If you only want to steam clean floors, consider a simple machine that doesn’t convert to a handheld. It will be light, easy to manoeuvre and you won’t have to store fiddly tools that you’ve no intention of using.

Disposable vs. washable mop pads: Disposable mop cloths are convenient and take the worry out of wondering if your mop is sanitary. However, you will need to buy refills when you run out. Washable mop cloths and heads can be used over and over. Simply toss the reusable cloth in the wash and dry per the directions. A.k.a. 2-in-1 cleaners, these are upright steam mops where the steam generator can pop out from the middle to be used as a smaller, handheld cleaner. They come with various tools for steam cleaning smaller stuff. In our tests, Carmel found that steam took over one minute to heat up and then can stop and start instantly with a press of the trigger. It’s powerful: the lowest setting is similar to the steam offered by most steam mops, the highest setting is much stronger. The most effective type of mop is the one that works best for your specific floor — there isn't a one size fits all solution, and each type of mop on the market has its own advantages. Unlike any mop we've ever seen, Melissa Maker's Maker's Clean mop is the first real innovation in traditional floor mops in years. If fact, we were so impressed with how it tested for us that we gave it a Good Housekeeping Best Cleaning Product Award. The mop head is taco-shaped, so it not only cleans flat surfaces with your favorite spray floor cleaner, but it squeezes into narrow spaces, like between the refrigerator and the wall, or around the toilet. The bottom edge fits perfectly into the 90-degree angles of stair treads and risers or along baseboards and floors.Carmel used this with the floorhead and carpet glider to clean the tide marks on an old, colourful rug. It worked to great effect and she only needed to switch to the brush a few times. Spin mop: Spin mops come two ways. They can be manual or electric. They either have round heads with microfiber strings that clean in all directions or they are electric appliances with spinning microfiber pads. Uniquely, the Shark’s floorhead and cleaning pad are double-sided, giving you twice the surface area for more cleaning. It comes with a second cleaning pad, too, which our Ecommcerce Editor Molly thought was excellent value for money during testing. In our recent test of 11 models, this H11 Max from Dreametech was tops in our ease of use tests. It earned a perfect score in six of our eight ease of use categories, and was easy to maneuver around furniture and into tight corners. It weighs almost 11 pounds, but was easy to push because it's self-propelled. During our performance tests it ran for 36 minutes on a single charge and cleaned up spilled ketchup without leaving any streaks behind or causing bigger messes on our test floor, though a few drops of dirty water did dribble out when we lifted it off the floor. If floor cleaning is not your favorite task, a robot mop could be the answer to your prayers. Who knows more about floor-cleaning robots than iRobot, the company that invented the category? iRobot vacuums always do well in GH Cleaning Lab tests, and an early version of this mop model that we tested in our Lab was no exception.

Reliable's triangular swivel head gets into corners as does its built-in triangular scrub brush, and it comes with four reusable microfiber pads so you won’t have to worry about running out in the middle of a job. There's an attachment that snaps on to help freshen carpets, though we've never found these to be particularly useful or effective on any steamer we've tested. We like its slim design and large handle that makes it easy to carry up and down stairs. Combine two cleaning tasks into one swift motion with the Bissell Vac & Steam, which does exactly what the name says. It lifts as much dust and hair as possible and then uses water to lift the remaining grime. Testing these cleaners simultaneously has allowed her to see which cleaners excel at which task, and to judge them on ease of use and storage, which is crucially important in her very compact space. What is the best steam cleaner in 2023?The Braava Jet robot mop comes with pads for dry sweeping and two types of wet cleaning pads: disposable and reusable. While some robot mops clean with just water, this one uses a mix of warm water and iRobot's own floor cleaner to moisten grime and gunk before one of the wet pads cleans dirt from your hard floors so it's actually cleaning.

Carmel absolutely loved using the Polti, even if it is a bit on the pricey side. The controls are excellent, the design is practical and it feels weightless in the hand, so much so that you can lift it to clean windows, curtains and more. Use on a tiled wall was particularly easy too, so if you hate cleaning your bathroom, this is a great cleaner to consider. Our Ecommerce Editor Molly oversees vacuum and cleaning content at Ideal Home. She has tested out a number of these steam cleaners in her two-bedroom London flat, including the Bissell PowerFresh SlimSteam and the Shark Klik n' Flip Automatic Steam Mop. We updated this story in April 2023 to add new recommendations and more details about how we tested .

Robot vacuum/mop hybrid deals

And whether you're getting deep into the spring clean or looking to spruce the house up ahead of a move, then it might be time for something even more extensive. For the heaviest of cleaning tasks a solid floor steamer can handle the most vigorous of projects and make getting that perfect finish a breeze.

Cost of refills: Most mops with disposable cloths require refills specific to the mop brand, and some also require a cleaning solution refill. Over time both of these can get pricey but may be a good option for someone who does not want to worry about storing a damp mop or likes the convenience of disposables. The body boasts variable steam control and an anti-calc collector. It comes with a squeegee with cloth cover for cleaning upholstery, plus concentrator, scraper and two sizes of nylon brush. These are all great for cleaning, but might be a bit much if you're tight on storage space.It’s only designed for cleaning floors, so there are no accessories except a filling jug. There are two steam levels: a button on the front of the body of the cleaner cycles between these and off. In our tests, Molly found it heats up in under 30 seconds. There are no handheld cleaning tools with this cleaner as it’s just for floors. It’s heavy (4.4kg) and perhaps not as versatile as some of the other options on this list, but it does have the value of a vacuum and steam cleaner combined.