Tineco Floor One S5 review

My entire house is comprised of hard floors, meaning the Tineco Floor One S5 immediately sounded like a great sidekick to take on my floor care routine. That’s 1,600 square feet of laminate or hardwood flooring. Cleaning them is a laborious weekly task that takes up more time and energy than I’d like.  I was well situated (and very enthused) to test out Tineco latest smart wet/dry vac. And yes: it's officially one of the best vacuum cleaners you can buy.

The Floor One S5 is an upgrade to the Tineco Floor One S3, which was already a huge hit by the time an editor tested it this summer.  And like many before her, she quickly became a fan because it vacuumed as it mopped, essentially cutting the floor cleaning process in half. The extra techy aspects of the machine – like the self-cleaning mode and audio alerts – were added perks. No wonder it was virtually out-of-stock all summer.

Despite its amazing capabilities, the Tineco Floor One S3 wasn’t perfect by any means. It could have had cleaned better near the edges of the brush head and the smaller .6L water tank only lasted 25 percent of the battery power.

So you can imagine how excited we were to hear that Tineco was coming out with an upgraded model—the S5—and it was going to solve some of the biggest issues of the S3 with a larger tank (.8L) and improved edge cleaning. Somehow I was picked to be the lucky reviewer to take it for a spin.

I’d never used a wet/dry vacuum before and hadn’t handled an in-home appliance that was so techy. It turned out to be an adventure I enjoyed.  Read on to see just how my floors fared with the Tineco Floor One S5.

Who will the Tineco Floor One S5 suit best?

Is your home working with a lot of laminate, tile, or hardwood floors? Start saving because the Tineco Floor One S5 will quickly become your favorite buy. Once you’ve set it up and tried it the first time, you’ll discover a machine with self-propelling features that eliminates the need of dragging a vacuum around and pushing a mop back and forth week after week.  

Tineco Floor One S5 specifications

• Maximum power: 220 watts
• Running time: 35 minutes in Auto Mode; 28 minutes in MAX power mode
• Charging time: 4-5 hours
• Noise: 78 dBA
• Clean Water Tank Capacity:  ~.8L
• Dirty Water Tank Capacity: ~.7L 
• Voice Assistant/App Integration: Yes
• Cleaning path width: 10.1"
• Dimensions: 10.24" x 10.75" x 43.31"
• Weight: 9.92 lb. 
• Filter:  HEPA 
• Suitable surfaces: Sealed hardwood, tile, laminate, and vinyl
• Warranty: 2 years

Features and functions of the Tineco Floor One S5

Cordless convenience and a longer lasting battery
The Tineco Floor One S5 may take 4-5 hours to charge but it has a 35-minute battery run time on Auto mode and 28-minutes of run time on MAX Power mode. In Auto mode, the Tineco Floor One S5 automatically adjusts suction power, roller speed, and water flow depending on how dirty the floors are. The MAX Power mode is best used when you’re dealing with heavy messes — think dried mud, food stains, and spills. On less than half the battery charge, I cleaned my entire 1,600-square-foot house. It was made easier by the lack of a cord and a self-propelling feature that initiates once you recline the appliance.

iLoop Smart Sensor Technology
The Tineco Floor One S5 is outfitted with a digital display that notifies users of the battery level, when the clean water tank is empty and the dirty water tank is full, and when the device requires self-cleaning. Most importantly, it’s where users can see how the iLoop Smart Sensor Technology works. With the iLoop Smart Sensor, your Tineco Floor One S5 Vacuum detects how much dirt, grime, and debris covers your floors by displaying a circular band around the digital display. When the band is red, the floor is dirty, and when it turns blue, the floor is clean and streak-free. You can literally watch the red band turn blue with each pass of the vacuum. Fun side note: the Tineco Floor One S5 can suction up spilled liquid, so you don’t have to clean up a mess on your hands and knees.

One-Touch Self-Cleaning System
Once you’ve thoroughly vacuumed and mopped your floors all at the same time, pop the Tineco Floor One S5 onto the charging base, empty the dirty water tank, then hit the Self-Cleaning button on the handle. This activates the Self-Cleaning cycle which takes less than five minutes to complete. You’ll need to make sure the clean water tank is over 40 percent full before you begin so that there is enough water to flush through the roller and tubes.

Smart Features
The Tineco Floor One S5 is outfitted with a wide variety of Smart features. Download the Tineco app and connect the S5 via the Wi-Fi button on the back of the appliance. In the app, you can monitor your cleaning sessions. Just as useful is the voice assistant which notifies you when to refill the clean water tank, empty the dirty water tank, instruct you to perform a Self-Cleaning cycle, or notates such things as battery level and blockages.

Charging Base
The charging base is compact and only slightly larger than the Tineco Floor One S5. It has attachments to hold the extra brush roller and HEPA filter, as well as the 3-in-1 cleaning brush. If only there was a spot to store the cleaning solution, it would be perfect. To charge the Tineco Floor One S5, you’ll place the appliance onto the charging base and plug in the adaptor to an outlet where it will immediately begin charging.

What is the Tineco Floor One S5 like to use?

As soon as the Tineco Floor One S5 arrived on my doorstep, I set to work unboxing and assembling the appliance. I’d been holding off on cleaning my floors in anticipation of receiving the wet/dry vacuum and I couldn’t wait to see just how well the Tineco Floor One S5 worked. 

Getting started
Assembly was minimal — essentially attaching the handle to the machine and connecting the additional storage sections to the charging base. After looking through the manual, I put the Tineco Floor One S5 on the charging base and plugged it in. It took a little over four hours for it to completely charge.

To be honest, when I read through the manual, I became slightly overwhelmed with all the technological features. Did a vacuum/mop really need Wi-Fi? How would I remember all the button icons on the LED display? I took a deep breath and followed the instructions as best I could, and I got a hang of the tech faster than I thought I would.

The first time I used the Tineco Floor One S5, I decided not to set up the Wi-Fi and to only use it on my laminate floors. Setting up the Wi-Fi wasn’t essential to actually using the appliance. As for my decision to start with the laminate floors,  I needed to see the water output of the Tineco Floor One S5 before using it on my original 100-year-old hardwood floors. Even though they’re sealed, I’m very particular about what I use to clean them because I want them to stand the test of time.

There were a few hiccups the first time I used the Tineco Floor One S5. I accidentally filled the dirty water tank (DWT; the front tank) with water and cleaning solution that was meant for the clean water tank (CWT; the tank in the back). As soon as I reclined the Floor One S5 and tried to use it, the voice assistant notified me the DWT was full. It took far too long for me to figure out my mistake, but once I realized what I’d done, I dispensed the water in the DWT and filled the CWT to the max fill line with water and a cap of the cleaning solution. I was finally ready to use the appliance.

Cleaning
Upon pressing the power button and reclining the Floor One S5, it propels forward. Stand it up straight, and the floor mop stops. Reclining the Tineco more than 142 degrees could cause some floor leakage, so be aware.

The Tineco defaults automatically to Auto Mode, though I’d advise that the first time you use this appliance, you start with the Max power setting (just hit the Auto/Max button after you press the Power button; the voice assistant will notify you of the change in modes). Why do this? Because your floors are probably not as clean as you think — and this is coming from a single woman with no pets or children who cleans her floors once a week.

Instead of laboring over pushing a vacuum or mop back and forth, the appliance basically does it for you. You can twist the body of the machine to reach odd corners and spaces. However, the cleaning path width is 10.1 inches which means the wide base is limited in its capacity to get under couches or in tight areas. I had to use a vacuum and a mop to clean on either side of my toilet, under my bed and couch, and the tight spot between my oven and the wall. The S5 just doesn’t fit in all these spaces.

Now, perhaps the biggest drawback of the Floor One S3 model is that it didn’t properly clean along the edges of the brush head. I’m happy to report that the S5 model is an edge cleaning pro. There is almost an imperceptible distance between the side of the mop head and the wall. If that tiny, tiny space bothers you, use the appliance straight on against a wall for slightly better performance.

The iLoop sensor technology was my favorite part of the whole process. The loop turned red in areas where there was much more foot traffic around my home like in front of the kitchen cabinets and in front of the doors to the garage and my side porch. I let the appliance move back and forth over those red-colored areas until the loop turned blue.

During my first use of the Tineco Floor One S5, I noticed that the water output wasn’t too heavy, and my floors dried quickly without streaks. Historic hardwood floors can damage with too much moisture, so after using the Tineco Floor One S5 for the first time, I felt confident to use it on my hardwood floors. Just to note, I did not add any cleaning solution when I used the Tineco Floor One S5 on my hardwood floors because water is sufficient. The Floor One S5 worked just as well on my hardwood floors as it did on my laminate floors.  

It took about an hour to set up the Wi-Fi. I couldn’t get a connection, even with the machine right next to my router. Eventually, I figured out how to manually set up the Wi-Fi. When connected, my Tineco started to record my cleaning history in the app. My cleaning report tells me how long it takes to use the S5 to clean my house, how many times I use it per week, and how clean my home is compared to other users.

I’ve used the Tineco Floor One S5 multiple times, and it usually only takes me 15 minutes to clean my entire house. Within that time, I only have to refill the CWT just once. The first time I used the S5, I had to empty the DWT, but since then, my floors are much cleaner and don’t usually require a disposal midway through.

Maintenance
Probably the most labor-intensive aspect of using the Tineco Floor One S5 is the maintenance. After I clean my floors and stand the appliance straight up on the charging base, the voice assistant notifies me that a self-cleaning cycle is required. I begin by emptying the dirty water tank. Forewarning – it’s pretty gross how much hair, debris, and black water you pour out.

I use the 3-in-1 cleaning brush to grab debris stuck in the tube of the DWT. I try to throw out as much debris as I can, so I don’t have to pour things like hair down my kitchen sink. After that, I make sure the CWT is at least 40 percent full. From there, I hit the self-cleaning button on the handle and the process begins. The voice assistant keeps me informed of what is happening throughout the process. It only takes less than five minutes to complete.

Once that’s done, I empty the DWT again and rinse it out. I also remove the brush roller cover and rinse it off before wiping the brush roller chamber down. I exchange the brush roller for the back-up and clean it off in the sink once more (sometimes hair sticks to the brush and isn’t pulled away during the self-cleaning process). I do the same for the HEPA air filter and let the filter and brush dry in the sun.

Is this maintenance a hassle? Sure, but it goes a lot faster each time you do it and it prevents the machine from smelling which is a win in my book. If you think about it – it only takes me 15 minutes to use the Tineco S5 to clean my floors, plus another 7 minutes for maintenance. That’s still less time than it would take me to vacuum the entire house and mop it with a Swiffer.

What I loved about the Tineco Floor One S5

The techy features are as cool as they seem
I won’t lie — I thought that smart features on a wet/dry vacuum were senseless. How good could it really be? The answer: phenomenal. With the iLoop sensor, I realized that my floors were not as clean as they appeared to the naked eye. I liked that the voice assistant tells me what to do and when to do it, so I don’t have to keep referring to the instruction manual. Even the Wi-Fi connection and Tineco app is fun to utilize. Who doesn’t like to know that their home is cleaner than 40 percent of other users?

The versatility
I’m obsessed with maintaining and protecting my historic hardwood floors, so you can imagine, I don’t use just any appliance on them. This is why I’m so glad that I can use the Tineco Floor One S5 and I don’t have to worry about it saturating the floors with a lot of water or scratching it up in the process. The S5 has made it incredibly easy for me to pull out one item and do all my floors at once.

Battery life and replacement parts
I can’t tell you how many battery-powered products I’ve reviewed that don’t provide an efficient charge. If I can clean my entire 1,600-square-foot home and still have a 58 percent charge, then people with 3,200-square-foot homes (which is larger than average) shouldn’t have any problem cleaning their house on a single charge. And bonus: the extra brush roll and HEPA filter included in the package is a gamechanger. No one wants to wait around for their brush or filter to dry when a mess has been made and you want to clean it up immediately.

It actually cleans – wonderfully
My floors are cleaner than they’ve ever been. No streaks and no water residue that takes forever to dry. I’m also happy to report that it suctions up liquid spills with no problem (trust me, I tested it). Although I don’t like looking at the contents of the dirty water tank, it does make me feel better to actually see how efficient the machine is at cleaning my floors.

How does the Tineco Floor One S5 rate online? 

The Tineco Floor One S5 launched in Fall 2021, so there aren’t a ton of ratings online. On the Tineco website, the S5 has a 5-star rating out of 5 reviews. The 21 reviews on Best Buy resulted in a 4.8 rating. All the reviewers rave over the techy features, the quality of cleaning, and the ease of use. A few pointed out that, unlike other vacuum mops, the Tineco can suck up spills. Those who rated it four stars noted things like the hefty price tag, difficulty connecting to the Wi-Fi, and suggestions for a sturdier charging base.

How does the Tineco Floor One S5 compare to other wet/dry vacuums?

I spent 30 minutes trying to find anything on the market that even resembled the Tineco Floor One S5. Nothing has its capabilities. Smart technology, voice assistance, iLoop system, and self-cleaning system are worlds away from most other brands.

If price is of concern, you could pay $100 less for the Tineco Floor One S3, especially if you don’t have a large area of hard floors and you don’t mind the less efficient edge cleaning capability.

The Bissel Crosswave Cordless Max is liked by many for its ability to use on hard floors and carpets. Plus it only costs $369. In my opinion, that’s a bit steep for something that doesn’t have smart features. The Shark VACMOP is a good budgetary option, though keep in mind, it also lacks smart features, and you’ll need to continually buy the special pads that come with it.  

Should you buy the Tineco Floor One S5?

My floors have never been cleaner than when I use the Tineco Floor One S5. The time it takes to clean my floors has been considerably reduced by a machine that vacuums and mops at the same time, leaving behind fresh, beautiful floors – no matter their type.

It’s not cheap by any means. Trust me – I understand that a $500 price tag is extreme for many. However, the smart technology is incomparable to anything else on the market. It’s not that the voice assistant is helpful or that the Wi-Fi tracks your cleaning history. Rather, the iLoop Sensor Technology ensures that the right amount of water and suction power is used to clean whatever dirt, stains, mud, grime, and spills are on your hard floors.

Yes, you’ll probably need a back-up vacuum to use on carpets, under beds and couches, and in between your toilet and the wall. As of now, there isn’t one product that can do it all. What I do know is that when you buy the Tineco Floor One S5 and use it on your floors, you’ll understand why it was worth the cost. The battery life is phenomenal, the water tank capacity is larger, and the edge cleaning performance is unbeatable.

Some things in life are worth investing in – especially if they make your life easier. The Tineco Floor One S5 is one of those things.

About this review, and the reviewer

Alex Temblador is a Real Homes product reviewer. Mattresses, kitchenware, vacuums – she’s covered it all…which is great for someone who just bought her first house. The Dallas-based freelance writer has covered home, design, architecture, and art in publications like Real Homes, Dwell, Architectural Digest, Artsy, Neighborhoods.com, Culture Trip, among many others. She recently bought her first home, a green Sears & Roebuck house that's over 100 years old, sits on half an acre of land and features a stunning wraparound porch, original hardwood floors, pocket doors, and a butler pantry. When she's not sitting on her porch with a cup of tea and her laptop, you'll find the Mixed Latinx writer scrounging through estate sales and vintage shops looking for unique objects to bring 'The Starlight House' to life. 

As with all our reviews, the Tineco Floor One S5 Cordless Smart/Wet Dry Vacuum has been tested first-hand in our home, using it just as you would so you know exactly what you are buying. The products are given to us free of charge and we test them for as long as possible before sending them back to the brand unless we are able to keep it as we are with this mattress. This means that we can continue to use the product which gives us the opportunity to return to our reviews for updating, so you can keep up-to-date with how it's fared over a period of time.