Best hard floor cleaners 2025, tried and tested

The best hard floor cleaners should take the hassle out of floor care, tackling everything from muddy footprints to sticky spills with ease.

To find the best, we put hard floor cleaners from Dyson, Karcher, Shark, Vax and more through a series of tough tests. We also included budget-friendly picks for less than £200 to premium hard floor cleaner machines to see if price really does equate to quality. 

From handling thick mud and dust bunnies to navigating a challenging manoeuvrability course, we really put the cleaners through their paces. 

We found three Best Buys, and one impressed us enough with its performance and its price to get our Great Value recommendation. 

How our tests find your the best

Hard floor cleaning

If a hard floor cleaner can’t tackle tough stains you might as well buy a mop. We try to clean sticky jam, mud, coffee and dust to find you the best.

Ease of use

Nobody likes an attention seeker. We test every model’s ease of use so you don’t waste time tending to a needy cleaner instead of tackling jobs.

Cleaning machine after use

Who wants to spend ages cleaning their cleaner? We performed maintenance on each model and were shocked to find how hard some were to clean.

We also test...

How well every model cleans against tight edges and in grooves between tiles, as well as how loud they are.

The hard floor cleaners we tested

Only logged-in Which? members can view the hard floor cleaner test results below. 

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

All of the hard floor cleaners we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best hard floor cleaners from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

Aircraft PowerGlide Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 0.3 litres vs no dirty tank

Claimed battery runtime 40 minutes

Need to know 3.1kg, cordless, uses triple batteries, comes with eight pads

Beldray All-in-One Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 0.45 litres vs 0.3 litres

Claimed battery runtime 25 minutes

Need to know 3.65kg, cordless, storage tray, three-year guarantee

Bissell CrossWave HF3 Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 0.53 litres vs 0.58 litres

Claimed battery runtime 25 minutes

Need to know 3.7kg, multiple power modes, cordless, storage tray, two-year guarantee

Bissell CrossWave Wet & Dry Corded Hard Floor Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 0.82 litres vs 0.62 litres

Claimed battery runtime Power cord

Need to know 5.5kg, 7.5-meter power cord, storage tray, two-year warranty

Dyson Wash G1 Cordless Hard Floor Wet Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 1 litre vs 1 litre

Claimed battery runtime 35 minutes

Need to know 4.8kg, cordless, charging dock included, two-year guarantee

Don't have hard floors? Take a look at the best carpet cleaners instead. Or, see our round-up of the best vacuum cleaners

Gtech Orca Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 0.8 litres vs 0.7 litres

Claimed battery runtime 40 minutes

Need to know 3.1kg, cordless, charging dock included, two-year warranty

Karcher FC 7 Cordless

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 0.4 litres vs 0.2 litres

Claimed battery runtime 45 minutes

Need to know 4.35kg, cordless, storage tray, charger and cleaning brush included, two-year guarantee

Shark HydroVac Cordless Hard Floor Vacuum Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 0.5 litres vs 0.5 litres

Claimed battery runtime 25 minutes

Need to know 3.9kg, cordless, charging dock included, three-year guarantee

Vax ONEPWR Glide 2 Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner

Clean tank vs dirty tank capacity 1 litres vs 0.75 litres

Claimed battery runtime 20 minutes

Need to know 5.85kg, storage tray, cordless, charger included, three-year guarantee

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How we test hard floor cleaners

We buy the best-selling and most searched-for hard floor cleaners from UK retailers. We buy every hard floor cleaner we test – no freebies from manufacturers – meaning our reviews are honest and unbiased.

We regularly revisit the hard floor cleaners on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing, and when we find them, we do.

Hard floor cleaning

To make sure we know how well each hard floor cleaner performs, we assess its cleaning performance against a variety of stains on both stone and laminate flooring. And there are some huge differences depending on the stain. We give every hard floor cleaner one minute to tackle the following stains:

• Coffee Most models do well, but one almost takes the entire minute and initially smears the stain.
• Dust Again, most hard floor cleaners easily sweep this, but one just blows the dust around the floor.
• Jam If the worst don't leave pools of jam leaking from their tray, then they leave chunks of jam on the floor and require multiple strokes. The best just needs one attempt.
• Mud The best hard floor cleaner only needs a single swipe, whereas a few of the worst models leave smears of brown liquid.

After cleaning more than 70 stains, it’s fair to say that we picked up a thing or two. One of the most important things to do is to leave your hard floor cleaner on for around 30 seconds after you finish cleaning a stain. This avoids any residue remaining below the machine.

Corners and crevices

Every home has its corners and crevicess, so we check how well each model cleans in these areas. Not many hard floor cleaners clean right against an edge, often leaving a sliver of the stain behind. However, the very best have no problems. However, this is still rare, which is why you should keep a mop for getting into the edges of your home.

Ease of use

A problematic machine is the last thing you want, so we check every model for various ease-of-use tests. These include, but aren't limited to:

• Filling and emptying We rate how easy each machine is to fill with water and then how easy it is to remove the same water. Most models have small holes, which cause a bit of backsplash, but that’s usually our only gripe. However, the worst don’t have a separate tank and let it sit low on the machine, requiring you to lift it up to the sink or sit low to pour water in.
• Manoeuvrability Every hard floor cleaner completes a mobility course, which includes going around plant pots, going under furniture and darting in and out of objects. The very best are agile and able to go under chairs. The worst have a mind of their own and destroy the obstacle course.
• Cleaning After cleaning a stain, the hard floor cleaner is cleaned, from emptying the dirty water tank to cleaning the rollers. The best models were a breeze, but the worst were overengineered, requiring you to get your hands filthy to clean them. 

We find that if you don’t regularly clean your machine according to the recommended schedule for your model, you risk compromising its performance. If there’s no recommendation, try to clean the machine after every use.

Noise

Nobody likes anything too loud, so we check every model's volume by using a decibel reader. 

Why you can trust us: at Which?, we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

Is a hard floor cleaner worth it?

There’s no shying away from the fact that hard floor cleaners are expensive. The average cost of the models we reviewed is more than £250. Comparatively, you could buy a mop for less than £10. 

But if you choose a good hard floor cleaner, it will significantly improve how you clean and save you time. The best models can clean the most egregious of stains in a matter of seconds, while a mop would take multiple attempts. 

Join Which? to find out which models are worth paying for and the ones to avoid.

What is the difference between a steam cleaner and a hard floor cleaner?

Steam cleaners use hot steam to loosen dirt and kill germs, making them a great choice for a natural, chemical-free clean. However, they aren’t suitable for every floor type. Delicate surfaces such as hardwood or laminate can be damaged by the heat and moisture, so it’s important to check if your floors are steam-safe before using one. 

Hard floor cleaners, on the other hand, use a combination of water, cleaning solution and scrubbing power to lift dirt, then vacuum up the mess in one go. Because they control moisture more precisely, and they are often safe to use on sealed wood and other sensitive surfaces.

See our round-up of the best steam cleaners.

How do you deep clean hard floors?

If you don’t have a hard floor cleaner, then you’ll need to vacuum your floors before mopping. However, if you have a dedicated hard floor cleaner and your floors aren't too dirty, then you can forego the vacuum and get straight to cleaning. 

1. Make sure the hard floor cleaner is fully charged, as it won't last longer than an hour. 
2. Clear as large an area as possible to give you an open space to clean more efficiently. 
3. Apply the recommended amount of solution and water for the hard floor cleaner. 
4. If your model has multiple modes, avoid the boosted modes as they can leave excess liquid.
5. Since hard floor cleaners struggle in corners, you can use a mop to touch up those spots.