Not satisfied with your mop? This steam cleaner is a sparkling alternative

Should you replace your traditional mop with a steam cleaner? More specifically, should you replace your mop with the Vileda Steam Cleaner? If you want to get a deep, hygienic clean, our tests of the Vileda have given us proper clarity.

In our tests of the best steam cleaners, the Vileda was one of the ones that our experts were really excited to see results from. Affordable, slim, and nifty, it should be a simple cleaning accessory to help with spring cleaning and getting deep into dirt and debris.

So, if you've ever wondered "are steam cleaners worth it?" or if you fancy dipping a toe into the kind of cleaning techniques that experts swear by, you're in for a true treat with the Vileda.

Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner review

• RRP: £74.99
• Dimensions: 122 x 27 x 20.5cm (HWL)
• Weight: 2.1kg
• Power: 1,550 watts
• Water tank capacity: 400ml
• Settings: three – MIN, MID and MAX
• Warranty: 2 years

How we test steam cleaners

Before we get into the details of this Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner review, here's some backstory behind the person who tested this steam cleaner.

Carly Hall-Simms

Carly is a keen cleaner, always battling to keep her busy, family home sparkling clean. She wanted to test a steam cleaner to see how it would stand up to her traditional mopping and honed cleaning techniques.

Who would the Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner suit?

One of the reasons we were eager to test the Vileda Steam Plus is its reputation. Hailed as an essential for busy homes with hard floors, we wanted to give this a good test to find out who the Vileda Steam Plus would really suit (and whether it lives up to its reputation).

Carly, our expert tester was suitably impressed. "It's a cracking shout for households like mine where floors don't stay clean for more than ten minutes," she says "It’s perfect for homes with kids and pets where endless spillages happen and outdoor dirt regularly gets trodden inside. Even with my shoes-off-at-the-door rule, debris still builds ridiculously quickly, and being able to keep on top of it without having to fetch the mop from the garage makes it much less of a chore."

Carly found that the Vileda Steam Plus was particularly impressive on laminate and tiled floors (and less effective on carpets). She notes that the triangular head "doesn't quite deliver when it comes to fitting into corners.," she adds, " I found I had to use a cloth to get right in there, just like I would with a traditional mop."

Unboxing the Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner

We always look at the packaging and delivery of steam cleaners, because this says a lot about the thought that a brand has put into the extra features. Carly found the Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner on her doorstep in a "sturdy box, packed securely in three separate pieces."

We always look for recyclable, sustainable packaging, which the Vileda mostly delivers on. Whilst the packaging was minimal and sustainable, Carly notes that the instruction manual comes as 11 separate booklets, printed in multiple languages, which she says "feels like total overkill and a complete waste of paper given I’ve only consulted the manual once to check water levels and understand which settings were best for my different floor types, but nothing felt complicated or unclear."

The only accessories it comes with are two microfibre steam pads that attach easily to the base of the mop, plus a plastic guard that clips over the pad for use on carpets, which makes storage easy and simple.

What is the Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner like to use?

When it comes to cleaning, first impressions count for a lot. Carly was instantly struck by the weight of the mop. "it's so light, which is reassuring for this not being another awkwardly heavy piece of cleaning kit (like I’ve had and hated before)." Carly loved that it was easy to hold and control, moving smoothly across different floor types. She also found the generous cord length helpful for roaming around the room without worrying about plugging and unplugging different devices.

She found the set-up was straightforward, adding "that says a lot, as I’m just not technical (or patient)." She found the small number of parts intuitive for slotting together to get it running: the steam pad attaches and the tank needs filling up, then fifteen seconds of heating up the water will have you ready to go. "Even eating toast," Carly says, "it was ready to go in about five minutes."

Carly put this to the test on a range of floor types, starting with laminate and tiled floors in the living room, hallway, playroom, kitchen and bathroom. She'd cleaned them using a traditional mop four days earlier but noted that the microfibre pad "was filthy" by the end of her clean-up. "It felt both impressive and disgusting seeing how deeply this had cleaned my home."

Carly found "everyday dirt lifted easily with a steady back-and-forth motion and not much pressure required. Laminate floors dried within five minutes, which helps in a high footfall house like mine where waiting (im)patiently for floors to dry often means soggy socks. Tiles took slightly longer to dry, but still faster than with a traditional mop."

Dirtier patches of floor require a cleaning knack, which Carly quickly finessed, She explains that "a second pass or hovering it over the affected area a little longer does the job."

Carly couldn't help comparing the whole experience with traditional mopping "it feels like a step forward. No trips to the garage, filling and emptying buckets, rinsing in dirty water, or wrestling a long handle and bucket through doorways. It’s faster, cleaner, and requires far less effort for a better outcome."

She added that "the only thing I really missed was the smell of disinfectant. Somehow the lack of fresh, clean-smelling detergent makes you question whether the mop is capable of killing germs, but the Vileda Steam Plus claims to kill 99.9% bacteria with high-temperature steam alone. I’ll take their word for it."

Having used this in a range of rooms and scenarios, Carly notes that this isn't noisy "it sounds a lot like an iron releasing steam." She also noted an impressive run time: "one tank allows me to get through the living room, hallway, playroom, kitchen-diner, and two bathrooms, with a little water remaining. The mop is super light, so carrying it up and downstairs doesn’t feel like a slog either"

Cleaning the Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner

Thankfully, maintenance is minimal. Carly needed to clean the steam pad after use, but they're washing machine friendly, so wasy to pop in the wash. You'll also need to keep an eye on the water level, but that's very simple ad easy to do. Carly says "this low-key maintenance is my kind of vibe, and makes using it regularly (rather than weekly) achievable."

Importantly, the Vileda Steam Plus is easy to store. Carly noted that it doesn't need to be dismantled, so she can keep it under the stairs and then, when she needs it, she "grabs it from the understairs cupboard, stick on some tunes, and start mopping (bopping) away."

Should you buy the Vileda Steam Plus Steam Cleaner?

I put the question of whether you should buy the Vileda Steam Plus to Carly, after months of use and she was quick to answer. "I would recommend the Vileda Steam Plus, especially to busy mums who don’t have much time to commit to floor cleaning. Its strength lies in how easy it is to plug-and-play with minimal prep. It turns mammoth mopping sessions into a manageable weekly routine you don’t dread. Stick on some of your favourite bangers and off you go."