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From spray mops to chargeable scrubbers, achieve enviable shine with these clever appliances

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Spray mops are best for cleaning wooden floors, while traditional models work best on tile

No one loves mopping, but there’s a whole load of technical innovations out there to help make things a bit less taxing. From spinning heads to durable, absorbent fabrics, your floor will be covered.

Spray mops use an on-board reservoir of water or cleaner which is distributed via a trigger handle to work over lightly soiled areas. Go for a more traditional long-stranded mop with a bucket of hot water and detergent when you have more dirt to tackle, and always go for a bigger mop head if you have a lot of ground to cover.

Ceramic or porcelain tiles may be able to withstand mops with scrubbers attached, but go gentle if you’re working on a highly-polished wood, as they could scratch. Likewise, with a laminate floor, there’s the risk of damage from saturation which could bubble or lift the top layers of wood-effect material from the boards. Always squeeze or spin as much water from the fabric mop before use.

Think about taking your mop a stage further with a plug-in or chargeable scrubber. They’ll do most of the hard work for you.

We tested electric, spray and bucket mop models on a variety of hard floors in the kitchen, living and utility areas. For ceramic tiles, we could splash our way around, using absorbent, wrung mops to capture the dirty water again before rinsing.

With wooden floors it was important to keep water levels down to prevent damage, so spray mops came into their own – although not as deep cleaning as traditional mops, the “little and often” approach worked just as well here.

With a patented spinning mophead, it’s easy to get just the right amount of water on the mophead for the job in hand. Just place the mop in the bucket chamber, undo the handle catch and push to spin. It’s easier on the back than wringing, and with its 360-degree swivel this is definitely easy to manoeuvre around the room and under tricky furniture as it goes practically flat. It has a great quality bucket on smooth wheels, and the mop slots onto the handle for tidy storage. Perfect. It is currently out of stock, but sign up for emails to be the first notified when it’s back.

There’s a really nice quality feel to this squeezy mop. Just grab the chunky handle, pull down and the thick pad will fold, squeezing an impressive amount of water out before you mop. As with the rest of the brand’s good grips range, a comfortable handle is the selling point here, and this one was our favourites for both ease of use and absorption of water and spills.

Spills and splashes are easily soaked up with this brilliant mop. It’s the absorbency that makes such a difference – it’s great to have on hand for big clean ups and those moments when the washing machine floods or drinks tip over. There’s also no need to use chemical cleaners as the microfibres will pick up dirt. This mop had the longest pole of any we tested, which was great for getting both hands spaced and really putting our backs into the clean up.

We loved the double-sided, soft surfaces of this spray mop, which was also great for running dry over hardwood floors to pick up dust and hairs before spraying with our chosen cleaning mix. The stranded “noodle” side worked well for scrubbing, with the alternate, short-pile surface working wonders on shiny ceramic tiles and lino floors. We found the spongy grab handle very comfortable to use, too.

There was a generous water tank on this spray mop, which meant we didn’t have to stop to refill, so we could tackle the kitchen and utility room together. The sturdy pockets on the end of the mop were better quality than on some other models, and everything kept snugly in place no matter how hard we scrubbed. This mophead could go in the washing machine at 60C after, so it’s got staying power. 

Best: For a clean, buff and polish

You can charge up this mop for more cleaning power, but that’s just the beginning of its capabilities. Not only can you wet clean using your favourite detergent, but you can also change pads and go over it again afterwards to buff and polish.

Our tester’s newly-vacuumed hardwood flooring looked as good as new after using this mop. We used wood floor cleaner and the power of the pads to rotate over the surface. It’s very easy to use, without much effort to push around, and is quiet so it doesn’t disturb as it does the business.

Take the effort out of floor cleaning by letting this cordless gadget whizz over hard floors, its spongy microfibre roller scrubbing as it goes. This can easily be detached for cleaning, and we saw really great results, reviving tile and engineered wooden flooring too. By the time we’d popped it back in the docking station to recharge, the floors were almost dry again, with dirty water safely stashed in the tank for emptying. Satisfying.

There’s just enough roughness to the pad on this spray mop to make stubborn marks melt away as you swipe. The good news is that they can be placed in the washing machine and come out good as new – we washed at 60C with great results.

This a whizzy solution to fast cleaning, especially if you don’t want to have soaking wet floors after a once over with the mop. This ingenious combo of spinner mop and rotating basket inside the bucket means you can force out excess water for superior drying. This is a real favourite of cleaning fans online, and is a great price for a complete system. It’s well put together and sturdy so should last the pace even if you love a daily floor clean. Sign up for emails to know when this is back in stock.

The Leifheit mop and bucket set impressed with its ease of use and sturdy materials. Thoughtful features such as a pouring spout and wheeled bucket made all the difference when floor cleaning starts to take its toll on the back. We also loved the bargain Addis mega mop for its straightforward scrub power and absorbency.

For the latest discounts and offers on home appliances, try the links below:

For a powerful deep clean, check out our best steam cleaners that will keep your floor sparkling

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Spray mops are best for cleaning wooden floors, while traditional models work best on tile

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