It takes a lot more than vacuuming to maintain linoleum or tile floors. Imagine the amount of grease that accumulates on your kitchen floors.
A typical maintenance cycle involves vacuuming and then mopping up dirt. Or if you have a vacuum cleaner, you will vacuum and then mop.
What if you could do all of these things in one simple step?
That’s where the Bissell Symphony comes in, the 2-in-1 Vacuum Cleaner and Steam Mop is ideal for cleaning bare floor surfaces that need steam cleaning like tiles and linoleum.
What’s great about the Bissell is that it costs a lot less than the Dyson Hard which doesn’t live up to expectations.
While the Dyson Hard costs more than $300, the Symphony is under $190.
But don’t take the term “all-in-one” literally because the vacuum part is for bare floors only.
It’s not designed for carpet cleaning, so if you have carpet at home, you’ll need another vertical vacuum cleaner for a deep cleaning.
Will this hybrid completely replace the mops?
Well, yes and no, find out in this review.
Quick look at the features
- Provides a two-in-one function of a steam cleaner and a vacuum cleaner in one product
- No need to add chemical cleaners as it uses steam to kill 99.9% of bacteria and germs
- It has a 5-way adjustable handle
- Quick release mop tray allows you to quickly change mops (you’ll see this in the video below)
- You can use this as a vacuum and mop, a vacuum only or a steam mop only – this gives you more options as needed
- It has a separate container for dry debris and another container for holding water
- This vacuum cleaner produces its own steam – no need to add hot water.
- 25 feet long power cord
- Comes with a two-year warranty
Positives
- It offers versatility in terms of allowing you to steam and vacuum at the same time, and you can also use these features separately
- Cheaper than other similar products like Dyson Hard
- Produces its own steam, no need to add hot water
- Easy release option allows you to change microfiber pads quickly
Negatives
- This is a completely bare floor cleaner, you will need to buy another vacuum cleaner to clean carpet
- Bissell says steam mop needs distilled water – extra cost
- You won’t be able to clean up large spills efficiently because they will only spread around
Table of Contents
What to expect from this hybrid vacuum cleaner and mop
First things first, this machine is specifically designed for cleaning bare floors. There is no motorized brush, so you won’t be able to use it on the rug.
If your home has a rug, you will have to purchase a separate or existing case for that.
For high traffic areas like the kitchen, this machine will save you time because you will be able to vacuum and mop at the same time.
But there is a caveat that you will find in the review section.
If there is a place where this vacuum cleaner shines, it will be inside the kitchen where there will be a lot of fat built up and the steam feature will break up this greasy mess with ease.
Or a hardwood surface covered with dust if you want to save time in terms of not having to sweep and mop separately.
Another thing, this machine is not wireless. Comes with 25 ft cord.
Bissell recommends using distilled water instead of tap water to extend the life of your steamer. If you put tap water, the minerals in it will eventually deteriorate faster. Just a tip in case you have made the decision to buy it.
The last thing to note is that you can use this to scan and dump at the same time or use these two functions separately when neither is needed. I loved that Bissell added this option.
bare floor performance
Bissell Symphony is designed to do two things – a vacuum cleaner and a mop.
This means this machine is great if your home has hardwood, linoleum, or tile floors.
Let’s take a look at how this is done to sweep the grains and scrape the ketchup onto the tiles…
While you can use this to clean up dirt like that, this will be best used on surfaces that don’t have any spillage. It does not have any liquid absorption mechanism. Microfiber pads will absorb a little of the liquid, but don’t rely on them to clean large dirt.
What the microfiber pad does is transfer the steam from the water inside the tank to the floor. Steam helps cleanse and remove any lumpy spots.
Another demonstration on tiled floors…
The vacuum feature of this product is limited and will not reach the edges. You will not be able to use these features simultaneously. This means that you will be able to use a mop or vacuum cleaner.
Comparing Bissell Symphony vs Dyson Hard…
Because the Dyson Hard scrubber sits very low to the ground, it will “snow plow” larger pieces of dirt while the Bissell Symphony Hard scrubber has gaps along the base that allow larger debris to pass through by preventing the dreaded snowfall effect.
carpet performance
While you can still use this on the rug, it will only pick up surface dirt because it doesn’t have any motorized brushes.
If you have a lot of carpets in the house, I suggest that you invest in a good quality vacuum cleaner for deep cleaning purposes.
Pet hair removal
As long as you’re cleaning the bare floor, it shouldn’t be a problem picking up strands of pet hair here.
Attachments and accessories
It comes with a steam tray that provides steam for the mop. If you buy this on Amazon, it comes with 4 microfiber pads in total (2 soft and 2 tile clean).
If you buy this from Bissel you will only get 2 pads but it will be more expensive.
rope length
The power cord is approximately 25 feet long and does not contain any wire to rewind.
Filter cleaning and maintenance
This machine is equipped with two filters – the water filter and the motor pre-filter.
For a pre-motor foam filter, you may need to clean it after each use if you are cleaning a heavily soiled area. Always do your due diligence and perform a visual inspection after each use.
Bissell recommends replacing it after 6 months of use to maintain performance.
Replacement filters can be purchased for about $15 on Amazon.
Another filter to look at is the water filter that needs to be replaced when it turns blue.
To extend filter life, Bissell recommends using distilled water. Using tap water increases the buildup of calcium deposits that can clog and reduce the performance of the steam mechanism.
Guarantee
Bissell backs this product with a 2-year warranty.
Product specification
| attachments | No extra tools included Only comes with 4 squeegees (when purchased on Amazon) |
| rope length | 25 feet |
| Automatic wire winding |
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| motorized brush |
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| Brush on/off switch |
|
| rotates on axis |
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| the Flashlight |
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| Filter clogging indicator |
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| bin full indicator |
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| without bag |
Uses bag system |
| multi surface |
Open floor only |
| self-propelled |
|
| Net weight | 9.7 pounds |
| Purchase weight | 14.6 pounds |
| hose length | Unavailable |
| cleaning path | 11 inches |
| dirt capacity | Unavailable |
| filter type | 1 pre-motor filter (washable but must be replaced every 6 months)
1 water filter (not washable) |
| Energy | Unavailable |
| Voltage | 120 volts |
| Made in | United States of America |
| Price | Check Price |
Customer Reviews
Many people are happy with this product because of the versatility it offers. Vacuum and mop can do with steam which is something every kitchen needs.
Second, steam is only used to disinfect floors, and there is no need to use chemical disinfectants. Bissell does not recommend its use in any case because it may shorten the life of the mechanism that produces the steam.
But there are some caveats there.
First, this machine may not perform well if it needs to clean up large spills because it relies on a small microfiber pad for steam cleaning.
Many consumers have warned that using this on one like this will lead to more mess because the microfiber mop will spread spills to other clean areas.
They said that if you want to maximize this machine, clean the area beforehand with the vacuum function because the microfiber mop mechanism raises the distance between the vacuum inlet and the floor thus reducing the section.
Just in case you have a big spill, you may need a conventional mop to clean up the spill before you’re done with the steam mop. The microfiber mop is too small and will not be able to absorb large dirt.
For relatively clean floors where there’s no leakage to worry about where this machine will shine, areas like this image are courtesy of a consumer at Amazon.
There are also complaints about the mop bracket being dislodged from the base. This may be the case of Lemonade because only a few have complained about it.
Another complaint is that steam mops degrade over time, be sure to use only distilled water to extend the service life of this product and don’t leave any water inside the water tank.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy this hardwood floor cleaner on Amazon for less than $200. And you will get 4 additional wipers. If you buy this from Bissell, you only get 2 extra mops.
BUY NOW FROM AMAZONYou’ll be eligible for free 2-day Amazon shipping if you join Prime. They also sell extended warranties of up to 3 years if you want that extra peace of mind.
to finish
This product is great for people looking to save time on cleaning kitchen or bathroom floors because you can use a steam mop and a vacuum cleaner at the same time.
For homes equipped with a lot of bare floors, this product will save you money in terms of not having to buy an extra steam mop because they already have one.
The vacuum part of this product will work decently but only on an open floor. Bissell added an opening through it to accommodate larger debris such as grain.
Of course as with any mechanical device, you will need to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations such as using distilled water to extend the life of the steam mop which is one source of complaints when reading reviews.
Remember, you won’t be able to use the vacuum cleaner and mop features simultaneously, only one at a time.
Just in case you already have a vacuum cleaner to cover the cleaning process, a product like Bissell PowerFresh would make sense because it’s cheaper and lighter.
In general, I prefer this over the more expensive Dyson Hard because it has better vacuum performance and has a steam cleaning feature absent on Dyson which costs a lot more.
With all that said, just lower your expectations because this machine won’t replace your traditional mop in terms of cleaning up really big spills. So you will always have to keep this in your toolbox.
But for a small mess, it should be able to work well.