The best mops for different floors, tested by our cleaning experts

Score: 86/100

This flat mop is made for sprucing up hallways and kitchens. Its large head makes quick work of big spaces and is flexible enough to clean under appliances or furniture.

It performed particularly well on vinyl and the cleaning cloths are attached with Velcro, meaning they can be easily removed for machine washing. It’s also lightweight to use with an extendable handle to save you from back ache.

Score: 84/100

Simply a scaled-down version of the previous mop, this miniature model is perfect for bathrooms as it's nifty enough to reach into awkward spaces. It’s compact in design and really easy to store, making it a top choice for smaller homes.

Like its big brother, it fared fantastically on vinyl. However, it tends to redeposit a small amount of dirt and it struggled to clean grouting thoroughly.

Score: 82/100

This flat mop’s innovative accompanying bucket wrings out enough water to make it suitable for use on wooden flooring. It left our tiles almost spotless and lifted all dried mud from laminate, both with minimal effort. On vinyl, it cut through most grease but struggled against some stubborn stains.

Its pivoted head proved easy to control and made tackling awkward areas easier. The microfibre cloth can be removed and washed without getting your hands dirty, earning it further ease of use points, but note that the non-adjustable handle is on the long side.

Score: 80/100

If you’re after a fuss-free, wallet-friendly mop that’ll do a decent job, consider this flat Flash. It doesn't feel the most sturdy, and you can’t adjust its handle, but its head pivots into tight spaces and its recyclable, scrub-tipped cloths proved straightforward to fit and remove. They were also fantastic at grabbing and trapping dirt, which made for a satisfyingly speedy cleaning session.

In action, it fared well on tiles but the grouting called for a bit of extra scrubbing and collected some excess soap. It didn’t glide as easily on vinyl as it did on laminate, but it cleaned both to near perfection.

Score: 71/100

If it's versatility you're after, this spray mop's easily manoeuvrable head features a slide-out scrubber for more focused cleaning on tough stains.

It gave an excellent performance on vinyl but redeposited dirt on laminate. The spray bottle was a doddle to fill but our fingers got caught between the trigger and the handle if they slipped forwards during use. Ouch!

Score: 71/100

This flat mop's circular-shaped scrubber head cleverly folds up so it can easily sweep along skirting boards and into tricky corners. Plus, the centrifugal spinner means there’s no need to bend down.

Unfortunately, it struggled on heavily soiled floors and the head clogged up quite quickly, meaning it needed regular rinsing. Luckily, the head is machine washable, so it's very easy to clean.

Score: 91/100

This mop is designed for use on wood floors, but it impressed our testers on all surfaces. Two sweeps cleaned mud from ceramic – including from the grouting – and three lifted oil from vinyl flooring too.

The large brush head simplified the cleaning process by distributing the solution across a wide area. And when the solution bottle was empty, testers noted how simple it was to remove and refill. You can even pop the microfibre head into the washing machine – it came out like new after a 60-degree cycle.

Score: 89/100

There’s no denying this is a serious investment, but if it’s a powerful spray mop you’re after, it’s worth the hefty price tag. Unlike the other mops featured, it has the power of electricity behind it, thanks to not one, but two, rotating microfibre mop heads that seamlessly pick up dirt as they go – we were particularly impressed with its performance on vinyl and linoleum flooring.

It didn’t perform quite as faultlessly on hardened mud stains, but it did clean up lighter stains in as little as two sweeps. Plus, it’s cordless so you can enjoy that mopping power without any plug woes.

Score: 86/100

This slim, battery-powered spray mop nips easily into all those hard to reach places, from around the bin to down the side of the fridge. It took seconds to assemble, with the included recyclable pads proving easy to attach, but the average-length handle sadly isn’t telescopic.

Performance-wise, it impressed us the most when cleaning ceramic tiles, quickly lifting grime out of grouting without the need to scrub. It glided well across vinyl and laminate, leaving it shiny and streak-free in only a few sweeps, although a little bit of dirty residue escaped its grasp.

Score: 84/100

Given its bargain price, we were surprised by how smoothly this spray mop swivelled and glided across everything from wood laminate to tiles. It cleaned the latter best, removing every speck of dirt, and it left vinyl completely grease-free. It took a few sweeps to leave laminate clean and free of smears, but we were pleased with our gleaming finish.

It has a big spray bottle, meaning fewer refills when cleaning large areas, but it did leak a little and sometimes failed to spray. The handle is a good length, but it can’t be tweaked if you want it longer or shorter. Overall, however, it ticked all our key boxes for under £30.

Score: 90/100

This smartly designed mop’s telescopic handle ensures comfortable cleaning for people of all heights. Its sponge head scrubs and dries floors at the same time and there’s a wringing lever for removing excess water.

It gave us gleaming tiled, vinyl and laminate floors, and pet owners will be relieved to hear that it proved particularly effective at picking up hair. Our only complaint is that the head isn’t machine washable.

Score: 77/100

This sponge mop is sleek and innovative by design, with a handy “kickstand” mechanism that means it can be folded flat and propped up during use to ensure even and speedy drying. We enjoyed great results on wood laminate and vinyl flooring but the wringer didn't remove enough water.

Its performance on grouting was notably lacklustre but we liked the comfortable feel of the non-slip handle. It's just a shame it's not telescopic to suit all statures.

Score: 95/100

Mopping moisture-sensitive wooden floors can be stressful, but this string mop’s spin technology makes wringing out effortless – simply push the mop head into the supplied basket, press the handle and it will spin out excess water. The bucket comes with four wheels for splash-free movement between rooms, with finger indents in the handle for comfortable lifting.

But how well did it clean? In short, brilliantly. It made light work of everything from liquid spills to dried-on stains across all floor types, and it scored full marks for cleaning tiles without redepositing any dirt or murky water. Its swivel head meant no corner or fiddly crevice went uncleaned, making it worth the price tag.

Score: 93/100

This mop’s red fibres banish stubborn stains and dirt, while the white fibres absorb grease. The unique torsion wringer in the bucket (sold separately) grabs the strings like a hand and squeezes them to remove any excess water, speeding up the drying process.

On test, it performed well across all types of flooring and picked up lots of dust without clogging. It left even heavily soiled floors spotless and tackled tile grouting with ease. We just wish we could buy the mop and bucket as a set.

Score: 84/100

This classic combo includes a centrifugal bucket that’s highly effective at wringing out excess water. The microfibre head is attached to a sturdy telescopic handle, which features a handy clip to stop the mop from falling over in the bucket.

It removed almost all dirt during testing and tackled grouting with aplomb. The bucket is bulky in size and won’t fit into smaller sinks but its pouring spout and back handle make it mess-free to empty.

Score: 83/100

If you're looking for a budget buy, try this bargain entry from Addis. We saw particularly impressive results on tiles and vinyl floors, and it comes with a refill head.

For the price, there are some compromises though. It struggled with grouting and left streaks on wood laminate, and the heads aren't machine washable. There's no telescopic handle either. Overall, it does a decent job, and is a great basic option.