Life can get messy at times. Fortunately, if the mess is on your wood or tile floor, a wet/dry vacuum is an excellent option, especially if you’re short on time. Several new cordless models (and one corded option) provide grab-and-go cleaning capability and enough suction to make the job easier. The big plus? These six models worked better than any mop. Most of them include a cleaning solution to make your floors shine and plenty of suction power.
My testing regimen involved cracking an egg on a tile floor, spilling some mud and Cheerios with milk on a hardwood floor, and even vacuuming rice on carpet. Surprisingly, these high-end models — e.g., each one is the best the company offers — had no issue sucking up an entire egg and pasta with chunks of sausage. In a few cases, even these top performers left a Cheerio or two behind or even some residue on the floor. Yet, one overall winner emerged in the end.
Test Results
| Model | Wet: Pasta (Tile) | Wet: Egg (Tile) | Wet: Cereal & Milk (Wood) | Dry: Cheerios (Wood) | Dry: Rice (Carpet) | Dry: Dirt (Tile) |
| Tineco Floor One S9 | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect |
| Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus | Perfect | Perfect | Left one Cheerio | Perfect | Got stuck | Perfect |
| Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Left multiple kernels | Perfect |
| Roborock F25 Ace | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Got stuck | Left residue |
| SharkNinja HydroVac MessMaster | Perfect | Perfect | Took multiple passes | Took multiple passes | Took multiple passes | Perfect |
| Dyson Wash G1 | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Perfect | Took multiple passes | Left a mess |
1. Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus
Price: $349.99
The only corded model of the group, the Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus is a wet/dry vacuum that also provides a full-power steamvac mode. (That’s why it can’t be cordless, since it needs the wall outlet for extra power.) The CrossWave is not that portable, though — it’s the heaviest model I tested at 12.5 pounds plus the water and cleaning solution. Having a cord means you don’t have to bother charging, but the cord does get in the way at times.
One issue is that you have to flip the tank filled with water and cleaning solution before inserting it; that never caused leaks but it sure could. (Other models like the Dyson Wash G1 don’t require flipping the clean-water tank; you just pop it into the handle.) Oddly, a plastic piece kept falling out of the CrossWave when I emptied the tank, but that’s a minor issue. This model has a 28 fluid ounce clear water tank, which is a nice perk — it’s the second largest tank of the models I tested next to the large capacity Dreame model at 34 fluid ounces.
Like the SharkNinja HydroVac MessMaster, Bissell does not list suction power for the CrossWave HydroSteam Plus, but the unit I tested seemed to work fine for most tests. It made quick work of the pasta and an egg, but left one Cheerio behind on first pass for both the dry and milk tests. The CrossWave also got stuck on an area rug and left one rice kernel behind, even though it is rated to work on rugs. My main issue is that the CrossWave just didn’t have the advanced tech of other models like the Tineco Floor One S9, which can also steamvac.
2. SharkNinja HydroVac MessMaster
Price: $199
I loved the low price of the SharkNinja HydroVac MessMaster, which runs on battery power for about 23 minutes. That’s a far shorter runtime than the Tineco Floor One S9 that lasts 75 minutes per charge but is also much more expensive at $799. At just 8.5 pounds, the HydroVac MessMaster is the lightest and smallest wet/dry vac I tested. Because it’s so portable, I found myself using it more often for minor spills. For stubborn stains, you can even activate a boost mode setting, although I didn’t notice it made a huge difference during my testing.
Size matters when it comes to wet/dry vacs, and while the HydroVac MessMaster is highly portable with a low price, it won’t last long for a large cleaning project. That’s because the clean-water tank capacity is only about 17 fluid ounces (the smallest of the units I tested), so you might have to run back to the sink a few times for refills.
SharkNinja does not include a suction power rating for this model or a steamvac mode, but the HydroVac MessMaster worked fine on most tests. It left a few Cheerios behind on the wet test with milk on a hardwood floor. This model is not designed for rugs but I tested it on an area rug anyway and it left a few kernels behind but, unlike the Roborock model, didn’t get stuck.
Not a big deal, but I didn’t like how the unit would chug forward when I turned it off and also how I had to long-press on the power button to stop cleaning. SharkNinja told me that’s a feature, not a bug. The self-propulsion is “effortless” (they claimed) and designed to be powerful and efficient; I found it a bit annoying as I fumbled to shut the machine down.
3. Tineco Floor One S9
Price: $799
“Now we’re talking” was my first reaction when I started using the Tineco Floor One S9, which doubles as a steamvac and has the most extensive features. (The Bissell CrossWave HydroSteam Plus is the only other wet/dry vac that can steamvac.) Why is the Tineco so capable? First, it has a large clean-water tank at 29 fluid ounces so you won’t have to do as many refills. Only the Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum has a bigger tank at 34 ounces. The Floor One S9 lasts a full 75 minutes on a charge, the longest-running machine I tested.
At 9.5 pounds, the Tineco Floor One S9 is also the second-lightest model I tested next to the SharkNinja HydroVac MessMaster at 8.5 pounds. It has the second-highest suction power at 22,000 Pa next to the Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum, which is rated at 25,000 Pa. (That standard Pa rating is a measure of inlet suction power and stands for Pascals.)
In tests, the Tineco Floor One S9 outperformed every other model, clocking a perfect score. Bonus that it doesn’t even need a cleaning solution, since you just add clean tap water. There are quick settings for steamvac mode, extra suction, and even a way to tilt the unit upright automatically. This model cleaned up after the mess of the other wet/dry vacs after testing.
My only slight ding is that, while the steamvac mode is nice, it doesn’t work on carpet, only hard floors. And, in steamvac mode, the runtime drops to only about 30 minutes per charge.
4. Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum
Price: $449.99
The second-best wet/dry vacuum I tested next to the Tineco Floor One S9, the recently released Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum includes some handy perks. The setup instructions are printed on the box flap, which is a nice gesture. Dreame (pronounced dreamy) also offers the most cleaning fluid samples with the product, including two 16.9 ounce refills.
You can see from the specs that this model is a close second to the Tineco model, and they even look alike. The Aero Pro lasts 60 minutes on a charge, the longest of the cordless models except the Tineco. It has the best suction power of the models I tested at 25,000 Pa and the largest capacity clean-fill tank at 34 fluid ounces. At around 10.5 pounds, it’s not the lightest or the heaviest model of those I tested, falling right in the middle of the pack.
Test results were extremely close to the Tineco model. The Aero Pro cleaned up all of the messes in one pass except for the rice test on an area rug, leaving several kernels behind on multiple passes. This model is not rated for even thin rugs like many wet/dry vacs, but I still tested that scenario because, in a kitchen or bathroom, you might still want to use it that way.
More critically, the Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum tended to lurch forward during testing even after I cut power, similar to the SharkNinja HydroVac MessMaster. Again, Dreame told me it’s a feature. That said, the Tineco is also self-propelled but didn’t lurch forward as much. The Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum also does not offer steamvac capability.
5. Roborock F25 Ace
Price: $379.98
I got off on the wrong foot with the Roborock F25 Ace, mostly because I had to install the brush (the only unit I tested that requires that step) and think a little harder about how to add the cleaning fluid (which uses a separate fill tank). No matter, the Roborock F25 Ace made up for these first impressions by clocking in at the second-lowest price (next to the SharkNinja).
For specs, the Roborock F25 Ace falls squarely in the middle of the wet/dry vacuum pack. It’s a cordless model that lasts about 60 minutes on a charge and weighs around 10.5 pounds. Both the Tineco and SharkNinja models are a bit lighter and more compact. Rated at 20,000 Pa for suction power, the F25 Ace is less powerful than either the Tineco or Dreame models I tested. At 25 fluid ounces, the clean-water tank capacity is about the same as the Dreame model.
My biggest surprise was that the dirt test on a wood floor left some traces behind and leaks. I asked Roborock reps about that but they have not responded after several attempts. A user review also noted there were some leaks. The other tests passed with flying colors, although the unit — which is not rated for carpet cleaning — did leave rice kernels behind during a rug test.
6. Dyson Wash G1
Price: $549.99
Dyson is famous for its powerful and innovative vacuums, so I was surprised how the Dyson Wash G1 is actually the least capable of the wet/dry vacs I tested. It does not use suction power and relies on two rotating brushes for your cleanups, so it does not use a cleaning solution. While it’s more of a mop than a vac, it does do the same cleanup chores.
I really liked how the fill tanks work. Typical Dyson ingenuity here: there’s one double-tank system that holds both clean water and waste, and the G1 did a great job separating chunks of debris. Next to the Bissell model I tested, the G1 is the heaviest vac I tested at 10.8 pounds. At around 34 fluid ounces, the G1 clean-water tank capacity is about the same as the Dreame model. That means fewer trips to do refills. The G1 does not have a steamvac mode, though.
As for testing, the G1 mostly cleaned up the various messes I made such as the broken egg and some pasta, but had major issues during a dirt test on hardwood. Initially, the G1 seemed to clean up the dirt but introduced some water and ended up leaking quite a bit. (Dyson has not responded to explain why the unit would have leaked during this test.) A word of caution that wet/dry vacuums can leak at times, but the dirt test turned into a mess. Ironically, I used the top performing Tineco model to clean up the muddy hardwood flooring.