I tried OXO's cleverly-designed mop and bucket — they worked wonders on my laminate floor

I tried OXO’s butterfly mop and bucket set and, as someone who’s only ever bought cheap mops in the past, it’s completely changed my perspective on cleaning my floors.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve somewhat overlooked the best mops in the past, choosing the more stereotypical mop heads that can be picked up in pound stores. This meant that my floors always took ages to dry, which was annoying, but I hadn’t really considered better options may be out there.

That is until I came across the OXO Good Grips butterfly mop, which is the best mop for tiles (according to our rigorous in-house tests.) With laminate flooring in my kitchen, I wondered if it would be just as good — and I wasn't disappointed. I found the mop easy to use, super absorbent and it left my floor spotless. I think it’s one of the best ways to clean laminate flooring.

The mop and bucket are sold separately which brings the total cost close to £50 for the set. I do think this is an expensive investment, especially as I would normally spend less than £10 on a mop. However, given how good the results where, I may be converted.

I don’t like to admit how infrequently I mop, but I knew my kitchen flooring was well overdue for a good clean. I filled the bucket with 60ml of Tesco Cotton Fresh Multi Purpose Cleaner and five litres of water. The bucket has measurements along the side, which made it really easy to see how much water I needed.

Starting to mop, the first thing I noticed was how easy the mop was to use. Squeezing out excess water was a doddle and straight away I noticed how well it glided across the floor.

My kitchen and living room are open plan and I found I could easily push the mop under my sofas and dining table to reach those trickier areas without having to move heavy furniture around.

Another thing I noticed was how quickly my floors dried, compared to the mop I was using before. The squeeze feature on the mop ensured I wouldn’t use too much water, which was not only good for my laminate floors, but also a big help when it came to drying time.

I’ve always ended up walking over wet floors due to impatience, but this time, my floor had started drying on one side of the room by the time I’d finished the other side.

Needless to say, my floor looked great at the end of my mopping. I really noticed a difference compared to using a cheaper socket mop head - it was cleaner, dried quicker and took less time to complete. And I'm definitely a fan of ticking off cleaning chores as quickly as possible.

Finally, when I was emptying the bucket into my outside drain, the angled ridge inside the bucket guided the water easily, preventing any splashback or water getting all over my patio.

If you're on a tight budget, it might be an expensive choice to buy both mop and bucket. But given that it makes quick and effective work of a chore that, let's face it, isn't the most fun, I do think it's worth the investment.