I tested this wet and dry vacuum and it has transformed the way I clean my floors

I was hesitant to try the Tineco Floor One S6. Although the all-in-one floor cleaner vacuums, washes, and dries hardwood floors, I was unsure about having yet another cleaning gadget in my home. I already use one of the best vacuum cleaners, a Shark vacuum, to clean both my carpets and hardwood floors and then complete the job by mopping my hardwood surfaces. 

Tineco is a relative newcomer to the vacuum cleaner game, I wasn't too confident that this vacuum would be able to rival more established brands. However, after a few weeks of testing the Floor One S6, I can confirm that it not only feels sturdier than many of the big-name vacuums I've tried, but it also offers many innovative features that I've not seen from leading brands. 

While it doesn't have the reputation of brands like Shark and Dyson, the Tineco does come at a similarly high price — currently  $599 at Amazon. It's on the heavier side — a byproduct of the noticeably sturdy and high-quality design, and it's also not got quite the reach of more nifty cordless vacuums which come with attachments for reaching into nooks and crannies, but after trying the Tineco Floor One S6, I've permanently parted ways with my mop and bucket. Here's why.

Tineco Floor One S6 Review: Price and availability

The list price for the Tineco Floor One S6 is $599 on Amazon, but since the product is on the pricey side, it's worth waiting for a discount. For instance, during Prime Day it dropped to $399, and earlier in the year Best Buy was offering a $250 price drop, from its original price of $699. However, despite the price tag, it is an impressive appliance.

Although this wet and dry cleaner is on the expensive side, it's not nearly as pricey as the market leader: Dyson's V15 Detect Submarine is listed on Dyson's website for $949. There are also more budget-friendly alternatives, such as the new Shark HydroVac, which retails for closer to $300. 

Tineco Floor One S6 Review: Assembly

When I first unpacked the Tineco Floor One S6 I was a bit overwhelmed with how to put it together. I tend to be on the impatient side and want an appliance to work as soon as I unpack it, which, as you'd expect, wasn't the case. However, after taking a look at the instruction manual — which I would highly recommend — I was able to connect all the pieces in the correct places before leaving it on the docking platform to charge for four hours.

Tineco Floor One S6 Review: Design

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I was impressed with the overall visual design of the product. With its two-tone black and white styling, it looks striking — that’s if you can describe a wet and dry vacuum in such a way. It’s also pretty sleek. The main body is slim, even though it contains a water tank at the front and back. 

As an example, great care has been taken with the design of the handle, it’s fairly ergonomic, smooth to touch and the control buttons are slightly indented to fit the shape of your thumb. 

From a construction perspective, it doesn’t fall short. It feels like a quality product that you won’t be chucking out after six months. And although it is mainly plastic, it has a sturdy feel about it. It’s built to last. In fact, my husband commented on the build quality and said it was far superior to a previous Dyson we'd owned. 

However, although it is described as 'lightweight' I didn't agree. It's not overly heavy, but if I was to carry it upstairs, even without water within the tanks, it felt much heavier than my current Shark vacuum. I don't see this as a disadvantage because it adds to the feeling that it's a study appliance. Weighing in at 9.92lbs, without water, it's slightly heavier than Dyson's V15 Detect Submarine at 9lbs.

Tineco Floor One S6 Review: Ease of use

Although I recommend looking at the instructions before you first use the wet and dry cleaner, it won’t take long to get used to how it works. You’ll need to start by charging the appliance for four hours. This can be done by placing the cleaner on a changing dock which connects to your power supply. There’s no need to attach the charging wire directly to the appliance. Once it is charged, add some water (up to 140°F) and cleaning solution to the rear water tank. There are clear markers, so you don’t need to worry about overfilling. 

Then, you’re ready to go. Simply place your foot on the base of the appliance to release the handle — it won’t work if it’s in an upright position. Then, press the lower button on the front of the handle. The cleaner is programmed to start on the auto mode, but you can press the button above to switch to either max mode — providing maximum suction with water,  or suction mode — designed to absorb water, rather than spraying it. For a general clean, auto mode should be sufficient. But, if you have more ground-in stains on your floor, switch to max mode. And as you’d expect, the cleaner uses more water when it’s on max mode, so it will need refilling more frequently.

Tineco Floor One S6: Performance

Overall, I was impressed with the performance of the Tineco Floor One S6. Designed to clean non-carpeted floors, such as vinyl, tiles, and sealed wood, I tested it on a hardwood floor and kitchen tiles with an uneven surface. 

To optimise cleaning results it also has a smart iLoop sensor to detect the amount of mess, which  adjusts the cleaning intensity as needed. So, although I could choose between two wet cleaning mode intensities (auto and max mode), the appliance still responds to what’s in front of it. 

Cleaning results
I first cleaned my tiled kitchen floor on auto mode. I expected it to be a challenge as my tiles are not smooth. Although the floor didn’t look soiled and had been mopped a couple of days before, it picked up a fair amount of dirt, collected in the dirty water reserve. I was also impressed with how dry the floor appeared. My usual routine is to vacuum the floor and then go over it with a mop — however much I wring out the mop, it still leaves a lot of water residue. With the wet and dry vacuum, hardly any water remained. It was tricky to see which parts of the floor I’d cleaned, as the mopped patches are usually a giveaway! Having a 2-in-1 cleaner was a time saver, as I could do two jobs in the time of one.

Another benefit of using the wet and dry cleaner is that you’re not recycling dirty water, and when you see what collects in the water reserve, you’ll know why that makes sense. 

If you switch the mode to ‘max,’ you get extra power with your cleaning —ideal for cleaning more heavily soiled areas. On the second sweep of my kitchen floor, I used the max mode and noticed a significant difference in the amount of water used. 

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The dirt challenge
Apart from cleaning my hardwood and kitchen floor under normal circumstances, I also threw in a few monsters to see how the appliance would perform. Ground-in garden dirt and coffee were two culprits. I wasn’t sure how it would clean up coffee stains on my uneven kitchen floor, but apart from needing a few more passes over than the hard floor, it still cleaned the mess without any other intervention.

Although the appliance is advertised as lightweight, as I've mentioned above, I found my arm ached after a while, as the cleaner has a natural motion to pull you forward— it almost feels like it’s taking you for a walk. This means that when you pull it back, it has some drag. However, it’s not an issue that would put me off using it. 

Run time
When I first read that the run time on auto mode was 35 minutes I didn’t think it was very long, but with only one level of floors to clean, it never ran out of charge. (It reduces to 28 minutes when on max mode.) This runtime is standard across Tineco's range of wet and dry vacuums. In comparison the Dyson V15 Detect Submarine has a run time of up to 60 minutes.
However, if you have hardwood flooring throughout your home, you might get stuck halfway through. Tineco claims that it can clean an area of up to 2,500ft in this time — but I wasn’t going to do the math. 

Fragrant finish
I also found the Tineco cleaning solution left behind a pleasant smell that was not overly strong. You’ll need to add one capful into the clean water reserve — a 33.8 fl oz bottle will set you back $24 at Amazon.

Tineco Floor One S6: Voice assistance

The appliance also talks to you. When you first switch on the clean, it will tell you which mode it’s set to. It will also give you an audible reminder when the water tank needs refilling and the dirty water tank needs emptying. Plus, when you turn the appliance off, it will prompt you to place it on the charging mount. 

I found the voice assistant slightly annoying, but you can reduce the volume or disable the function. However, when I did disable the function, it wasn't long before I switched it on again, as I missed having the voice prompts. Aside from the prompts mentioned above, it also lets you know when the battery is low and needs charging, when the machine needs to run the self-cleaning program, and much more. 

LED display

I tended to rely on the voice assistant, but the appliance also has a clear LED display to keep you in the picture. It will give you an indication of the battery level, the cleaning mode you are using, whether the appliance needs to run a self-cleaning service, if there is a blockage or whether the clean water tank needs filling, and such like. It will also indicate whether the appliance is connected to Wi-Fi.

Tineco Floor One S6: Wi-Fi

It’s also possible to connect the appliance to Wi-Fi, but you’ll need to download the Tineco app first, which is available from the App Store, Google Play, and Tineco’s website. At this point in time, it has limited use, as it tracks and monitors usage and gives access to user guides. Although I tried on several occasions, I was unable to connect my device to a network.

Tineco Floor One S6: Cleaning and maintenance

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Thankfully, with a self-cleaning function, you don’t have to spend much time cleaning the cleaner. Once you place the appliance back on its charging dock, it will give you a voice prompt if the self-clean function needs to be activated to clean the brush roller. Once it is complete, it will prompt you to empty the dirty water tank before it starts charging. 

However, if you want to clean it further, it is easy to access by removing the brush roller cover. Hair and debris can be removed, and it can be rinsed under water before being left to dry within the accessory holder. The compartment can also be cleaned with the accompanying wire brush.

The dirty water tank is simple to clean, but you’ll need to remove the filter and waste separator that collects the gunk. The appliance comes with a spare filter, so once you’ve rinsed through the filter with water and are waiting for it to air dry, you can use the replacement in the meantime.

Tineco Floor One S6: Storage

The cleaner needs to be placed on a charging dock to charge, and although this takes up more floor space than the base of the cleaner itself — it measures 12.5 inches x 11.75 inches compared to the cleaner, measuring 10.5 inches x 9 inches, it is needed. Apart from including storage space for the spare roller and cleaning brush, it has a concave area where the roller section fits. When I removed the cleaner and left it on my floor for a while, I often found a small amount of water residue remaining. Although I’d be tempted to store the cleaner elsewhere, I wouldn’t be happy to find damp patches that might damage my floor. And since I don't have a utility room, it needs to be stored where it's on show. It’s also worth mentioning that, unlike some upright vacuums, the cleaner can’t be folded for easy storage, and the handle is a fixed length.

Should you buy the Tineco Floor One S6

The Tineco Floor One S6 will cut your floor cleaning in half and do a good job at the same time, leaving your flooring fresh, hygienic and puddle-free. Without having to wait for a mopped floor to dry, you can walk over your flooring almost immediately. Although it can’t reach into awkward nooks and crannies like a mop, it’s edge-to-edge cleaning enabled it to reach right up against skirtings without leaving a gap. 

It is on the pricey side, but for the benefit of a 2-in-1 cleaner that saves you time and is a lot less hassle, it’s worth the price, especially if you can catch it when it’s discounted. And despite having a few reserves, I was impressed with the appliance and would be happy to add it to my cleaning kit. This wet and dry cleaner is certainly a keeper.