In the last decade, the popularity of steam mops has really taken off. The great demand for them has meant a number of companies are now getting in on this action, hoping to get their piece of the pie. This has led to a prices coming down, and many different options for the consumer. Bionaire is one of the many companies trying to cash in, and they have released a few different budget models in recent years.
Are their products worthy of investing in, or should you look elsewhere? We are taking a look at their popular 25109 Bionaire steam mop in this article, so find out below.
Is Bionaire A Reputable Company
So who is Bionaire? From our research, it looks like the brand was formed in 1977 in Canada, before expanding the USA in 1983. Their primary market is air filtration products, and humidifiers. However, they have branched out into other areas such as fans, heaters, and steams mops over the years. It seems like their products have a respectable reputation, so let’s see if their steam mops can live up to this.
The Bionaire Steam Mop
The 25109 model is one of their entry level products, and has a retail price of around $60. However, this model is frequently seen on sale under the $50 mark, which puts it on the lower tier price bracket. So what do you get for that?
Design
In terms of the design, this model comes in a metallic silver and black color scheme. The lower portion of the machine is metallic silver, which merges with the black top half. It has a telescopic handle which is chrome plated, and this extends a fair amount. We quite like the overall look, and it has a nice modern feel to it.
Features
This model has a 8 fl oz / 235ml tank, which claims to create up to 12 minutes of steam when in use. It is fairly easy to fill using the included funnel, but be careful not to overfill as this can put a strain on the heater element. The water passes through a filter, and this ensures that the water is purified before passing through the system. Once the tank is full, you can switch it on, and the green light on the front will light up to let you know it is in use. It normally takes around 30 seconds before it is ready to use, which is more or less in line with most of the other cheaper models. When in use it heats the steam up to 140C, which is hot enough to kill virtually all the of the bacteria it comes into contact with. It is also hot enough to remove any sticky spills, or muddy footprints.
It comes with a nice long 16′ cable, allowing you to get quite far from your electrical outlet before needing to switch over to the next closest one. If it runs out of water, the auto shut-off system will kick in so no damage is done to the machine.
The base of the Bionaire steam mop is a triangular shape, which makes it easy to get into corners and tight spaces. The pads are secured at the rear of the base, and this model comes with two triple action micro fiber pads. These feel quite sturdy, and can be chucked in the washing machine after each use. We can’t say how long they will last, but we imagine a few months at the very least with a few weekly uses. They work ok on hard floor, but do struggle a bit on carpets. The unit has an overall weight of around 8 pounds, so it isn’t too difficult to move around.
Are there any issues with it?
The 25109 model sounds good so far, but are there any issues you need to worry about? Unfortunately there are a couple which we need to mention. The first big issue is the handle, which is quite thin. It feels very brittle, and does not hold up to much use, especially on surfaces where there is a bit of resistance such as carpets. Many people have complained about the handle cracking or even snapping off completely, so this is not an isolated incident at all. Even when in use on smoother surfaces it feels like it is under a lot of pressure, so this is definitely a design flaw in our opinion.
The other main issue is with the reliability of this unit. There have been many reports that this model stops working after a few uses. This means it switches on, but no steam comes out. There have also been many reports of the machine refusing to switch on at all after only a handful of uses. Again, these are both commonly reported issues, so there is clearly something wrong with this model. For these two issues alone, we feel like this model is not a good purchase, and you should look elsewhere if you are after a reliable unit.
It is also worth noting that if you go to the Bionaire website, you will not find any mention of steam mops even if you search for them. So it looks like Bionaire has tried to purge this product from their product lineup, and has given up on steam mops for the foreseeable future.
Summary
So that is a look at the 25109 Bionaire steam mop. It has a number of decent features and an enticing price tag, but it has a reputation for being fairly flimsy and unreliable. For that reason we cannot recommend it, as these issues have been widely reported over the years. They aren’t small problems either, but major issues that affect the operation of the unit. So in this case we would recommend searching for another steam mop, as this one is not a good option at all.
If you are still interested in it, then we would strongly recommend you head over to the Amazon product page and read some of the many user reviews. This will allow you to decide for yourself, and should give you a good idea of the mops quality.
2021 Update:
It looks like the mop has been removed from Amazon, so you can no longer purchase it. In light of this, we have removed the link above. We would recommend taking a look at the far superior Bissell Powerfresh Steam Mop 1940 instead.