8 of the best steam mops for a hygienic clean

Steam mops are great for cleaning hard floors, but some can actually be used for carpets too, and can be a good alternative to a carpet cleaner. You can even use some steam mops to clean your oven, bathroom and more, depending on the extra tools included.

To help you find the best steam mop for your family compared the key features, such as capacity, weight and floor suitability, and asked parents in our Top Tester's Club all about the steam mops they use and love. All so we can recommend you the very best steam mops to ensure your floors are spotless.

Best steam mops at a glance

• Best steam mop for twice the cleaning area: Shark Klik n' Flip Automatic Steam Mop, £119.99
• Best steam mop for corners: Vileda Steam Mop Plus, £94.99
• Best steam mop for versatility: Karcher SC2 EasyFix Cylinder Steam Cleaner, £135.99
• Best upright and handheld steam mop: Morphy Richards 12-in-1 Steam Mop Cleaner, £59.99
• Best steam mop for stain removal: Shark Steam & Scrub Automatic Steam Mop, £159.99
• Best vacuum & steam mop: Bissell Vac & Steam, £174.99
• Best budget steam mop: Beldray BEL01097 Detergent Steam Cleaner, £42
• Best cordless steam mop: H2O iGO Cordless Steam Mop, £249.95

What to consider when choosing a steam mop

Floor surface suitability – Steam mops are usually designed for cleaning hard floors, but tend not to be appropriate for unsealed hard floors. However, suitability varies between steam mops. Some are even suitable for carpet, rugs, upholstery, worktop surfaces and more. We've included the suitability in the specification so you should be able to decide whether each steam mop is suitable for your cleaning needs.

Weight – It's important that your steam mop isn't too heavy as you've got to be able to transport it around the house. The weight stated in the specifications is for the empty mop, so bear in mind it will be heavier when it's full of water.

Capacity – Each mop has tank to hold the water needed to generate the steam. A small capacity means you will have to refill the steam mop more often. However, lighter and more compact steam mops tend to have a smaller capacity so you need to weigh up what is more important for you. If you don't have a large area to clean then a small capacity may do you just fine.

Accessories – Some steam mops can be used as steam cleaners to clean around your whole house. The more accessories or tools the mop comes with, the more versatile the steam mop is. But they often add cost and take up space so consider if you'll really use them.

Our pick of the best steam mops to give your floors a hygienic and thorough clean

1. Shark Klik n' Flip Automatic Steam Mop, £119.99

– Best for twice the cleaning area

Weight: 2.7kg | Capacity: 0.35L | Floor type suitability: Laminate, hardwood, marble, tile, stone

This handy steam mop has a quick flip mop head so you can clean twice the floor area without needing to clean your mop head. There's also no need to touch the dirty head when taking it off or switching it over as you can release the used pad with the click of a switch and chuck it in the washing machine.

Home tester Sammy uses this mop and said, "It is really easy to use, heats up quickly and I love that you can use both sides of the mop head, so it can do the whole house in one go".

The mop has steam blast mode which delivers a fierce blast of superheated, concentrated steam to help clean stubborn marks on your floor.

It's easy to use too, lightweight and has swivel steering to ensure you can easily navigate the mop around your house.

The intelligent steam settings enable you to clean all different floor types. There are 3 settings and you can use the steam mop on all hard and sealed floors.

Pros: Can flip the mop head round, can be used on most hard flooring, click pad release, steam blast technology, swivel steering, lightweight
Cons: Smaller capacity, can't be used on carpets

Available from: John Lewis, Very and Amazon

2. Vileda Steam Mop Plus, £94.99

– Best for corners

Weight: 2.2kg | Capacity: 0.4L | Floor type suitability: Wood, tiles, laminate, rugs, carpets

The Vileda Steam Mop has a triangular head for easy corner cleaning. It has a swivel head so is easy to manoeuvre around objects and furniture and get into all the grubby corners of your house.

Home tester Cat loves her Vileda Steam Mop, "It's amazing! Having recently acquired a puppy and having a toddler who is still prone to putting her hands in places we've recently cleaned up, the steam mop gives me confidence that bugs have been killed off properly".

The head is made of microfibre and is machine washable. You get 2 heads included with the mop. It also comes with a carpet glider which means you can steam rugs and carpets, not just hard floors.

There's no need to wait around, as it only takes 15 seconds to heat up. The handle is ergonomically designed to provide maximum comfort and grip whilst steaming your floors.

The 0.4 litre capacity can be monitored by looking at the window on the tank so you know when it needs to be refilled.

It's easy to store too. The handle detaches so it can fit into a cupboard.

Pros: Gets into corners, swivel head, machine washable head, can be used on most hard floors and carpets/rug, ergonomic handle, handle detaches for storage, 15-second heat up time, lightweight
Cons: None

Available from: Amazon

3. Karcher SC2 EasyFix Cylinder Steam Cleaner, £135.99

– Best for versatility

Weight: 2.9kg | Capacity: 1L | Floor type suitability: Sealed wood, sealed tile, sealed laminate, carpet, rugs

The Karcher SC2 is a combination steam mop and a steam cleaner making it incredibly versatile. The steam cleaner has lots of different heads and can be used to clean all different areas of your house from the bathroom to the oven.

Home tester Kim finds the versatility of the steam cleaner really useful. "I use it on all our hard floors and it has extra attachments so I can clean windows, shower, oven etc,. as well. It's also compact and lightweight (when not full of water) and have found it keeps the pressure and steam really well from the unit to whatever attachment you have on it".

The large 1 litre tank should allow for roughly 20 minutes of continuous cleaning before it needs refilling.

The steam cleaner heats up and is ready to use in 6 minutes.

Included with the steam cleaner is an EasyFix extension tube, a hand nozzle, a detail nozzle, a round brush, a microfibre floor cloth and a steam hose with gun.

Pros: Versatile, large capacity, comes with lots of attachments
Cons: Slightly heavier

Available from: Amazon and Argos

4. Morphy Richards 12-in-1 Steam Mop Cleaner, £59.99

– Best upright and handheld steam mop

Weight: 2.97kg | Capacity: 0.38L | Floor type suitability: Tiles, carpets, sealed hard floors

This steam mop is great for floors and smaller surfaces, as well as reaching into tight areas thanks to its handheld and upright modes.

For smaller jobs you can easily detach the handheld unit with a push of a button to clean wall tiles, work surfaces and more.

The steam mop heats up in just 30 seconds and comes with lots of attachments to clean all round your house.

The 380ml capacity should give you around 11 minutes of continuous steam cleaning.

Home tester Lorne really likes her Morphy Richards Steam Mop and said, "I use it once every few weeks. I like how quickly the steam mop heats up in just 30 seconds and it is so easy to use as it glides across the floor. I love how this steam mop has many other functions too, so not only cleans hard floors but can be used on carpets as well and can switch to handheld for other uses; bathroom tiles, windows etc,. with the accessories it comes with".

Pros: Can be used upright or handheld, 30 second heat up time, can be used on carpets and other areas of the house not just floors
Cons: Quite small capacity, heavier than other steam mops

Available from: Amazon and Morphy Richards

5. Shark Steam & Scrub Automatic Steam Mop, £159.99

– Best for stain removal

Weight: 3.1kg | Capacity: 0.35L | Floor type suitability: Sealed hard floors, tile, marble, hard wood, stone

If you have particularly dirty floors then this steam and scrub mop may be ideal. The mop head features 2 rotating power pads which glide across your floors scrubbing away any dirt. The pads rotate 150 times per minute.

Home tester Amy finds the scrubbing motion really useful and said, "It has 2 rotating heads so effectively scrubs the floor whilst mopping. It's perfect for us as our whole downstairs is wood or tiles and it saves me so much time".

Similar to the other Shark steam mop, this one also has intelligent steam control. However, with this one there are only 2 settings rather than 3. You can switch between light and normal depending on the floor type and level of dirt required to clean.

When you've finished cleaning you can pop the cleaning pads in the machine so they're ready to use next time.

Pros: Scrubs to get rid of stains, machine washable pads, intelligent steam control levels
Cons: Small capacity, heavy for a steam mop

Available from: John Lewis, Amazon and Argos

6. Bissell Vac & Steam, £174.99

– Best vacuum & steam mop

Weight: 4.8kg | Capacity: 0.4L | Floor type suitability: Hard floor, tiles

Want to clean and vacuum your floor at the same time? With this Bissell Vac & Steam you can effortlessly switch between vacuuming and steaming, or even use both simultaneously.

It has a built in water filter to remove impurities in the tap water to protect your mop. It also has dry-tank technology which keeps debris isolated from the steam to make sure your fresh water does not get contaminated.

You can press the trigger to release steam upon demand. It heats up and is ready to use in just 30 seconds.

Pros: Vacuums and steams, removed impurities from tap water, steam trigger release, heats up in 30 seconds, fairly large water capacity
Cons: Very heavy for a steam mop as vacuum as well

Available from: Amazon, Currys and Wayfair

7. Beldray BEL01097 Detergent Steam Cleaner, £42

– Best budget buy

Weight: 2.07kg | Capacity: 0.35L | Floor type suitability: Sealed wood flooring, sealed tile flooring, sealed laminate flooring, carpets

This budget steam mop is super lightweight and is suitable for most hard floors and carpet. It heats up in just 25 seconds, ready to use almost instantly.

You can add up to 200ml of detergent for a really deep clean and a lasting fresh fragrance. The 350ml capacity will give you around 15 minutes of continuous steam.

The steam mop comes with multi-surface tools to help you clean and sanitise all around your home.

Pros: Very lightweight, affordable, heats up in 25 seconds, can add detergent, comes with multi-surface tools, can be used on carpets and hard floors
Cons: Has a small capacity

Available from: Argos

8. H20 iGO Cordless Steam Mop, £249.95

– Best cordless steam mop

Weight: 4.97kg | Capacity: 1L | Floor type suitability: Sealed wood flooring, sealed tile flooring, sealed laminate flooring, carpets, marble, vinyl, slate, granite

Clean all your floors without having to worry about tripping over a power cord. This cordless steam mop, although the most expensive on the list, makes steaming your floors much easier as you can glide from room to room and thanks to its 1 litre capacity, you won't have to keep refilling it. However, this does make it quite heavy.

The steam mop heats up in just 15 seconds. The cordless steam mop has a corded option too for up to 80 minutes of continuous steam.

Its drier super steam function leaves the floors virtually dry.

Pros: Cordless and corded option, large capacity, can be used on most floor types, heats up in 15 seconds, leaves floors almost dry
Cons: Expensive and quite heavy

Available from: Amazon

Can I steam mop laminate flooring?

Experts from znetflooring do not recommend using a steam mop on laminate floors as it's made by pressing materials together and has a sealant on top. Intense heat could cause warping, peeling and puckering. However, some of our Top Testers did say they use a steam mop on their laminate floors and it's fine. If you do use a steam mop on flooring that experts advise against, try and use the lowest setting possible and never leave the steam mop resting on the floor whilst on.

Interestingly, some steam mop manufacturers say they're suitable as you can see in the specifications. It might be a good idea to get in contact with your floor manufacturer to ask their opinion as each laminate could be different case to case.

Can I steam mop vinyl flooring?

Vinyl flooring is similar to laminate flooring. Znetflooring advise against using a steam mop on vinyl flooring as it is just too hot. Therefore, the same advice applies, ask your floor manufacturer, lowest temperature and never leave it resting on the floor.

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