I tried out mops – a £30 high street one beat Vax and Vileda when cleaning my kitchen

The Sun

25-05-2025

MOPPING floors is a tough job but essential for a sparkly clean and hygienic home.
And to help make lighter work of the chore in hand, you can invest in a spray or a steam mop.
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There are a wide range of tools available on the market, and you can spend quite a bit on them.
But does paying top prices guarantee better results?
I decided to try out a selection of best-sellers to find out.
Here's what happened...
Vileda Rinse Clean Spin Mop and Bucket System
£49.99
vileda.co.uk
I loved this spin mop and bucket but I thought it was quite expensive at nearly £50.
The Aldi one does basically the same job - but for £35 less.
It works in the same way with two buckets to separate the clean and dirty water.
The microfibre mop head was great at clearing tough dirt and grime and seemed durable.
It was triangular in shape which was good for getting right into corners.
The best thing was the foot-pedal operated winger which allows you to control the dampness of the mop head.
Performance: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Total score: 6/10
Mrs Hinch loves it but it's the most toxic cleaning product ever… I've seen it do so much damage & I'm a pro cleaner
Minky 4-in-1 Action Spray Mop
£22
argos.co.uk
No need to waste time filling a bucket with this spray mop.
Simply fill the bottle with your cleaning solution, spray the floor and wipe away.
The triple action pads were super effective and left my floor gleaming.
The non-scratch heads were great at getting rid of stubborn dirt and it easily reached under furniture and around skirting boards.
The only issue is I found the spray bottle leaked a little bit of solution and it's a shame it doesn't come with replacement mop heads, which would boost its value rating.
Performance: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Total score: 6/10
Flash Speed Mop Starter Kit
£12
amazon.co.uk
If you need a fuss-free, budget-friendly option, it is worth considering this Flash mop.
It doesn't feel the sturdiest. The handle is quite thin and you can't adjust it.
But the head does pivot into tight corners and the cloths were fantastic and picking up and trapping dirt. The cloths were easy to fit and remove.
It did a good job of cleaning tiles and glided beautifully around a wood laminate floor, providing a very happy and productive cleaning session.
No fancy bells and whistles but it got the job done.
Performance: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Total score: 7/10
Aldi Easy Home Spin Mop
£14.99
aldi.co.uk
What impressed me most about Aldi's wallet-friendly option was this mop's incredible ability to clean right into tight corners and under furniture.
The two separate buckets mean you can separate dirty water from clean and it is suitable for all hard floors.
The downside is the bucket is quite large, so it's not the easiest to store if you are tight on space.
But for less than £15, you all get two mop head refills. It's great value.
Performance: 3/5
Value: 5/5
Total score: 8/10
Karcher SE1 Upright Steam Mop
£69
ao.com
One of the best steam mops I've tested.
Not only is it small, compact and lightweight, the water tank sits on the head of the mop and it gets hot enough to start generating steam within 30 seconds.
Others took a lot longer to heat up. It has a built-in descaling cartridge, so there will be no limescale or scum left behind on your floors, either.
I liked that the mop pad has a hook and loop fastening, so, when you're removing a dirty pad, you won't have to touch it, keeping your hands free from any dirt and bacteria the mop has picked up from the floors.
The only negative I have is that the water tank is too small and needs to be topped up quite frequently, which was a pain."
Performance: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Total score: 8/10
Bona Premium Spray Mop
£42.99
amazon.co.uk
This mop was brilliant - performing most effectively on wooden floors, giving them with a nice shine with minimal effort.
The mop sprays just the right amount of liquid on the floor so it dries quickly and there is no slippery or damp floor to manage afterwards.
It's lightweight with a good swivel head, so it can manoeuvre easily into tight spaces or under furniture.
The handle and trigger are nicely designed, so it's comfortable to hold and spray cleaning solution as and when you need it.
The handle isn't adjustable and is quite tall so you might need to bear that in mind if you are shorter.
I'm 5ft 7ins and it was comfortable for me.
The microfibre pad was great at picking up dust and hair - but I found it best to give the floor a quick vacuum beforehand.
Performance: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Total score: 8/10
Vax Steam Fresh Total Home Cleaner
£99.99
vax.co.uk
Pricey, but this will clean more than your kitchen floor.
It comes with a whole host of accessories designed to clean everything from windows and tiles to grout and hard-to-reach areas. It can also be used on carpets and rugs.
I found myself blasting steam at every stain I came across and it made light work of most of them and was deeply satisfying to use.
It even got rid of a tough stain on the floor by my kitchen island that I've been battling to get rid of for months.
All the attachments are easily stored on board the unit so it wasn't too big to store. It also kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria so I felt like my entire home had had a deep clean after using this. Worth every penny.
Performance: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Total score: 9/10
Lakeland Double-Sided Floor Mop
£29.99
lakeland.co.uk
This double-sided mop has a chenille side and a microfibre side so you can scrub away and deep clean your floors.
Once clean, simply flip over and use the other side to dry your floors.
This means you don't have to wait around waiting for it to dry.
It's a sleek, light weight design weighing just 0.8kg and yet it has a generous 750ml water tank so you didn't have to keep refilling it in the middle of the job.
Very effective, leaving floors shiny and dirt free. An excellent product for less than £30.