The best Tineco wet-dry vacuums: The top models, compared

I first tested a Tineco wet-dry vacuum five years ago and was immediately enamored with this machine that could mop and vacuum simultaneously— and even detect hidden dirt. Since launching its iLoop smart sensor in 2019, Tineco has continued to refine its technology, creating some of the first smart cordless wet-dry vacuums that automatically adjust suction and mopping power based on the level of dirt detected for more efficient cleaning.

Over the years, Tineco's wet-dry vacuums have continued to evolve and earned top spots in our best wet-dry vacuum guide thanks to their strong cleaning performance and thoughtful upgrades. Newer models are lighter, last longer on a charge, lie flat, resist hair tangles, and even clean and dry themselves using hot water and air. After each use, the dirty water tank, filled with dark water, debris, and sludge, serves as a clear reminder of how thorough these machines are.

After years of hands-on testing, I'm well-equipped to help you find the best Tineco for your home, budget, and cleaning needs as I compare the differences and features of the Tineco's I've tested. The best Tineco wet-dry vacuum is the Floor One S7 Stretch Ultra, which has excellent cleaning performance, enhanced edge-cleaning, lie-flat capabilities, and an advanced self-cleaning system that washes with hot water and air dries the brushroll. The Floor One S5 is a more affordable option that's been around for a few years and has proved itself as a reliable cleaner, but it does require more cleanup afterward.

Tineco wet-dry vacuums, compared

Tineco Floor One S7 Stretch Ultra

The Tineco Floor One S7 Stretch Ultra is my top wet-dry vacuum pick due to its excellent cleaning power and ease of use. As the "stretch" part of the name suggests, the S7 Stretch Ultra can lie flat to reach under beds and furniture. To reduce the chance of leaks from extending the handle so low, the clean water tank sits on top vacuum head, making the cleaner head too thick to clean under low toe kicks.

The S7 Stretch Ultra features core Tineco technologies, including auto dirt detect technology, which cleans almost all wet and dry messes — such as coffee grounds, milk, cereal, eggs, and barbecue sauce — in a single pass and signals when the floor is clean. Dried ketchup took two passes. I rarely needed to use the other modes, such as Max, Suction (for wet spills only), or Custom mode (which lets you customize water/solution levels and suction power for specific rooms).

The S7 Stretch Ultra cleans up to a centimeter along the sides of the vacuum head and half a centimeter along the front edge. Dual scrapers prevent hair from tangling around the brushroll and wring out dirty water, while the brushroll is consistently cleaned with fresh water, to prevent streaks and re-depositing dirt so you're not spreading messes around your floor. The battery lasted 32 minutes during testing, and I only needed to refill the clean water tank at the 20-minute mark and empty the dirty water tank at 28 minutes.

The debris catcher in the dirty water tank requires reaching in to pull out accumulated dirt, but at least the S7 Stretch Ultra uses 185 degrees of hot water and 185 degrees of hot air to fully clean and dry the brushroll in five minutes. The $650 price tag may be high for some, but this investment is well worth it if you have a midsize home and/or pets or kids and want to thoroughly clean spills and pick up hard-to-see messes.

Tineco Floor One S7 Pro

The Tineco Floor One S7 Pro features a 3.6-inch LCD screen that displays both the iLoop smart sensor and a 3D cartoon, guiding users through the setup process and providing insights into maintenance, self-cleaning, and cleaning modes. Newer Tineco wet-dry vacuums, like the S7 Stretch Ultra, have considerably smaller screens, so the S7 Pro is a good fit for those with vision accessibility needs.

The clean water tank is on the vacuum body, so while you won't be able to make this vacuum lie 180 degrees flat, it can easily clean under low toe kicks and is outfitted with headlights to see debris in dark spaces. Performance-wise, it required three passes on dried ketchup, two passes on syrup, and a single pass on all other materials. Max or ultra modes are good for sticky messes, while suction mode is ideal for wet spills. In terms of edge support, you can clean within one centimeter along the sides of the vacuum head and within 3/4ths of an inch along the front.

The battery life of the S7 Pro is advertised as 40 minutes, but I was able to use it for 43 minutes. There are two self-cleaning options — a two-minute self-cleaning and a super self-cleaning that lasts 6 minutes. Neither use hot water, but they clean the brushroll thoroughly enough. Dust and debris were still stuck under the vacuum head that I had to clean by hand. Even though the wet-dry vacuum has air drying, it's not hot, so you'll have to air-dry the brushroll.

When it's on sale, you don't need to buy a lower series (like an S6 or S5) wet-dry vacuum from Tineco, especially since the S7 Pro outperforms many wet-dry vacuums on the market in the same price range.

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro

The S9 Artist Pro is the wet-dry vacuum I continue to use in my own personal life, but it's Tineco's most expensive (and advanced) option to date. It performed exactly the same as the S7 Stretch Ultra, picking up fine and thick materials, as well as sticky, dry, and wet messes. That said, the edge cleaning may be the best I've tested, as it cleans right up to the front and side edges of the vacuum head. It also has the longest battery life, lasting up to an hour.

Where the S7 Stretch Ultra has four modes, the S9 Artist Pro only has three: auto or dirt detect, max, and suction. The S9 Artist Pro can also lie flat at 180 degrees to reach under furniture. However, it has the bonus feature of being able to swivel 90 degrees to the left and right, which makes it highly maneuverable to clean around furniture.

The body of the machine features aurora borealis color tones, and at 9.48 pounds, it's one of the lightest wet-dry vacuums on the market. Self-propulsion technology reduces strain during use, while the 58-minute battery life is perfect for large homes. The three-hour recharging rate is quite fast for a wet-dry vacuum as well.

The self-cleaning system uses 185-degree hot water to thoroughly clean the brushroll and 185-degree hot air to dry it within five minutes. The self-drying system is a bit loud, and the debris catcher is not my favorite design, but the provided brush helps remove wet debris.

Tineco Floor One S5

The Tineco Floor One S5 was the first wet-dry vacuum I ever tested, and although I've since tested more sophisticated Tineco wet-dry vacuums, it still offers a great clean at an accessible price. It has two cleaning modes — auto (or dirt detect mode) and max mode. With the 35-minute battery life, I was able to clean my 1,600-square-foot home and still have 58% battery life left. The self-propulsion technology helps, especially since this vacuum is on the heavier side at 17 pounds. Keep in mind that you'll have to refill the clean water tank and empty the dirty water tank at least once before the battery dies.

During my testing, the S5 effectively cleaned my floors, removing both large and small debris, as well as wet messes. You'll need a handful of passes on sticky substances or dried ketchup, which is on par with most mid-range or budget wet-dry vacuums. At least, the iLoop sensor will tell you when the floor is clean. Unlike some of the newer models, the edge cleaning is limited to the right side of the vacuum head; however, it can reach within 0.39 inches of an edge. Cleaning under furniture is limited to, as water might leak if you lean the S5 more than 142 degrees.

The self-cleaning process is quite basic, as the machine runs water through the brushroll. The water is not heated, and there is no assisted drying of the brushroll. The stand features a dedicated space for the brushroll to air dry, and it even comes with a replacement brush roller that you can swap in, eliminating the need to stop and add the brush before cleaning again. You may also need to clean under the vacuum head.

Tineco Floor One S5 Steam

Tineco was also one of the first to incorporate steam cleaning into a wet-dry vacuum, offering sterilization without the use of chemicals or cleaning solutions. The Floor One S5 Steam is a good option if you have the right sort of floors like tile; we suggest avoiding steam mops on hardwood floors, vinyl, and laminate, as the heat can cause damage The corded model promises unrelenting steam heat and heats up in under a minute. However, despite not having to worry about charging, the 0.75 liter water tank needed to be refilled after about 20 minutes. It had no trouble loosening sticky stains while the smart sensors helped identify when an area was clean. Our tester noted that the mop recommended self-cleaning multiple times during a cleaning session.

Tineco has also increased its steam offerings over the years including a cordless option that offers up to 20 minutes of steam power (S7 Steam), a model that lies flat (S6 Stretch Steam), and a model that combines cordless and lie flat cleaning with the fast-drying capabilities (S7 Stretch Steam).

See more on the best steam mops.

Which Tineco should you buy?

The best Tineco wet-dry vacuum for most people is the S7 Stretch Ultra. It cleans just as well as the most advanced models — needing only one pass to suction and mop most materials.

The S7 Stretch Ultra can lie flat and uses hot water and air to thoroughly clean and dry the brushroll. While I don't use this feature often, the S7 Stretch Ultra has a custom mode that allows you to adjust the water output and suction power for specific rooms in your house within the Tineco app, which can be great if you want to use less water on hardwood floors or more water and suction power in rooms where your pets are located. The price may be a bit high for a budget shopper, but we've seen it go on sale during popular sale periods.

How we tested

We've tested Tineco wet-dry vacuums on various floor types, noting everything from their maneuverability around and under furniture to their weight and grip. During this process, we time the battery life and notate when the clean and dirty water tanks must be refilled and emptied. In addition to measuring things like noise level with a sound level meter, we placed materials such as coffee grounds, syrup, dried ketchup, and eggs on hard floors to assess how well the Tineco wet-dry vacuum suctions straight on and along the edges of the vacuum head. We also paid attention to maintenance and aftercare, because you don't want to spend as much time cleaning the machine as you do your floors.

Tineco wet-dry vacuum FAQs

Can Tineco wet-dry vacuums be used on rugs?

The biggest drawback of Tineco wet-dry vacuums is that they can't be used on rugs. Tineco isn't the kind of brand to launch something that won't impress, and I'm sure we can expect this feature in the future. If you want to use a Tineco on your rugs, check out their carpet cleaners and consider Switch wet-dry vacuum cleaners, such as the Switch S7. This model essentially employs battery sharing to allow you to switch between a wet-dry vacuum attachment and a stick vacuum attachment, which can be used to clean your rugs.

Which Tineco wet-dry vacuum has the best battery life?

The Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Steam Pro boasts the best battery life, lasting up to 90 minutes. We haven't tested that particular model, but we have tested the S9 Floor One Artist Pro. The brand advertises its battery life as 75 minutes; however, it lasted 50 minutes for me on auto or dirt detect mode.

Which Tineco wet-dry vacuum is best for pets?

Any of the wet-dry vacuums that we've shared here would work incredibly well for those with pets, though I'm inclined to lean toward the S7 Stretch Ultra, as it would let you reach pet hair that's gathered under furniture thanks to the 180-degree flat design. Not to mention, the self-cleaning system is more ideal to purge pet hair from the machine and brushroll with hot water and hot air.

Which Tineco wet-dry vacuum has the best self-cleaning?

The best Tineco wet-dry vacuums for self-cleaning are going to be those that use hot water and hot air to clean and dry the brushroll thoroughly. This includes the S7 Stretch Ultra, S7 Stretch Steam, and S7 FlashDry. All wet-dry vacuums in the S9 series have this feature too. The most affordable series to offer hot water self-cleaning and drying is the S6 series.

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