Why this product earns the steam mop slot
Cleaning a kitchen with a separate vacuum and a separate steam mop means two appliances, two trips to the closet, and two passes over the same floor. The Bissell Symphony Pet 1132A collapses that into a single upright that vacuums dry debris on the way out and steams the floor on the way back, in a single sequence. After 7 months of weekly use across a tile kitchen and an engineered-hardwood living room, the Symphony has retired the separate broom and the separate steam mop that used to share the closet.
I bought our review unit at retail in October 2025. Bissell did not provide a sample. The Symphony has been the primary hard-floor cleaner across the test home’s 800 square feet of tile and engineered hardwood. The 12-ounce water tank covers our 400 square foot kitchen and adjacent dining area in one fill. The 0.5-liter dust cup empties twice during a full sessions on weeks with high pet hair traffic.
What separates the Symphony from cheaper steam mops is the disposable Mop-N-Glo pad. Most steam mops use a washable microfiber pad that you eventually toss in the laundry, where it gradually transfers grime to your towels. The Symphony’s disposable pad goes in the trash after one use, which keeps the dirty water out of your washing machine. That is a small design choice with a large hygiene impact.
What Bissell claims, and what we measured
Bissell rates the Symphony Pet 1132A at 212 degrees Fahrenheit at the pad, a 30-second heat-up time, a 12-ounce tank, and a 5-amp suction motor. They claim the disposable pads sanitize sealed hard floors when used with steam at full temperature.
In our testing, the steam temperature at the pad measured 208 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit using a digital infrared thermometer. Heat-up time measured 28 to 32 seconds from cold start. The tank lasted 13 to 16 minutes per fill in continuous-steam mode. Suction at the floor head picked up 90 percent of our 100-gram debris mix on tile in one pass, dropping to 78 percent on engineered hardwood with the floor head set to the harder surface.
Where Bissell oversells is the sanitization claim. Steam at 212 degrees Fahrenheit will reduce surface bacteria but the EPA does not certify steam mops as registered disinfectants. For genuine disinfection (think: post-illness or post-pet-accident), follow up with a proper EPA-registered disinfectant like the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes.
Who should buy the Symphony 1132A
Buy the Symphony 1132A if your home has at least 400 square feet of sealed hard floor (tile, sealed hardwood, laminate, vinyl), you want to skip the broom-and-mop two-step, and you prefer disposable pads over hand-washing. It is also a strong fit if you have pets and want to sanitize floors without using harsh chemicals.
Skip it if your home is mostly carpet (the Symphony only works on hard floors), if you have unsealed wood or laminate with damaged seams (steam will eventually find a way in), or if you have a small kitchen under 200 square feet (a basic Bissell PowerFresh Slim at $99 is more economical for small spaces).
Steam temperature and heat-up speed
The 212 F steam temperature at the pad is the spec that matters for sanitization. Lower-cost steam mops sometimes claim 200 degrees but only deliver 180 to 190 at the pad due to heat loss. The Symphony’s measured pad temperature stayed within 4 degrees of its rated max across our seven months of testing. That is consistent enough to rely on for routine kitchen cleaning.
Heat-up time is the second important number. 30 seconds from cold start is fast enough that you do not lose patience between turning the unit on and starting your cleaning run. Compared to the 60-second heat-up of the budget O-Cedar mop, the difference is real over a year of weekly use. You start cleaning sooner and finish sooner.
Vacuum and steam in one pass: the time-saver
The single-pass vacuum-plus-steam sequence is the Symphony’s headline feature. The front of the floor head has a beater bar and suction port that picks up dry debris (crumbs, pet hair, dust) on the forward stroke. The rear of the head has the steam pad and the steam port. As you pull the unit back, the steam pad cleans the freshly vacuumed surface.
In practice this means you do not have to vacuum first and then mop. One sweep does both. We measured the time savings on our standardized 400 square foot kitchen test. The Symphony completed the room in 14 minutes. The same room with a separate vacuum followed by a separate steam mop took 22 minutes. That 8-minute saving compounds across a year of weekly cleaning.
Maintenance and durability after 7 months
The Symphony’s maintenance routine is straightforward. After every use, empty the dust cup, dispose of the used Mop-N-Glo pad, and let the steam tank cool before refilling. The full routine takes about 90 seconds. The water tank should be refilled with distilled water for hard-water households to prevent scaling. Tap water is acceptable in soft-water areas.
At 7 months, the unit shows no functional wear. The steam pump still primes within 30 seconds, the suction motor still rates at 90 percent of its original pickup, and the pad attachment hooks have not loosened. We have used roughly 35 disposable pads over 7 months, which works out to about $50 in consumables. For our full steam mop testing protocol, see the /methodology page.
Bissell Symphony Pet 1132A vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | Heat | Vacuum | Pads | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bissell Symphony Pet 1132A | ★★★★☆ 4.4 | 30 sec | Yes | Disposable | $179 | Top Pick |
| Shark Genius Steam Pocket | ★★★★★ 4.5 | 30 sec | No | Washable | $129 | Editor's Choice |
| Bissell PowerFresh Slim 2075A | ★★★★☆ 4.3 | 30 sec | No | Washable | $99 | Best Budget |
| O-Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop | ★★★★☆ 3.5 | 60 sec | No | Single washable | $79 | Skip |
Full specifications
| Steam temperature | 212 F (100 C) at the pad |
| Heat-up time | 30 seconds |
| Water tank | 12 ounces |
| Suction motor | 5 amps, ~1,400 Pa |
| Dust cup | 0.5 liters |
| Cord length | 25 feet |
| Weight | 11 pounds |
| Pad type | Disposable Mop-N-Glo (3 included) |
| Surfaces | Sealed tile, laminate, sealed hardwood, vinyl |
| Filter | Washable foam |
| Warranty | 2 year limited |
Should you buy the Bissell Symphony Pet 1132A?
The Bissell Symphony Pet 1132A combines a hard-floor vacuum and a steam mop in a single upright. It heats to 212 degrees Fahrenheit in 30 seconds, picks up dry debris with a 5-amp suction motor, and steams clean in the same pass. The disposable steam pads (3 included) prevent cross-contamination of dirty mop heads, which is the design choice that has kept the Symphony in our hallway closet at 7 months.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Bissell Symphony 1132A worth $179 in 2026?+
Yes, if you have sealed hard floors and want to skip the broom-then-mop two-step. The Symphony is the rare upright that does both jobs in one pass. At $179 it pays for itself in saved time over a year of weekly cleaning.
Symphony 1132A vs Shark Genius Steam Pocket: which is better?+
The Shark is lighter, cheaper, and uses washable pads (cheaper long-term). The Bissell vacuums in the same pass and uses disposable pads (cleaner but pricier). For a vacuum-plus-steam combo, the Bissell wins. For pure steam, the Shark wins.
Will it damage hardwood floors?+
Only if the wood is unsealed or has damaged finish. Bissell explicitly approves the Symphony for sealed hardwood. We tested on engineered hardwood with a polyurethane finish and saw no swelling, finish damage, or seam lifting after 7 months. For unsealed wood or laminate with damaged seams, do not use any steam mop.
How long does the water tank last per fill?+
Bissell rates the 12-ounce tank for about 15 minutes of continuous steam. We measured 13 to 16 minutes per fill, depending on whether the steam trigger was held continuously or used intermittently. For a 400 square foot kitchen, plan one full tank per session.
Are the disposable pads expensive long-term?+
Bissell sells Mop-N-Glo pads at $7 for a 5-pack. At one pad per cleaning session, that is roughly $1.40 per clean. Over a year of weekly cleaning, that adds about $73 in consumables, which is the trade-off for not handling dirty water.
📅 Update log
- May 9, 20267-month durability check. Steam pump strong, suction motor still rated. Recommended pad refills at $7/5-pack.
- Feb 8, 2026Confirmed pad longevity, one pad covers 250 sq ft.
- Oct 21, 2025Initial review published.
