The Tineco S7 Stretch Steam is a cordless wet/dry vacuum that takes the hard work out of caring for hard flooring. It produces hot steam to dissolve stubborn stains and thoroughly cleans with the microfiber roller to give you a polished result.
It’s designed to give you the quickest way to achieve a thorough clean in one pass, especially compared to messy manual mopping. No more sweeping, then vacuuming, then mopping – the S7 Stretch Steam does it all at the same time.
For the most part, the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam achieves what it sets out to do – it’s an excellent powered mop that produces outstanding results – though there are a few caveats when it comes to using it.
Rating
Overall: 4 / 5
Pros
- Easy, streak-free cleaning
- Thorough results without cleaning chemicals
- Simple interface and controls
Cons
- No vacuum-only mode for mixed surface homes
- Water capacity is a bit lacking
- A bit heavy for smaller users
$1199 | For homes with mainly hard flooring
Setup & First Impressions
The Tineco S7 Stretch Steam has a straightforward setup. It comes in a few pieces in the box, but it’s easy to figure out where the parts go and set it up on the dock.
Once it’s charged up, all that remains is to fill the water tank and get to cleaning. One read through of what the controls do was enough to familiarise myself with how to change settings on the S7 Stretch Steam, and what each mode does.
The S7 Stretch Steam provides Auto mode that automatically adjusts power based on how soiled the area is, a Suction mode that helps to mop up wet stains, the Steam mode that increases water temperature for powerful cleaning, and Max mode that boosts both suction power and water flow.
The unit provides a self-cleaning mode that sanitises the roller, dumps the dirty water and debris to the collection tank, and dries the mop foot to ensure it’s ready for the next clean.
One of the key features that the device touts is its high-temperature direct steam jets. Tineco says these instantly dissolve grease by maintaining an output temperature of at least 99 degrees.
Another key feature is the lay-flat design that is intended for reaching under furniture – however it still didn’t fit under my furniture.
It’s worth noting that while Tineco calls this a wet / dry vacuum, there’s no way to turn off the water for vacuuming carpets – it’s exclusively for hard surface cleaning.
Design & Aesthetics
The Tineco S7 Stretch Steam has an understated design that blends into modern interiors well. The charging dock is a simple platform for the cleaner to sit on and perform self-cleaning and charging.
However, it’s quite large so if you don’t have a laundry room or similar, it may end up being a permanent addition to your interior decoration.
The handle is comfortable to hold and has all the controls you need to access, including the self-cleaning button, power button, and mode switching.
Filling and emptying the clean and dirty water tanks is also easy, with convenient levers that help you detach the parts.
Under the foot of the S7 Stretch Steam, the roller bar reaches right to the edge of the unit, ensuring that it’s easy to clean right up to the edge of surfaces.
It is fairly heavy when you’ve got the water tank full, so it might be tough to manoeuvre on and off the charging dock for smaller users.
Life with the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam
I’ve tested the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam on my indoor tiles and my covered smooth stone tile balcony so that I could see how it performs against both light and heavy soiling – and it has impressed.
There was a small learning curve as I figured out how best to work the S7 Stretch Steam, but once I slowed down and let the machine do the job, I was achieving excellent results.
Positives
If I had to pick just one positive of the unit, it would be the ease of use it provides. Instead of going back and forth with a cleaner or dealing with the messy cleanup of a manual mop, the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam leaves a streak-free finish behind it with minimal moisture residue.
To help manage the weight, the S7 Stretch Steam assists your manoeuvring by driving back and forth a little as you’re doing your cleaning passes. Once you’re finished with cleaning, it also helps you stand the unit back up.
The self-cleaning routine completely simplifies maintenance. Even going from mopping a filthy floor, the unit is clean as a whistle afterwards, and all it asks from you is that you empty the debris and dirty water. The roller bar is completely clean and dry to the touch after going through the self-cleaning cycle.
I have quite long hair and the S7 Stretch Steam was able to pick up these strands with no wrapping whatsoever – an impressive and rare feat for cleaners with powered brush bars.
Thanks to the wide roller design, edge-following performance was excellent. The S7 Stretch Steam leaves only a minimal gap when cleaning up next to wall trim.
Negatives
Easily the worst part of the experience was the 1-litre water capacity. Whilst cleaning my modest 18 square metre balcony I had to refill the water tank three times. For quick jobs like spills or spot cleaning, this isn’t an issue, but if you’re looking for a thorough clean or a whole-house pass, be prepared to refill and empty the unit several times.
Auto mode is pitched as the one you’ll be relying on most of the time, but I found it wasn’t very responsive. The unit would only adjust power after I had already passed an extra-soiled area, so to ensure a proper clean I found I preferred leaving the unit on Max or Steam modes.
Much ado is made about the S7 Stretch Steam’s lay-flat design, but in practice I found it still too bulky to reach under my furniture.
The device uses voice alerts to tell you when it needs clean water refills or dirty tank emptying, but it’s honestly a bit hard to understand over the sound of the suction motor. The speech isn’t the clearest when it’s on the charging dock either.
Performance & Reliability
I found that the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam performed very well on both polished and stone tiles. It took some getting used to, but once you learn to move the unit slowly and let the roller do all the work, it provides a great clean with very good dirt pickup.
Admittedly, it didn’t work on its own against embedded staining, but even tough cleaners would struggle with the types of marks on my outdoor tiles.
In honesty, I had difficulty determining if the high temperature steam actually made a difference to the cleaning results – and that’s a bit of an issue, because that’s one of the key features that the whole price of this product is based around.
There’s no arguing with results though, and my flooring now looks spotless without resorting to cleaning chemicals.
That said, there’s no question that the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam delivers better results than devices like robot vacuum/mop combos.
The longevity of the device is hard to speak on, but there may be concerns about ongoing maintenance. The manual makes note that the battery is non-removeable, so over an extended lifetime there may be costly repairs on the horizon.
Practical Considerations
The number one thing to consider is storage space. The S7 Stretch Steam has a fairly large footprint if you include the dock, and you can’t feasibly adjust the handle length – so if you don’t have a dedicated laundry or utilities closet, it may end up somewhere like the kitchen or living room.
An obvious drawback to the S7 Stretch Steam is that it can’t be your sole cleaning device if you have any carpet in your home. While it’s pitched as a wet/dry vacuum, the manual itself says not to use the device on carpeted surfaces. If you have mixed flooring, you’ll need a dedicated vacuum cleaner to work in tandem with the Tineco.
Tineco sells consumable parts like the HEPA filters and rollers at fairly sensible prices.
Value & Alternatives
Coming in with a $1199 RRP price tag, the S7 Stretch Steam has plenty of competition. Dyson Submarine models come in at around the same price point, and Shark options are quite a bit cheaper.
The key advantage this device provides is the high temperature steam that helps to lift stubborn grime. If your whole home is made up of hard surfaces, the S7 Stretch Steam is a great one-stop option that deals with stains without cleaning chemicals.
Ultimately, the value you get out of the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam will be based around your flooring makeup, and how often you’re doing the mopping.
Would I buy it with my own money?
If my house was 100 percent hard flooring, I would buy the Tineco S7 Stretch Steam. It’s a very convenient way to keep tiles, vinyl, or sealed wood flooring spotless with just one cleaning pass. If you’ve got mixed flooring, it’s a little bit harder to recommend because you’ll need at least two cleaning options, so it may make sense to opt for a more affordable alternative.
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