Best hard floor cleaner 2024: Give your floor the treatment it deserves

The best hard floor cleaner will actively lift away dirt, sanitise floors and leave them looking fresh and new. The classic mop and bucket will wash your floors but will also leave them sopping wet and won’t pick up all the dirt and hair that builds up over time. This is why it makes sense to invest in a good hard floor cleaner if you’ve got a lot of sealed hard flooring in your home. Some will even vacuum, wash and dry in one go, meaning you don’t have to put half a day aside to refresh your floors.

In this article, we’ll help you choose the best hard floor cleaner for your needs. The reviews on this page are a mix of real, in-person testing and thorough research done by our team of expert testers in cases where we’ve been unable to get our hands on the product.

Our buying guide at the bottom of this page has some questions and information you might find useful. Be sure to also check out our at-a-glance list for quick links to our favourites, or jump to our mini reviews of the best hard floor cleaners.

Best hard floor cleaner: At a glance

The best hard floor cleaners you can buy in 2024

1. Vax ONEPWR Glide: Best for most people

Price when reviewed: £350 | Check price at Vax

Great for: Cordless cleaning
Not so great for: Large houses

If you’re fed up of waiting for 30 minutes for your floor to dry after a bout of vacuuming and mopping, this nifty little hard floor cleaner from Vax might just transform your deep cleaning ritual. The ONEPWR glide does all three things at the same time, saving you time and seriously minimising effort. We think its biggest selling point is that it’s suitable for all types of hard flooring including wood floors, laminate, lino, vinyl, stone and tiles, as long as they’re sealed.

We were really impressed by how well it was able to pick up both large chunks of food like cereal and pasta, as well as smaller bits of dirt and debris. In testing, it didn’t leave our floor bone dry but it wasn’t far off and we could use the space as normal within just a minute or two. This compact cleaner also has LED front lights for harder-to-see areas and once you’re done washing, the Glide’s self-cleaning system flushes the machine with water to keep it mess-free. With a 30-minute runtime and a 0.6l tank capacity, this isn’t the beefiest cleaner on this list, but we reckon it’s ideal for small to medium households.

Key specs – Capacity: 0.6l; Runtime: 30 mins; Charge time: 3 hours; Weight: 4.9kg (without battery); Dimensions: 290 x 250 x 1,110mm (WDH)

2. Shark Klik n’ Flip Automatic Mop: Best budget hard floor cleaner

Price when reviewed: £170 | Check price at John Lewis

Great for: Affordability
Not so great for: Uses custom cloths

If you prefer a more traditional steam mop to a chunky hard floor cleaner, we think this is an ideal choice. This compact offering from Shark might be corded but at 2.7kg, it’s much lighter than other hard floor cleaners and its swivel head makes it incredibly easy to get around corners and under tables. No battery means you can keep cleaning until the water tank runs out and three different steam options make switching between light cleaning and heavy-duty easy.

What we found most ingenious, though, was the mop’s cleaning head. The Kick n’ Flip reversible mop head makes use of both sides of the cloth, giving you twice the cleaning power without having to stop to switch out your used cloth. The only downside? The Kick n,’Flip uses custom mop heads, which can be expensive to replace. If you want a decent compromise between affordability and performance though, this is definitely one to consider.

Key specs – Capacity: 0.38l; Runtime: N/A (corded); Charge time: N/A; Weight: 2.7kg; Dimensions: 110 x 100 x 1,190mm (WDH)

3. Bissell Crosswave Pet Floor Cleaner: Best for pet hair cleaner

Price when reviewed: £300 | Check price at Amazon

Great for: Cleaning up after pets and use on rugs
Not so great for: Cordless, lightweight cleaning

On the surface, the Crosswave cleaner might seem a tad pricey compared to some of the other entries on this list. However, this nifty cleaning machine actually works on both hard flooring and carpet, meaning you can switch from your hard floors to rugs almost seamlessly. The generous 0.8l tank means there’s enough capacity for even the dirtiest of floors and because it’s corded, you essentially have an infinite run time, which is ideal for any sized room.

What makes the pet version unique is its slightly thicker brush roll, which is somewhat better at picking up extra hair left by furry friends. There’s also an additional strainer, which better separates liquid and solids, making hair disposal far easier. The pet version also comes with a new cleaning solution specifically designed for homes with pets, though this can also be used in older models. We really rate this heavy-duty cleaner for its big tank and separation feature; if you need something for light cleaning, however, we’d suggest looking at some of the other models on this list

Key specs – Capacity: 0.8l; Runtime: N/A; Charge time: N/A; Weight: 4.9kg; Dimensions: Not specified

4. Shark HydroVac Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner WD210UK: Best self-cleaning hard floor cleaner

Price when reviewed: £329 | Check price at AO

Great for: Self-cleaning and everyday stains
Not so great for: Stubborn, dried-on stains

If you don’t relish the potentially unpleasant job of removing your hard floor cleaner’s roller and giving it a good rinse through, we think the Shark HydroVac has a good solution. Its self-cleaning base uses water from the device’s own tank to rinse through the roller, then collects the water it uses back up into the dirty tank. It also charges the HydroVac, so it’s ready to use the next time you need it and protects the floor underneath the cleaner from any drips or dampness while it’s being stored.

You still need to empty the dirty water tank yourself and fill the clean water tank with a mixture of water and detergent. Performance-wise, it did a reasonable job in our tests, tackling liquid spillages with ease and lifting stains from our hard floors. We found that it wasn’t quite as strong on stubborn stains as hard floor cleaners that can add heat to the cleaning process, though. We also found the vacuuming to be a little weaker than other models but given its price, it still does a decent job of cleaning most spills.

Read our full Shark HydroVac Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner WD210UK review

Key specs – Capacity: 0.5l; Runtime: 29 mins; Charge time: 4 hours; Weight: 3.95kg; Dimensions: 280 x 240 x 1,100mm (WDH)

5. Dyson Omni-glide: Best for small homes

Price when reviewed: £300 | Check price at Currys

Great for: Vacuuming small areas of hard floor
Not so great for: Large houses or mopping

Most traditional hard floor cleaners are fairly hefty both in weight and size, making them difficult to store in small spaces. Dyson tackles this problem with the Omni-Glide, a compact, lightweight hard floor dry vacuum cleaner specifically designed for small apartments. Dyson might be best known for its carpet vacuums but this cordless cleaner, which weighs just 1.9kg, glides effortlessly around hard floors.

The main cleaning head has a suction tube sandwiched between two soft rollers that rotate in opposing directions, but you can move the head in any direction you please, meaning it’s great at getting around awkward table legs and weird nooks. Unlike other hard floor cleaners, this doesn’t come with a wet clean or wash option, but it does have plenty of attachments, and we found it works well as a handheld vacuum, too.

In testing, it coped just as well with larger debris as it did with smaller dust particles, exceeding our expectations in almost every way. The battery life is ok, but not amazing, lasting 22mins 33secs in Standard mode and 8mins 40secs on Max. There are additional battery packs available to buy separately though and we think the Standard mode should provide more than enough power for most cleaning jobs.

Read our full Dyson Omni-glide review 

Key specs – Capacity: 0.2l; Runtime: 22 minutes; Charge time: 3.5 hours; Weight: 1.9kg; Dimensions: 206 x 91 x 1,077mm (WDH)

6. Bissell 2582E Crosswave Cordless Floor Cleaner: Best cordless cleaner

Price when reviewed: £299 | Check price at Amazon

Great for: Cleaning both carpet and hard floor
Not so great for: Unlimited cleaning time

Most cordless hard floor cleaners give you more freedom of movement but sacrifice capacity and cleaning power to do so. The multi surface Bissell Crosswave cleaner, however, offers the best of both worlds. Like the corded Crosswave Pet, the cordless version has a large 0.8l water tank, which is spacious enough for even the biggest rooms. It has a 25-minute runtime, which is about standard for hard floor cleaners and we think should be enough to cover three to four rooms.

Design-wise, there isn’t a huge difference between this and the corded version. Like the pet floor cleaner, it has a tank strainer to better separate solid dirt and hair from liquid and it’s a tad heavier than the corded version at 5.6kg. Because of this, we’d argue that the big selling points here are that it’s completely cordless, and that it tackles both hard floors and carpeted areas, which we think makes it well worth the additional cost.

Key specs – Capacity: 0.8l; Runtime: 25 minutes; Charge time: 4 hours; Weight: 5.6kg; Dimensions: Not specified

7. Karcher FC 5 Hard Floor Cleaner: Best for big spaces

Price when reviewed: £430 | Check price at Amazon

Great for: Washing and drying large areas
Not so great for: Low capacity of water tank

The FC 5 is essentially a heavy-duty, corded version of Karcher’s cordless EMW 2, which washes and dries all in one.

Like its cordless counterpart, the unique brush roll design means you can clean much closer to the edge of your rooms, something we have found other hard floor cleaners struggle with due to their size and build. The roller brushes can be easily removed and washed for reuse and additional rollers are also available via the Karcher website if you get through them quickly.

No battery means you can keep cleaning for as long as you like but the small 0.4l fresh water tank means you will need to refill at least once during cleaning if you’re tackling a big job. Despite this, the Karcher FC 5 corded is still a high-performing floor cleaner with an attractive price tag.

Key specs – Capacity: 0.4l; Runtime: N/A; Charge time: N/A; Weight: 5.2kg; Dimensions: 320 x 270 x 1,220mm (WDH)

8. Eufy Clean Mach V1 Ultra: Best hard floor cleaner with steam function

Price when reviewed: £499 | Check price at Argos

Great for: Tough stains, advanced cleaning technology
Not so great for: Those on any kind of budget

The Eufy Clean Mach V1 Ultra looks expensive when compared to most hard floor cleaners but it combines the basic vacuuming and mopping of a hard floor cleaner with steam power. It’s a cordless device that comes with a charging stand, which also doubles up as a self-cleaning station.

There are three liquid tanks on this device, one for clean water, dirty water and another for a cleaning solution. The cleaning solution is mixed by the device, so you don’t have to worry about making precise measurements. You can also boost the amount of cleaning solution being used if you come across particularly stubborn stains, though the on-demand steam power can also help with this.

In our tests, it did a particularly good job of eliminating dried-on stains, removing even stubborn dry ketchup faster than its rivals. Its use of steam helps significantly. We found emptying it to be a tad revolting, though – there is a filter to keep solids separate from the dirty water but it’s still unpleasant to clean out.

This is certainly a top-end floor cleaner but you have to pay to get all these interesting features.

Read our full Eufy Clean Mach V1 Ultra review

Key specs – Capacity: 0.72l; Runtime: 82 mins; Charge time: 4 hours; Weight: 5.7kg; Dimensions: 278 x 254 x 1,176mm (WDH)

How to choose the best hard floor cleaner for you

What’s the difference between a hard floor cleaner and a steam cleaner?

While both hard floor cleaners and steam cleaners will clean hard floors, steam cleaners, perhaps unsurprisingly, simply use hot steam to blast away dirt. Hard floor cleaners, on the other hand, tend to use a combination of vacuuming and spinning roller brushes to simultaneously vacuum up debris and wash away dirt at the same time.

What are the benefits of a hard floor cleaner?

As mentioned above, most hard floor cleaners vacuum, wash and dry your floors at the same time, significantly cutting down the time and effort spent cleaning, as well as the time spent waiting for floors to dry.

When used with a cleaning solution, especially an antibacterial one, hard floor cleaners will do a much better job of banishing any nasty bacteria that might be lurking. Most have dual water tanks, which means that only clean water will be pulled through the rollers and onto your floor.

What type of flooring can I clean?

You can use a hard floor cleaner on any hard flooring including wood, laminate, lino, vinyl and stone, as long as it’s sealed. Some cleaners are even multi-purpose, and can be used on both hard floors and carpet. Wood and stone that has not been sealed should not be cleaned with a hard floor cleaner, as the moisture could damage the flooring.

READ NEXT: Best vacuum cleaners

How often should I use a hard floor cleaner?

That’s completely up to you. However, if you’re in a household with heavy traffic – for example, lots of people and/or animals – we suggest using your hard floor cleaner every few days.

For rooms that are used less often, a thorough cleaning once a fortnight should do the trick. You can, of course, do this less or more often if you want depending on how dirty your home gets from week to week.

How much should I spend?

Most hard floors cleaners are on the pricier side and can cost anywhere from £100 to more than £300. We think around £200-£250 is the sweet spot for a good hard floor cleaner that will vacuum, wash and dry in one but is also pleasant to use.

READ NEXT: Best carpet cleaners

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