Tineco carpet cleaner named in TIME Best Inventions list

Tineco's Carpet One Cruiser carpet cleaner has been named in TIME's Best Inventions of 2025 list in the Household category, reinforcing the Chinese-founded brand's growing presence in the global floorcare market and in Australia and New Zealand.

The recognition focuses attention on a product segment that has seen limited consumer innovation compared with stick vacuums and robot cleaners. It arrives as Tineco secures a third consecutive year as the world's number one household wet and dry vacuum cleaner brand by retail sales volume, according to Euromonitor International.

TIME's annual list highlights products and services that its editors judge as reshaping everyday life. The Carpet One Cruiser earned a place for a design that replaces the experience of heavy, traditional carpet cleaners with what the publisher described as a more accessible and faster approach to deep cleaning.

Tineco launched the Carpet One Cruiser in Australia earlier in the year. The model targets households that have historically relied on professional carpet cleaning or hired equipment because of cost, drying time and ease-of-use concerns with home units.

Global position

Tineco said its position as the leading global household wet and dry vacuum cleaner brand has now been confirmed for three successive years. Euromonitor International's data covers 2023 H2 and 2024 H1 retail sales volumes worldwide for devices that wash hard floors with clean water or solution and then vacuum up the dirty water and debris.

The company holds 975 patents and 577 registered trademarks. It reports that its products now feature in more than 14 million homes in markets including Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe and Asia.

Across Australia and New Zealand, Tineco products are available in 450 physical storefronts. The Carpet One Cruiser sells in Australia through the Tineco online store as well as Harvey Norman, Costco, Bing Lee and Mobileciti at a recommended retail price of AUD $999. In New Zealand it is available through the Tineco online store, Harvey Norman and PB Tech at NZD $1,099.

ANZ growth focus

Tineco has identified Australia and New Zealand as key markets as it broadens its floorcare portfolio beyond hard floor cleaners. The Carpet One Cruiser is its flagship offering in the carpet category in the region and will feature in the brand's Christmas and Boxing Day promotions.

Jade Tang, Country Manager ANZ, said the award recognised the brand's strategy in the local market. "Tineco is investing in innovative cleaning technologies that make everyday cleaning at home simpler, faster and more effective for Australian consumers. We're proud to receive this prestigious recognition from TIME Magazine for our Carpet One Cruiser. Coupled with our range of wet and dry hard floor cleaners, Tineco presents consumers with value-packed floor cleaning solutions that meet the challenges of busy households," said Tang.

Product focus

The Carpet One Cruiser targets several long-standing consumer complaints about carpet cleaners. These include machine weight, manoeuvrability, drying time and post-clean maintenance.

Tineco uses what it describes as an optimised system of targeted extraction, controlled water distribution and defined cleaning pathways. The company positions this approach as an alternative to carpet cleaners that rely mainly on higher suction power.

The unit includes SmoothPower technology and bidirectional assist wheels. Tineco has also repositioned the clean and dirty water tanks. The company said these design changes alter how the cleaner handles and reduce the effort needed to move it across carpets.

The Carpet One Cruiser features a 75°C heated airflow system. Tineco claims this reduces carpet drying times by 50% or more and addresses one of the main reasons consumers avoid deep-cleaning carpets during busy periods at home.

The product includes a self-cleaning and drying function. Users can activate this at the press of a button, which flushes internal pathways and dries components so the machine can be stored without manual disassembly or scrubbing.

An iLoop smart sensor system adjusts water flow and suction in real time based on detected dirt levels. This system manages the balance between cleaning intensity and runtime and removes the need for users to manually select multiple modes for different levels of soiling.

Innovation agenda

Tineco said it designed the Carpet One Cruiser after research into why regular carpet cleaning remains infrequent in many homes. The company cited household concerns about the cost of professional services, the inconvenience of long drying times and the physical effort required to operate traditional machines.

The brand, founded in 1998, launched its first vacuum cleaner in the same year. It introduced its first smart vacuum in 2019 as part of a push into connected and sensor-driven appliances across floorcare, kitchen and personal care categories.

TIME's editors and correspondents evaluated hundreds of global nominations for the 2025 Best Inventions list. They assessed entries on originality, efficacy, ambition and impact.

Tineco products are now available in about 30 countries and the company reports a user base of more than 23 million households worldwide. The brand plans further expansion of its intelligent cleaning portfolio in Australia and New Zealand alongside additional retail partnerships.

The company expects the TIME recognition for the Carpet One Cruiser and its confirmed global sales ranking in wet and dry cleaners to support its next phase of regional growth.