8 best electric cleaning brushes to take the elbow grease out of scrubbing
If you want to clean deeper around taps, hobs and along grout lines, without expending any extra energy, the best electric cleaning brushes could change the way you do your chores.
The beauty of an electric cleaning brush is that it can remove a huge amount of dirt, while you barely have to lift a finger. If you think that sounds good, you're not alone – the SonicScrubber electric cleaning brush has gone viral on TikTok, reaching more than 35 million views.
If you've ever fallen down a #CleanTok hole or watched a few cleaning videos on TikTok, you might have seen electric cleaning brushes being used to clean a variety of items, from bathroom tiles and sinks to toasters and even trainers.
Push a button and the brush oscillates several times a minute, similar to an electric toothbrush, to dislodge dirt you might not have been able to shift with elbow grease alone.
Some electric cleaning brushes have extendable handles, so you can use them to reach tricky spots, while others are more compact and therefore easier to store. Prices start at around £10 and range to upwards of £60, but how much should you pay and which model will really make a difference to your cleaning routine? We've put several designs to the test, to bring you our pick of the best electric cleaning brushes to add to your cupboard.
How we tested
We tested each brush for a minimum of two weeks, using each model on a variety of surfaces, including tiled walls, bathroom fixtures, kitchen countertops and grouting. For consistency, we used the same cleaning products, so we knew it was the brush making the difference and not our sprays and liquids. To measure durability, we ran each brush for extended cleaning sessions, checking for battery life and power as well as comfort levels in our hands. Noise levels were noted during operation, and attachments were tested for effectiveness across surfaces. This helped us work out which devices could clean the most areas in our home and which offered the best value for money.
Why you can trust us
The Independent 's round-ups feature only products that have been tried and tested by the team. For this review, veteran IndyBest reviewer Zoe Griffin has tested electric cleaning brushes in her own bathroom, using them as you would, over a prolonged period. Well-versed in assessing home appliances and cleaning products, Zoe has written about everything from electric heaters to cordless vacuum cleaners and has had a wealth of testing experience to draw on while assessing the products she reviews.
The best electric cleaning brushes for 2025 are:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Children could be banned from spending more than two hours on any one phone app and blocked from social media after 10pm in new anti-doomscrolling measures
The government is considering measures to ban children from spending more than two hours on any one mobile phone app at a time. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is mulling a move to cap the amount of time per app youngsters can spend on their phone as part of a swathe of measures designed to reduce 'doomscrolling'. The package could also include preventing children from accessing social media apps, such as TikTok or Snapchat, after 10pm and during school hours. 'My approach will nail down some of the safety challenges that people face online, but also start to embrace those measures that deliver a much healthier life for children online,' Mr Kyle told the Mirror. 'That's what I want young people to have, a developmental safe and nourishing childhood online, just as we strive to for young people offline.' He is focused on exploring how curfews and restrictions on accessibility to apps as a starting point and is aware such measures may not solve the problem entirely. The MP for Hove and Portslade has reportedly held discussions with former and current employees of social media sites, who are open to the idea of preventing access to apps at night or during school. They are also said to be willing to restrict how long children can use an app for, by blocking access once they have reached a certain time limit. There have been suggestions this could be up to two hours. However, Mr Kyle has not yet made a decision on what age bracket these changes could apply to, according to The Mirror. He is also reportedly exploring raising the age at which children consent for their personal data to be processed by online sites. This currently applies to youngsters aged 13 and above, although ministers could raise this to 16. Mr Kyle has previously said that he has taken a keen interest in TikTok's recent introduction of various tools to limit screen time. These include a 10pm curfew for under-16s, which features the device screen being taken over and calming music played, although the tool can be dismissed to continue using the app. Another tool, Time Away, allows parents to set specific times that TikTok is available on their teen's devices. Children can request extra time to remain on the app, but their parents must approve it. Mr Kyle said he wanted to see evidence of how these tools are helping young people before implementing anything, but said he was especially interested in anything that will 'empower parents' to control how long their children are spending on social media platforms. Experts have long cited social media as a factor that can disrupt young people's sleep, relationships and socialisation skills. Data from the Millennium Cohort study, published last January, revealed 48 per cent of 16 to 18-year-olds felt they had lost control over how much time they spent online. A team at the University of Cambridge examined data from the study which tracks the lives of 19,000 Britons born in 2000-2002. When those in the cohort were aged between 16 and 18, they were asked about their social media use. The survey revealed 48 per cent of the 7,000 respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: 'I think I am addicted to social media.' Girls were most affected with 57 per cent agreeing, compared with 37 per cent of boys, according to the data reported by the Guardian.
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Youngsters could face two-hour social media cap per app in online safety package
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle will announce a new 'package of measures' in a major drive to stop kids wasting their childhoods doomscrolling on social media on their phones Youngsters could have their time on social media capped at two hours per app under online safety measures being considered by ministers. The package could include blocking kids from accessing social media after 10pm and during school hours. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is drawing up plans to stop kids wasting their childhoods doomscrolling on their phones. He told the Mirror his approach "will nail down some of the safety challenges that people face online". Talks have focused on curfews and restrictions on accessibility to apps in a drive to tackle a spiralling screen time crisis among teens. A two-hour cap per social media app has been suggested to ministers in the talks. Under the measure, kids would be blocked from accessing social media apps, such as TikTok or Snapchat, once they have reached the limit. Officials admit this won't solve the problem completely as kids could still rack up screen time across multiple apps but believe it could be a starting point. Mr Kyle and his team have been in discussions with current and past employees of social media firms, who have suggested they'd be prepared to block kids' access at night, during school or after a certain amount of time using an app. No decision has been made on what age bracket could apply. Elsewhere, officials have also looked at raising the legal digital age of consent from 13 to 16. This is the age at which a child may give consent for their personal data to be processed by online sites. But insiders believe this is not a silver bullet, as there is little evidence of a huge impact in countries that have introduced the move. Mr Kyle is expected to make a major intervention in the coming months setting out new measures to improve kids' relationship with the online world. The Cabinet minister told the Mirror: "I have been working really hard on a package of measures that will move online safety forwards under this Labour government, and I can't wait to start talking about it when I have the opportunity in the not too distant future. "But I can say right now that my approach will nail down some of the safety challenges that people face online, but also start to embrace those measures that deliver a much healthier life for children online, and that's what I want young people to have, a developmental safe and nourishing childhood online, just as we strive to for young people offline." In April, the regulator Ofcom published a new children's code instructing social media firms to tame toxic algorithms, take faster action on removing harmful content and introduce robust age verification measures. Age checks must be vigorous, with Ofcom recommending online platforms use measures including photo ID matching and facial recognition estimation to ensure below-aged kids can't create accounts on their sites. This should also mean online sites have better access to a user's age if they were asked to impose measures such as curfews on younger people. If tech giants don't stick to Ofcom's new rules from next month(JULY), they could be fined up to 10% of global revenue or, in the worst cases, have access to their platforms banned in the UK. In April, Mr Kyle celebrated the "first step" in the journey to improving kids' safety but admitted the UK's online safety laws are "lopsided" and more action is needed. He has since been taking a step back to think about how the addictive nature of phones and social media is "disrupting the childhood experience". Parents have been crying out for action to help their kids curb the amount of time spent behind their phone screens. A major report released by Ofcom last year(2024) found almost half (49%) of parents of teens aged 16-17 said they were concerned about their children's screen time. But it also found young people are similarly worried. Just over a third (35%) of eight to 17 year olds said their own screen time is too high, which rose to 44% among those aged 16 to 17. Keir Starmer has faced calls to prioritise online safety amid concerning levels of suicide, self-harm, anxiety and depression linked to social media use among teens. Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful posts online, has called for the Government to make tackling online harms its legacy. "What is needed is for the Prime Minister to champion online safety," he told The Mirror in April. "The lead has to come from Keir himself. There's never really been a Prime Minister who's championed online safety and it's time there was." A major report released by Ofcom last year(2024) found almost half (49%) of parents of teens aged 16-17 said they were concerned about their children's screen time.
Scotsman
21 hours ago
- Scotsman
Why teachers need to talk about pornography to stop epidemic of sexual violence
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... We need to talk about sex. Or at least the version of sex that our young people are devouring online. Sex where it is 'normal' for a man to choke a woman to the verge of her passing out. Sex where violence, including rape, is considered acceptable behaviour. Sex where young women boast about having group sex, preferably in front of a camera. Shocking? Certainly, but for many of our young people, perhaps the majority, this is how they perceive sexual relationships. For a generation raised on hardcore pornography, sexual abuse is mainstream. Normal even. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I thought I was impervious to shock, but on Tuesday morning I sat in a room in central Edinburgh listening to a group of experts in sexual health and violence against women calmly explain how our children's minds are being distorted – literally – by the easy availability of pornography. While boys may have once passed round dog-eared copies of Playboy behind the bike sheds, today's young men have hardcore pornography in their blazer pocket, sadistic sex just one click away on their smartphone. Social media can provide easy access to pornography that rewires the teenage brain and is as addictive as cocaine (Picture: Matt Cardy) | Getty Images Porn stars on TikTok Easy access to pornography rewires the teenage brain. It is as addictive as cocaine. The dopamine hit from watching 'breath play' – a euphemism for strangulation – is as important to an adolescent as the junk food they crave. And it's not just boys who are affected. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One of the most popular TikTok brands is the Bop House, a group of beautiful young women who share a Florida mansion where they make 'adult content' for OnlyFans. Many of their 90 million followers on social media are teenage girls, convinced that creating porn is an aspirational lifestyle choice. READ MORE: Majority of Scots want to see pimping websites banned The seminar organised by Beira's Place – the female-only Edinburgh support service founded by author and women's rights campaigner JK Rowling in 2022 – was no mere talking shop. It was designed with a practical purpose in mind, as the centre's chief executive, Lesley Johnston, explained: 'We hope to leave attendees with ideas for concrete action that can be taken in order to address the impact of pornography on levels of violence against women.' And while the evidence from the panel experts was at times profoundly depressing, it was countered with some optimism. Mary Sharpe, chief executive of the Reward Foundation, a charity which provides free training materials for schools and parents, pointed out that while internet pornography is one of the key drivers of the epidemic of violence against women and girls, there is hope that the trend can be reversed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The good news is that when users quit porn the brain settles down and appreciation of women often improves,' she said. Teachers self-censoring in class But how to get young people to quit what has become for many a daily habit? An expert in teacher education believes the answer lies in how teachers themselves are taught. Shereen Benjamin, a senior lecturer in primary education at the University of Edinburgh, told me that teachers and student teachers find it 'extraordinarily difficult' to discuss porn and its impact on children and young people. 'Frank discussions become impossible as people self-censor through fear of being seen as insufficiently knowledgeable, as prudish, or alternatively as knowing too much,' she said. And she suggested that any roomful of student teachers will almost certainly contain people who have been affected, and possibly traumatised, by their own experiences of online porn. 'This makes it even harder to raise the issues,' she said. Many schools deal with the difficult subject of pornography by inviting outside agencies to help deliver relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education for their students, but Benjamin believes the use of external providers prevents teachers from developing ways of handling the topic in the classroom. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Whilst it may be tempting for school leaders to respond by inviting outside agencies to deliver classroom input on porn, this does not tackle the problem of porn being a 'no-go area' for teachers, and there are risks associated with handing any part of the curriculum over to unaccountable outside groups,' she said. The way to equip teachers with the skills to handle challenging topics such as porn was by teaching them how to approach the subject with 'courage, openness and intellectual rigour', Benjamin argued. Abusive teenage relationships Another intervention may be as straightforward as banning mobile phones in schools. Conference delegates heard evidence that smartphones are used by boys, not only to access pornography or to blackmail a girl by threatening to send intimate material to her parents, but to control their girlfriends in the classroom. Anne Robertson Brown, executive director of Women's Aid in Angus, said that often boys will demand photographic evidence of where a girl is sitting in class. And the scale of abusive teenage relationships, often fuelled by porn, is such that Angus Women's Aid has established a project that supports girls under 18 suffering abuse. 'We have a major issue,' she said. 'It is not just in Angus. It is across Scotland.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pornography is big business. Platforms such as OnlyFans and Pornhub earn tens of millions for their owners, and they are rapidly becoming an accepted part of our contemporary culture. And despite 30 years of campaigning by women's groups and significant changes in the law, sexual violence against women and girls is on the rise. The police recorded almost 64,000 incidents of domestic abuse in 2023-24, an increase of 3 per cent compared to the previous year. And 37 per cent of sexual crimes recorded in 2022–23 involved victims under 18. Weaning our children off hardcore pornography will not be easy. It will likely require a tougher regulatory framework for social media, a ban on mobile phones in schools, and more effective training and support for teachers so that they can cope with the epidemic of porn in Scotland's classrooms.
