A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Updated on Nov. 22, 2024
Simplify your cleaning by investing in one of the best vacuums for tile floors that's powerful enough for messes, yet gentle enough for the surface.
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Tile is an excellent flooring option for a number of reasons. It is durable and resilient, doesn’t absorb dust, resists stains and is relatively easy to clean and maintain. However, learning how to clean tile floors is a little different than learning how to clean other types of flooring, so invest in one of the best vacuum cleaners for tile floors.
While carpeted floors can easily withstand heavier upright vacuum cleaners, tile floors may be more delicate and need something more lightweight, like a cordless stick vacuum. In order to find the best vacuums for tile floors, we put seven machines to the test in our dedicated Testing Lab and in the homes of our shopping editors. Our in-depth testing determined that only six of them earned the title of the best vacuums for tile floors your money can buy.
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Want to have floors that are so clean you could eat off of them? Then look no further than the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam. This vacuum-mop effectively cleans and sanitizes floors, thanks to its steam cleaning option. Our Product Testing Team was impressed by this machine’s overall performance and versatility, as it can be used to clean both hard-sealed floors and area rugs.
In the Testing Lab, a mix of dirt, cereal, milk and eggs with shells littered our floor. With the exception of the cereal, which was mostly pushed around, this vacuum-mop combo did a great job cleaning up the messes. It also received high marks for its edge-to-edge cleaning capabilities. Our testers also appreciated the fact that the floor wasn’t left soaking wet after cleaning. “Originally, the floor was wet because we used the water-release trigger liberally, but once we switched the machine to suction mode, it sucked up all the excess water and dried its mess,” explains the Product Testing Team.
Since this vacuum-mop has a setting for area rugs, our testers scattered crumbs and glitter on the Testing Lab’s carpet. According to the Product Testing Team, the machine did well at sucking up bread crumbs and glitter. Plus, the carpet was not wet after use.
Once they were finished cleaning, our testers placed the machine on the dock and utilized the self-clean function. The cleaning process took less than a minute. Afterwards, our testers removed the brushroll and washed the plastic roller head cover. They noted that the interior of the head (behind the roller) barely needed to be wiped down, the pipe was clean and the docking tray wasn’t very dirty after the self-cleaning. Overall, the machine did just as well cleaning itself as it did cleaning our floors.
One thing to keep in mind after purchasing this vacuum-mop is how important it is to clean the machine after use. After the self-clean function, you’ll want to place the wet brush head in its spot on the dock to let it dry completely. Additionally, make sure you empty the dirty water tank after each use or it will become quite smelly. And if you’re worried about the extra work involved here, don’t be. Emptying the dirty water tank and seeing just how gross your floors really were is strangely satisfying. It will also make you realize that no, you’re not just imagining things. Your floors really do feel cleaner.
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For those on a budget looking for a powerful vacuum for tile floors, senior editor, Dawn Yanek, says that the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe, an upright bagless vacuum, sucks up dirt, hair and other assorted gunk like a champ. She notes that it was a fast and easy way to get the floors ready for mopping.
Yanek, a mom of two children who often forget to remove their shoes upon entering the house, notes that her floors have a tendency to get pretty dirty. So in addition to using this vacuum on her living room carpet, she tackled the tile flooring in her bathroom and basement. “I tried out the Shark on my (brand-new!) tiled bathroom and tiled basement. It sucked up dirt, hair and assorted gunk on tile floors like a champ. It was easy and fast, getting rid of the main issues on the floor before I broke out the mop. I did wish that it got a bit more toward the edges of the wall (I ended up using the attachment for that), but I didn’t mind since I also needed to use the attachment to get under the furniture,” she says.
Another callout feature of this upright vacuum cleaner is its lift-away design. All you have to do is lift away the pod and you’ve got a portable vacuum that makes it easier to vacuum stairs, upholstery and other hard-to-reach spots like under furniture. Though Yanek was happy with how well it cleaned under her furniture, she had a bit of trouble using it in all the ways it was advertised. “It looks easy, but the detachable portion is a little clunky and heavy to carry,” she explains. “The stick portion is long, which is nice, but if you’re trying to get a higher-up spot, it becomes a little unwieldy. You need two hands to direct it properly, and then you need to put down the lift-away portion. The problem there is that the extension isn’t quite long enough, so when I put down the lift-away portion, it keeps toppling over.”
Although Yanek wasn’t overly impressed by the Lift-Away feature, she still claims that this budget-friendly vacuum performed better than other pricier vacuums she’s tried.
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When it comes to the best vacuums for tile floors, it doesn’t get more convenient than vacuum-mop combos. That’s because they literally cut your cleaning time in half by vacuuming and mopping at the same time. We’ve tested dozens of these machines over the years, and the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro stands out as one of the best. We even took the time to write a full review.
This vacuum makes things easier right out of the box. After the initial charge, which takes roughly four hours and 35 minutes, our testers turned it on and were greeted by an interactive quick-start tutorial on the screen. “This machine speaks to you,” notes our Product Testing Team. “The tutorial was a nice feature that walked us through everything upon opening and setting up.” The machine continued to talk to them during testing, but if that’s not your thing, there’s a mute button.
Our Product Testing Team found that this smart vacuum-mop is lightweight, is easy to maneuver and has powerful suction. In the Testing Lab, this machine sucked up a mess of breadcrumbs, cereal and milk, dirt and egg with shells from our floors. However, our testers noted that the soggy cereal clogged the machine, prompting them to shut it off and clean it out before continuing with testing.
Our team cleaned this machine per the manufacturer’s instructions, opting for the super self-cleaning mode, which took six minutes to complete. During cleaning, the screen gives a play-by-play of what’s being cleaned throughout the process. The team was impressed by how clean the pipe was and that the roller was free of debris. But unlike other machines they tested, they weren’t thrilled by how much gunk was left behind on the inside of the roller cover head and dock. Both had to be wiped down separately, and the team pointed out that the machine’s air-dry function didn’t actually dry the roller.
In addition to putting this machine through rigorous testing in the lab, we sent it home with our tester, Ivis Estrada, for long-term testing in a real home with real messes. Estrada was impressed by how quickly and easily this vacuum-mop cleans up liquid spills. Estrada even used it to clean up some spilled potato chips. And while it took a few passes to get up all of the pieces, it ultimately did a great job.
Something to keep in mind when purchasing this vacuum-mop is the area you’ll be cleaning. Our Product Testing Team found that it was able to run for 28 minutes before needing to recharge. According to Estrada, you’ll have to stop and empty the dirty water tank every 15 to 20 minutes. And in some instances, the vacuum will instruct you to return it to the dock for cleaning. “If I’m just vacuuming up one room, this is plenty of time for me to get the floors cleaned,” says Estrada. “But if I’m doing an entire house cleaning, there will need to be many breaks in between rooms for cleaning maintenance.”
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Vacuums are an investment, but not every machine is worth its high price tag. However, there are some machines that are definitely worth the splurge, like the Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum. This cordless vacuum receives high marks for its ability to clean floors quickly and efficiently, as well as its lightweight design, maneuverability and extra features.
The vacuum is feature-heavy and includes lots of bells and whistles, like a MultiFlex wand that allows it to clean under furniture, light-emitting diode (LED) lights, crevice tool, anti-allergen brush, power indicator display to show cleaning modes and battery level, dual brush roll system, clean indicator and deodorizer attachment. It also boasts Shark’s latest Clean Sense IQ technology, which uses an infrared sensor to detect dirt and automatically increases power to get it all up. “The machine has a mind of its own when it has a big job to tackle,” says the Product Testing Team. This vacuum cleaner ran for 42 minutes and 30 seconds on a full charge, which was the longest runtime of all the Shark vacuums we tested.
In the Testing Lab, this vacuum was able to tackle a slew of dry messes, including cereal, glitter, long hair and short hair that was strewn about on floors and medium- and high-pile carpets. When describing its performance, our testers used phrases like “stellar performance,” “insanely good job” and “killed it.” Their only complaint was the fact that they found it harder to push and pull on the medium-pile carpet. Interestingly, it was much easier to move on the high-pile carpet.
Although this vacuum will set you back a cool $500, our Product Testing Team deems it a worthy splurge. “The performance was outstanding,” they rave. “The lightweight design and rear wheels make it highly maneuverable, as does the flexible bending wand to get under furniture.” And when you’re finished cleaning, this machine stores in an upright position and doesn’t require a wall mount like many other cordless vacuums.
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Pet owners are wild over Shark’s Pet Plus Cordless Stick Vacuum. It features a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration system, which captures and traps dust, dander and allergens instead of releasing them back into the air, LED lights, crevice and upholstery tools, an anti-allergen dust brush swivel and a pull trigger that you can use when you need a power boost to help with those extra-tough messes.
Our Product Testing Team said that this machine passed our edge-to-edge cleaning test with flying colors. Plus, they note they were impressed by how smoothly this vacuum glided across carpets, noting that it swivels well with good control. During testing, this machine worked best on carpets in standard mode, sucking up almost all of the glitter, cereal, dirt and hair we tossed in its path.
When it comes to cleaning this machine, our testers point out that it’s comparable to other Shark models in terms of ease and the amount of time it takes. Overall, this vacuum costs about $170 less than the Shark Stratos. While our testers agree that this vacuum is a good performer, they suggest springing for the Stratos if your budget allows since it offers an even better performance. The good news there? These vacuums often go on sale!
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In case you were wondering whether robot vacuums are worth it, the answer is yes. The Roborock S8 may be the brand’s most basic S8 model, meaning it doesn’t come with all of the bells and whistles that other models do, but it’s still a total powerhouse that is conveniently operated through a smartphone app. Senior shopping editor, Caitlyn Fitzpatrick, used this robot vacuum-mop on tile and hardwood floors throughout her home and agrees it’s a worthwhile purchase.
Upon receiving this vacuum-mop, Fitzpatrick was able to get right down to business since it came fully assembled. “I just had to slip on the pad used for mopping and place it on its ‘home’ to charge,” she explains. Once it was charged, she downloaded the Roborock app, connected the device to her home’s Wi-Fi and had it map out the first room. “In total, it took about 15 minutes from opening the box to being ready to clean. It would’ve taken even less time, but I had to try a few times to get the robot vacuum connected,” explains Fitzpatrick. “But it wasn’t too much trouble, and it was overall an easy process.”
Once the machine finished mapping her home, Fitzpatrick used it to vacuum and mop her tiled bathroom and mudroom. To her delight, she found that it was powerful enough to clean her floors in just one pass without leaving them soaking wet. “The app notified me when the cleanings were done and I came back to clear floors in a matter of minutes,” she raves. With her tile floors spic and span, Fitzpatrick then moved on to vacuum the hardwood floors throughout her home.
Fitzpatrick appreciated how the machine was able to fit under all of her bedroom furniture in spite of it being fairly low to the ground. In fact, it was under her bed where the machine was really put to the test. “Admittedly, it had been a little too long since I vacuumed under my bed, so this machine had its work cut out of it,” she says. “Unsurprisingly, a big dust bunny got stuck in the brush roll, so the vacuum paused, and I had to take it out. It would’ve been unrealistic to think any vacuum could handle that chunk of debris, so I don’t fault the machine for that.” But once Fitzpatrick cleared the dust bunny, it was smooth sailing. “I have no doubt that this robot vacuum will keep under my bed and furniture (and beyond) super clean,” she says.
The only thing about this robot vacuum Fitzpatrick didn’t love was the plastic pad that sits with the base. According to Fitzpatrick, it tends to slide out of place as the vacuum works to position itself on the dock. However, it’s a simple fix. “I’m planning to use some sort of damage-free adhesive to hold it in place,” explains Fitzpatrick.
Every so often, there’s a product that we’re so excited to try, only to find that it doesn’t live up to our expectations. We tested seven vacuums in order to find the best vacuums for tile floors, but only six made the cut. Here’s why the seventh machine got a thumbs down:
Here at Reader’s Digest, we all have homes to keep clean. And while vacuuming might not be everyone’s favorite chore, we understand the importance of finding a quality vacuum to get the job done. That’s why we make it our business to test every type of vacuum cleaner on the market. We entrust our editors and Product Testing Team, all of whom have years of product testing experience, to carefully evaluate each machine before deciding if it meets our standards. In our efforts to find the best vacuums for tile floors, our team spent over 40 hours conducting firsthand research in our Testing Lab, performing roughly 15 tests on each product. We sent some models home with our editors to detail how they live up to real-life messes. Of the seven machines we tested, six made the final cut and earned spots on our “best of” list. That’s because we strive to recommend only the very best products using honest and fair testing practices regardless of brand, price point or popularity.
As shopping experts, our only job is to help you find a winning product. There are tons of vacuum cleaners and vacuum-mops on the market, all claiming to be the best. And since we know you can’t test them all, we went ahead and did it for you. After all, we know better than anyone that not every product is worth the investment. In order to create this list of the best vacuums for tile floors, we began by gathering seven of the top models from the most reputable brands on the market. From there, we spent over 40 hours on batch testing, including researching, sourcing, intaking and testing the products.
Our Product Testing Team personally tested many of the machines on real messes, including hard-to-pick-up debris like cereal, eggs, glitter, short hair and long hair. These messes were scattered over tile floors, as well as medium-pile carpets and high-pile carpets (if the machines were compatible with carpets). In addition to utilizing our dedicated Testing Lab, we also sent some models home with our editors to see how they held up to real messes in real homes.
We considered suction, maneuverability, style and versatility. We also included options for a range of budgets, with picks ranging from $250 to $750. With those things in mind, coupled with our thorough testing, we’re confident that these six picks will drastically improve your cleaning routine.
Generally speaking, a vacuum is easier and more convenient than a broom and dustpan. However, for quick messes in hard-to-reach spots, a broom or Swiffer can be the better option.
In general, it’s recommended to vacuum tile floors at least once a week to remove dirt, dust and debris. Of course, if you have a high-traffic area, pets that shed or, say, a tile kitchen that sees a lot of crumbs and other debris, you should vacuum as often as necessary.
