450 mL water tank.
- Weighs less than 5 lbs.
Here’s the Cons:
- Still more expensive than traditional mops
- Still cannot clean tough grout
- Components can fail internally
Shark and Bissell are nearly neck-n-neck for quality here on our steam cleaner for tile list. It truly comes down to personal preference as their difference are so small. We still prefer a steam cleaner for tile floors. They just do so much more than a standard mop that the grout limitation is something we can look past.
Click Here to see the Shark Steam Pocket Mop on Amazon.
The Best Scrub Mops For Cleaning Tough Grout Between Tiles
So here we are finally discussing how to help that nasty grout in between tiles. Grout is a tricky thing as it can be affected by so many things that won’t typically hurt the tile itself. So let’s see which areas will work best for cleaning out those nasty grout stains.
OXO Good Grips Bathroom Tub & Tile Scrubber
Our recommended weapon for tackling the toughest grout on your tile. What do you need to beat grout? Tough, thick bristles that are ale to get in between the tiles, but are soft enough not to scratch anything. That’s what we love about this OXO brand scrubber. It’s got tough bristles and also an extendable wand so you don’t have to get on your hands and knees.
Here’s the Pros:
- Excellent price
- Steel handle to handle scrubbing
- Handle adjusts from 26″ to 42″
- Triangular scrubber to reach corners
- Comfortable handle grip
Here’s the Cons:
- Can’t really be used for anything else
Overall, for getting in between those ceramic tiles, we truly prefer this OXO brand scrubber. It’s priced perfectly and performs very well. Can’t ask much more than that.
Click Here to see the OXO Tub & Tile Scrubber on Amazon.
Fugenial “Fuginator” Tile Joint Brush
Sometimes you just need a simple handheld brush to tackle some difficult areas of tile grout. That’s what the “Fuginator” is for. Nobody wants to get down on their hands and knees to clean, but sometimes it’s the only way. In those circumstances, use this extremely affordable option to get the job done.
- Handheld so easy to manuever
- Extremely portable
- Cheap
- Square design to get corners
- Tough bristles to clean
Here’s the Cons:
- Limited function beyond grout cleaning
- Can only clean small areas at a time
- Requires brute force to clean grout
Honestly, we believe this is the second part of a 1-2 punch to effectively clean tile. You won’t always need to get down and dirty cleaning the grout. Especially, if you do a good job utilizing a steam mop as mentioned above consistently. But a few times a year, you’ll need to get down and scrub that grout to keep it clean and pretty. For those times either pick up this handheld cleaner or grab the OXO cleaner with a handle.
Click Here to see the Fugenial Fuginator on Amazon.
If you ask us, here’s our recommendation:
We’ve mentioned it above, but we believe this is a 1-2 punch to attack the tile floors and clean them effectively. Traditional mops are nice, but they don’t get up the same level of dirt that steam mops do. We truly believe steam mops are the most effective at cleaning ceramic tile floors.
The other half of that punch is the specific grout cleaner. You cannot just have a steam cleaner or traditional mop and expect to keep that grout looking spectacular all year long. At some point, you need to truly scrub the grout with tough bristles. So here’s what we recommend:
- We LOVE the Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop for your consistent tile floor cleaning
- We LOVE the OXO Good Grips Scrubber for the deep grout cleaning it can do
If you combine those two pieces, you’ll have the perfect system to keep that tile looking brand new year after year.
We’re always open to your feedback. What did you think of our list of the best mop to clean tile floors? If you have any other suggestions, drop a comment and let us know. If you have another mop you love, we want to know!