Black & Decker 2 in 1 Steam Mop Review BDH1850SM

Rating: 3.6 Reviewed by Erica
It’s more than just performance you need to think about with the Black & Decker BDH1850Sm 2 in 1 steam mop. You should also consider the benefits and drawbacks of having a mop that performs two different functions.

This is the first review I’ve done where the mop includes a hand held steam cleaner built in. Between that and the fact that B&D offers similar versions of this mop without the hand held, my work was cut out for me.

As you’ll see in the section on price there are some options available to you for getting more from this mop and for your money.

The B&D 2 in 1 is an electric mop with digital control settings for three different floor types and a pull-away hand held unit that has its own attachments for cleaning ovens, grout, bathrooms, kitchens, grills, and windows.

Table of Contents

Click ahead!

Floor Types & Carpets / Mop Head Type / Water Tank & Steam / Controls / Attachments & Accessories / Cleaning Solution Options / Dimensions / Consumer Reviews & Ratings / Pros / Cons / Price / My Overall Review

Here’s what comes in the box:

• Mop – comes in 3 pieces that are easily assembled

• 2 microfiber mop pads

• Resting mat – this is where you sit the mop when it’s cooling down or heating up

• Carpet glider – a plastic ring the mop sits in to glide over carpets to remove odors (this does not clean carpets – just perks them up in between using a separate carpet steam cleaner)

• Accessory bag – mesh bag for storing the attachments that go with the hand held unit

• Grout brush – attaches to the hand held unit for cleaning grout lines

• Detail brush – small brush attaches to the hand held unit for cleaning around faucets, in the corners of your tub and shower, and around the toilet basin

• Squeegee – window cleaning attachment for use with the hand held

• Measuring cup – used to fill the water tank

• 4 foot hose – connects to the hand held unit on one end and the attachments on the other end

Some product descriptions say that 2 triangular pads are also included but that’s not accurate. The triangle pads are meant to be used with an attachment called the mini pivot mop which is NOT included with the 2 in 1 mop. (I’ll talk more about this in the Price section of this review.)

Floor and Carpet Information

The manufacturer lists the standard set of sealed hard floor surfaces as being suitable with the 2 in 1 mop (stone, marble, tile, vinyl, wood, laminate) but they’ve taken things just a step further.

The mop has 3 floor type settings and each disburses a different level of steam. For example, you can select the Wood option on the controls and the mop will put out less steam to help prevent buckling or warping. This feature is referred to as the Digital SmartSelect Technology.

Previous versions of the B&D steam mop line also have this feature but the selection was made by turning a dial on the front of the tank which sits in the middle of the handle. On this digital version, the selection is made by pushing a button on the handle that rotates through the three options graphically displayed on the handle with separate images.

This mop can also be used to give your carpets a refresh between regular steam cleanings by removing odors. (It does NOT clean carpets, though.)

The attached hand held unit is a plus. Stick steam mops like this almost only clean floors. They’ll wipe up some fresh dirt from grout but they don’t scrub grout and usually can’t be used on counter tops, windows and other vertical surfaces. (The Sienna Vibe steam mop is one exception to this rule but it’s design makes it a bulkier hand held option than the 2 in 1.)

Doing so usually requires that you either buy a canister steam mop with attachments or a stick mop with a separate hand held unit. In this case, you’re getting two pieces of equipment in one.

Black & Decker 2 in 1 Mop Head Shape and Size

One thing you have to get used to with steam mops is changing out the pads when they get too wet. The pad starts out dry and as you mop it absorbs the moisture put out by the steam plus any of the dirt and other liquids on your floor.

Once the map becomes saturated and can no longer absorb additional moisture, that excess water gets left on your floor. This can result in streaks and little pools of dirty water in the dimples in your flooring. Changing the mop pad takes care of that problem.

As long as your pad isn’t fully saturated your floors will dry quickly.

Because the mop head on the Black and Decker 2 in 1 is larger than some of its competitors, the pad is also larger. You should be able to go longer in between changes.

At the same time, that wider mop head might not fit in tight areas like the space next to your refrigerator or between your tub and toilet. So, it’s a toss-up as to whether or not this extra size is a benefit but something for you to be aware of when you’re comparing mops. It’s approximately 12 inches wide by 5 inches deep.

The shape of the mop head itself is very sleek – one of the shortest I’ve seen and because of the way the mop handle tilts to the side you can reach under furniture and cabinets very well.

Easy Glide Technology

A lot of steam mops have swivel heads these days and I love that feature. Black and Decker’s 2 in 1 does it a little differently, though. Instead of the mop swiveling at the base, the handle pivots from side to side inside the base at a sort of fork where the two connect.

Some reviewers complained that this made the mop difficult to control and I think it looks like the person in this video is experiencing the same issue. Watch the mop head as she works. Periodically it looks like it’s getting away from her and not moving forward in a straight line towards the sliding glass door as she intends.

That’s probably a minor issue to deal with but it might take you some time to get used to how the mop responds.

How Much Water Does the 2 in 1 Tank Hold?

The mop heats up in 15 seconds which is great. The tank is see-through and built into the hand held unit. It’s not detachable by itself but you can remove the hand held unit if that makes it easier for you to pour in the water.

The tank only holds 10.1 ounces, though, and that’s pretty low for this category of steam mops. This means you’ll have to refill a number of times to do a large mop job.

The mop runs at 1500 watts which is average.

To sanitize takes 90 seconds of moving the mop over a section of flooring. This is a little long but might be accommodating for the fact that less steam comes out at the wood floor setting.

The tank has one totally unnecessary yet incredibly cool feature. When it’s heating up, the entire water reservoir gives off a red glow. When the mop is ready to steam, the reservoir glows blue. An indicator light would be sufficient but it wouldn’t look quite so amazing.

Let’s say you’re hosting an evening event at your house. You’ve got candles lighting every room and some music playing. Everyone’s having a good time and then a guest spills a glass of wine on the floor. You whip out the Black and Decker 2 in 1 and your guests will think you’re putting on a cool light show instead of cleaning.

Steam Mop Settings & Controls

I really like the handle on this steam mop and the placement of the selection button for the floor types. Black & Decker calls this button their Digital SmartSelect Technology. It puts out different levels of steam for different floor types.

Other mops have this feature but the control us usually in some awkward place like lower down on the mop. On the 2 in 1, though, it’s on the handle. Whether you’re left or right handed, you can reach the button with your thumb while using the mop.

Also easily accessible is the steam burst button which shoots out an extra puff of steam should you run across any tough spots or stains on your floor.

That burst of steam button is controlled by the floor setting, too. When you’re on the tile or stone settings, you’ll get 50% more steam for 10 seconds when the burst is pushed whereas on the wood setting you’ll get a softer 10% burst of steam for 10 seconds. My guess is that this is part of Black and Decker’s strategy for making steam mops safer for use on wood and laminate floors.

There is an on/off switch located on the top of the removable hand held unit. The mop won’t start heating until you push that button and the glow from the water tank tells you when the mop is ready to be used.

There’s no trigger for the mop which is a plus (but there is one for the hand held). If you recline the mop handle, steam will start disbursing at the setting that matches the floor type you selected. Once you put the mop handle back upright, steam stops coming out from the mop – but it will still be hot and ready to go. Only the on/off button will stop the heating process.

Black & Decker Hand Held Steam Cleaner

The hand held unit attaches to the front of the mop and must be in place when mopping. The water tank and on/off switch are built into the hand held unit and control the water flow and power for both pieces.

It removes from the front of the mop by pushing a release button and clicks back into place nicely.

When the hand held unit is removed, the supplied hose gets attached to the hand held unit and then the brush and cleaning attachments get applied to the hose.

There’s also an adjustable nozzle that you can attach to the spout of the hand held unit. That nozzle allows you shoot concentrated steam and mist at a particularly hard to reach or tough to clean area like the corners of your tubs and showers. You can control the flow of steam from the nozzle by twisting the ring around the nozzle.

The one issue I really don’t like about this one is that you have to hold the trigger down in order to use it. Any of the cleaning devices that have a trigger are an instant challenge for anyone who has issues gripping things. Plus, while you’re holding down the trigger with one hand, you have to work the attachment with your other hand. Your weaker hand is probably going to be the one you use to hold the trigger and that one may cramp even faster than your stronger hand.

Included Attachments

Besides the variable control nozzle for the hand held unit mentioned above, there are several brush and cleaning attachments included with the Black and Decker 2 in 1 steam mop. The manual, however, provides no instructions on using the attachments. It only tells you how to attach and remove them.

Since Black & Decker also offers the hand held as a completely separate unit, I checked that manual, too. Still, there were no instructions on how to use the attachments. The one that needs the most instruction is the squeegee attachment for windows.

The attachments all have heavy, foam cleaning pieces. The bristles on the brushes, for example, are made of thick, black foam as is the squeegee. These will wear over time and may need to be replaced but they’re likely made of this material in order to keep them from scratching your counters, appliances, and bathroom fixtures.

Cleaning Solutions

You should not use any cleaning solutions in this mop. Just add water.

2 in 1 Dimensions and Storage

Height: This information is wrong all over the place. Some product listings say its only 20 inches high, others say 35 inches. It’s certainly not 20 inches. The height is between 36 and 48 inches.

Width: approx. 12 inches

Depth: approx 5 inches

Weight 6.4 pounds

Power cord: 25 feet long – above average for this kind of steam mop

The mop stands upright on its own but it can be wobbly and you should expect it to fall over periodically when not attended. When you store it, be sure to lean it into the corner to prevent it from tipping.

There’s a cooling mat in the box that you can rest the mop on when it’s cooling down or right as you’re getting ready to heat it up. You’ll want to keep that out and handy when mopping in case you have to stop to refill the tank. You never want to leave the mop sitting on the floor by itself until it’s completely cooled down.

Attached to the vacuum are the standard cord hooks so you can wrap that up and keep it tidy when it’s stored away.

Pros

• Detachable hand held steam cleaner
• Hand held steamer attachments
• Heats fast
• Dries fast
• Safety steam shut off feature when upright
• Very low profile mop head
• Mop head is large and covers more area at once
• Good power cord length

Cons

• Emits a low amount of steam and some reviewers felt it didn’t heat as well as it should
• Small tank size will mean refilling the reservoir more often
• Swivel head can be difficult to control – almost too flexible
• Window cleaner tool is only so-so
• Topples easily when left unattended on the cooling pad
• Mop pads come off easily, even during cleaning
• Some of the foam attachments will wear over time and need replacing

Black & Decker 2 in 1 Steam Mop Price

Once you’ve decided that the Black & Decker 2 in 1 steam mop is the best choice for you, there’s another decision to make and that’s how to get the best deal.

Black & Decker offers the hand held as a unit you can buy separately. They also offer this mop in a version that doesn’t come with the hand held, the BDH1760SM.

I had to know – what would I get if I bought the mop and hand held as completely separate units?

The benefit of having them combined is that the hand held is getting carted around with me as I mop but in thinking through how I clean I’m not sure I’d find myself in a position to whip the hand held off the mop in the middle of doing the floors in order to clean something else. I’d probably only use the hand held when doing completely different kinds of cleaning tasks.

This means that every time I’d mop I’d be moving around the extra weight of the hand held unit. I compared the weight of the mop that doesn’t have the hand held attached to the weight of the 2 in 1 and there’s less than a 1 pound difference so that didn’t seem like a big deal.

But there are other differences that might be more important to you:

• If you buy the hand held as a separate unit you get more attachments that work with it including the triangular shaped mop head that fits both the steam mop and the hand held unit
• The BDH1760SM has a larger tank size by 5.5 ounces (15.6 ounces vs 10.1 ounces) so it will steam for longer between tank refills
• The BDH1760SM doesn’t come with the carpet glider

What this means is I’d end up paying about an extra $60 for the additional attachments (valued at about $20-30) and the ability for the mop to last longer between my refilling the tank. I’d also lose out on the carpet glider. To me, buying the 2 in 1 is a better deal.

Of course, you could add the accessory pack for the hand held that costs about $20 and includes the triangular mop head.

I did an entire chart comparing the other Black & Decker steam mop options to the 2 in 1 so you can understand the different options before you decide on one.

Consumer Reviews and Ratings

Understanding the ratings of the Black & Decker 2 in 1 steam mop requires a bit of marketing background, especially when looking at the ratings on Amazon.

Amazon has what’s called the Vine Program where the top quality reviewers on the site may be tapped to receive products for free in exchange for writing a review. Reviews written by Vine members are marked as such.

Manufacturers or other retailers may offer products through the Vine program in order to get reviews written on their product listings so they’ll stand out and so consumers will have opinions of other users to consider when making their buying choices.

On this mop, 73% of the reviews written at the time of this post were done by Vine members and the average rating of those are almost a point higher than the ratings done by non Vine members.

Personally, I’d take this to mean most non-Vine members felt the performance of this steam mop was just a hair above average.

My Overall Opinion

There are always going to be things you like and things you don’t like about your own steam mop. I love mine but hate where the on/off button is placed but I’m used to it and it doesn’t stop me from enjoying the time saved by using it.

On the Black & Decker 2 in 1, there are also things to like and things that might bug you. The swivel design takes some practice and the tank size is small but the cord length is great and if you have more than one type of hard flooring in your house you’ll benefit from the variable setting option.

To get a separate steam mop and hand held unit that work as well would cost you at least the price of the 2 in 1, too. Not only will you be able to steam clean your floors but you’ll immediately have the option to clean a number of other items in your home. I think that unless you want to spend a lot more money, this is a good, reasonably priced option for getting both a steam mop and a portable steam cleaner.