We’ve all seen the adverts on the television of the steam mop gliding easily across the floor, leaving a beautifully pristine, shiny path in its wake but are they really as good as they look on the TV?

Most steam mops are relatively light in weight and have a small reservoir which can be unclipped so that it can be filled with water and then re-attached. The foot of the mop is either rectangular or triangular in shape and most steam mops come with at least a couple of covers which should be easy to fit and remove and which should also be machine washable. Just about all steam mops come with a button to eject extra steam which can be useful for stubborn stains.

There are several advantages to using a steam mop on a hard surface such as tiles or vinyl as opposed to a mop and a bucket of water or a scrubbing brush and a bucket of water. There is no need to be moving the bucket around or emptying and re-filling with clean water; you don’t need to use floor cleaner with a steam mop as the heat of the steam will shift any dirt and stains; it should require less effort and finally, the floor dries much quicker with a steam mop.

However, it is definitely worth looking at online reviews before buying a mop and finding out which are the best makes and which have the best features.