I thought I knew how to clean my hard flooring until I tried Vileda’s new steam mop — the grime it picked up was downright embarrassing

Despite years of product testing under my belt, there’s nothing quite like unboxing a new product and putting it through its paces. And when the Vileda Steam Mop Plus turned up at my door, I was excited to take it for a spin (or should I say glide?)

Promising to sanitise and lift even the toughest of engrained dirt and grime, my task was to see if it could compete with some of the best steam cleaners and mops out there. My verdict? I think it can.

In a nutshell

Vileda is a big name in the floor care world. Known for designing and manufacturing some of the best mops and steam mops, the Vileda Steam Mop Plus is the brand’s newest addition. But as Ideal Home’s resident floor care expert and someone who literally cleans my floors for a living, I didn’t expect this steam mop to make me feel embarrassed.

Ultimately, I wasn't instantly blown away as I unboxed and assembled the relatively unassuming steam mop. It’s not the ugliest steam mop out there, but it’s also not the most attractive. But all of my doubts were squashed when I started using it on my laminate flooring. It left it looking visibly shiny and clean, and it was a breeze to use, quick to heat up, and offered a generous steam-cleaning time of 28 minutes.

Throughout my three-week testing process, I used all three steam settings across multiple flooring types in my home - including my carpet and rugs - and by the end, I was disgusted by how much invisible dirt and grime had gone unnoticed and untouched by the best vacuum cleaners. The mop head was filthy after each cleaning session, but I could rest easy knowing that it could be washed and re-used to disgust me (in a good way) repeatedly.

The only downside, in my opinion, is that this steam mop doesn’t come with any tools or accessories aside from the carpet glider. It also doesn’t offer a pop-out handheld. This could limit those who prefer to steam clean the smaller areas of their home, but if you’re simply looking for a steam mop to steam clean your hard floors and carpets, the Vileda Steam Mop Plus does it. And it does it well.

Vileda Steam Mop Plus specifications

• Capacity: 400ml
• Power: Mains
• Cord length: 6m
• Wattage: 1550 W
• Dimensions: H122.3 x W27 x L20.5cm full-size, H70 x W27 x L24cm when folded
• Weight: 2.1kg
• In the box: Steam mop, water jug, carpet glider and 2 x mop pads
• RRP: £74.99

How I tested

Lauren Bradbury

Lauren is Ideal Home's House Manual Content Editor and Certified Expert in Training for Vacuums. She specialises in everything cleaning and floor care and has tested everything from traditional mops to smart mops and steam mops.

Although Vileda sent Lauren this steam mop to test, this did not impact her fair and impartial review. She followed our dedicated testing process, using it for three weeks across multiple flooring types in her home, which she shares with her husband and her mucky pup, Barney.

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

The Vileda Steam Mop Plus arrived in a fairly compact, lightweight box that wasn’t shy about the contents inside. The branding was bright and bold, and I didn’t have to second-guess what was inside.

In fact, the parcel actually went to my neighbour first as I wasn’t in to receive the delivery, and we ended up having a 20-minute conversation about steam mops when I went to collect it as there was no hiding what was inside. So, bear this in mind if you regularly have parcels left on your doorstep (or have particularly nosy neighbours who like to chat).

When I opened up the box, I was greeted with cardboard shells encasing the smaller components inside - and many of these smaller components were wrapped in plastic. Upon closer inspection (and some intense Googling), I discovered that this type of plastic is largely recyclable, but it does depend on your local authority. So this was slightly annoying, as I do think the cardboard shell would have been enough protection on its own.

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Inside the box were the steam mop, water jug, carpet glider, two mop pads, and, very strangely, eleven hefty instruction manuals in all different languages. This amounted to a chunky wad of paper that I could have certainly done without, and one look at the reviews proves that I wasn’t alone in receiving this. And while I know it’s all recyclable, it does seem like a waste to receive so much paper in one hit.

When I removed all the packaging, I was struck by the feel of the components. Everything felt extremely high-quality, and the steam mop pads felt especially hard-wearing.

As there weren’t too many components, it took all of two minutes to assemble the whole thing. All you need to do is pop the mop pad onto the triangular head (which attaches with velcro) and then attach the mop head to the rest of the steam mop (where the water tank and controls are) to the ergonomic handle.

With everything assembled, I then took a step back to look at the Vileda Steam Mop Plus in all its glory. And although steam mops are rarely the most glamorous cleaning appliances you can buy, this one certainly isn’t an eyesore. The black and red colourway is sleek and sophisticated, and, at first glance, everything looked pretty simple to navigate.

So, I filled up the water tank using the measuring jug provided and readied myself to start cleaning!

Using the Vileda Steam Mop Plus

As I have hard flooring across the whole downstairs of my house - laminate in my dining room and living room and tiles in my kitchen and bathroom - I started by testing the hard floor cleaning functionalities of the Vileda Steam Mop Plus. As I assembled it in my dining room, I plugged it into the nearest plug socket and turned the dial to the ‘Min’ function, which Vileda recommends for delicate floors like sealed laminate or parquet.

Not only is the brand’s 15-second heat-up time correct, but I counted (well, my phone did) 12 seconds before I could see and hear steam coming out from the side of the mop head. Then, I just used it as I would a traditional mop - pushing it back and forth and into the corners and edges of my home. This was incredibly easy to do, thanks to the triangular swivel mop head.

After just one pass, my laminate floors were visibly cleaner, and a floor that was previously covered in dried-on muddy paw prints looked as good as new. And as I know from the steam mopping vs regular mopping debate, I knew that this process wasn’t just visibly cleaning my floors, but also effectively sanitising them and killing up to 99.9% of bacteria.

I must admit that the cord did get on my nerves slightly (I try to be as cordless as possible in my house, which is why I always lean towards the best cordless vacuums), but the fact that you can wrap some of it around the handle depending on how far away you are from the plug socket does help to ease this annoyance. Plus, 99% of steam mops are corded, so this is just par for the course if you want to use this appliance in your home.

Next, I steam-mopped my way into my kitchen, which has terrazzo tiles on the floor. And while these tiles look cool (in my opinion), they hide dirt extremely well. Because of this, I turned the dial up to the ‘Max’ steam setting, which Vileda recommends for tiled floors.

As it’s fairly lightweight, I had no problems pushing the steam mop around my kitchen, once again managing to get into all corners and crevices.

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The biggest test, however, was when I reached the tiled step by my back door. As this constantly has muddy shoes and dog paws stomping over it - and not to mention the dust and dirt that blows in through the door - it’s constantly dirty. In fact, I’ve yet to find a traditional mop to successfully clean it, and even my favourite electric mop, the Tineco FLOOR ONE S5, is too big to clean the relatively small step. As a result, I’ve started to avoid it and pretend it doesn’t exist.

However, the Vileda Steam Mop Plus was the perfect size to clean this tiled step, and the steam lifted what I can only estimate to be MONTHS of dirt and grime in a matter of seconds. This impressed me to no end but equally made me feel incredibly disgusted with myself - especially when I looked at the mop head afterwards. It was filthy and actually made me feel incredibly embarrassed as someone who tests floor care products for a living and should have very clean floors.

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Like many other steam mops, the Vileda Steam Mop Plus also comes with a carpet glider that I wanted to put to the test. So, I took it upstairs, slotted the glider on top of a new, clean mop head, and turned the dial to the ‘Mid’ setting, which is recommended for carpets and rugs.

It’s hard to see when a steam cleaner is cleaning your carpets as it typically blasts away the invisible bacteria rather than offering a visual difference (especially if you vacuum first), but it was easy enough to use. I also didn’t feel as though it was adding too much moisture to my carpets - especially as I have a high loop-pile wool carpet that has lots of nooks and crevices for moisture to accumulate.

The only thing I will say is that this steam mop isn’t exactly suitable for carpeted stairs unless you’re willing to bypass the fact that it all feels a little awkward. Unlike other models that can be both a steam mop and a handheld steam cleaner in one, this one is just a large steam mop. So, while it’s still possible to steam mop your carpeted stairs with the Vileda Steam Mop Plus, it’s not as easy as it would be if you had a handheld attachment.

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In total, the Vileda Steam Mop Plus offers up to 28 minutes of steam-cleaning time, and after continuing to use this steam mop multiple times throughout my three-week testing process, I never ran out of steam (I probably used it for around 10-15 minutes at a time) and could clean all of my floors on one tank.

Admittedly, I don’t have a huge footprint in my three-bedroom Victorian terrace house, but I imagine this will be enough for larger homes too. According to Vileda, one 400ml full tank of water can clean up to 120 m² of flooring.

Cleaning and maintenance

Steam mops don’t require a huge amount of cleaning or maintenance. In fact, the only thing I had to do during my three-week testing process was wash the steam mop head - a process that’s much easier than cleaning a traditional mop head, as all I had to do was pop it in the washing machine on a 60-degree wash.

Thankfully, Vileda provides a spare mop head if you need to continue using your steam mop before the other is fully dry. And while I assume there will come a time when they’ve been washed too many times and you’ll want to replace them, you can buy Vileda Steam Mop Refill Pads (Pack of 2) from Amazon for just over £15, which I think is very affordable.

It’s worth noting that if you live in a hard water area, Vileda does suggest using distilled water in your steam mop - but this isn’t exactly possible for everyone. So, they advise you to keep an eye out if your steam mop starts to produce steam more slowly or stops producing steam altogether, as you may need to descale it.

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They recommend using a 1:3 mixture of white vinegar and water and then turning it onto its max steam setting (so the mop head doesn’t directly touch the floor). Then, simply wait for the water tank to empty before using it again.

In terms of storage, the Vileda Steam Mop Plus is relatively compact, as it comes with a removable handle that drastically reduces its height. It’s still not the smallest appliance in the world, and you’ll need some cupboard space to store it, but it could be a lot worse.

How does it rate online?

Although there are no reviews of the Vileda Steam Mop Plus on the Vileda website, there are over 960 reviews of this model on Amazon. At the time of writing, it has a 4.5-star review overall, which is pretty impressive.

For the most part, customers find it incredibly easy to set up and use and celebrate the triangular mop head that can reach into corners and the nooks and crannies of a home. Alongside this, they have also rated the steam mop highly in terms of its cleaning power, largely due to the different steam settings that will cater to different flooring types.

The one and two-star reviews came from customers who were also perplexed by the amount of paperwork included in the packaging, and a couple of customers marked it down as they noted that it randomly stopped working. It’s worth noting that Vileda does offer a two-year guarantee, though, so keep this in mind if that happens to you.

How does it compare to similar models?

We’ve reviewed a lot of steam cleaners and mops at Ideal Home, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t compare the Vileda Steam Mop Plus with the steam mop that has been crowned the ‘best overall’ in our guide - the Vax Steam Fresh Combi S86-SF-C.

Coming in at £89.99, the Vax model is slightly more expensive than the Vileda steam mop, but it’s fair to say that it does offer a lot more. As well as offering steam mopping capabilities, the Vax Steam Fresh Combi also offers a pop-out handheld with multiple tools to steam clean other areas of the home - like tiles, windows, sofas, and so much more.

Our reviewer also gave this steam mop an incredible 5-star review, so I would say that if you’re looking for a multi-purpose steam cleaner and mop, the Vax would suit you better.

It’s also worth comparing the Vileda Steam Mop Plus with the Karcher SC 2 Upright Steam Cleaner. At £100, it’s once again pricier than the Vileda offering, and in my opinion, I do think the Vileda outshines it.

Like the Vileda steam mop, the Karcher steam mop is just a mop without a pop-out handheld, and our reviewer gave it a 4-star review thanks to its impressive steaming power and its dedicated descaling solution. However, it doesn’t have a carpet glider, which means it’s limited to only cleaning hard floors.

Because of this, I’d say that the Vileda is a comfortable mid-range steam mop that beats a lot of the competition but doesn’t quite compete with the more advanced, multi-purpose steam mops.

Verdict: Should you buy the Vileda Steam Mop Plus?

If you’re looking for a steam mop that can tackle different flooring types and do what it’s intended to do, i.e steam clean them, then I really do think the Vileda Steam Mop Plus will tick all of your boxes.

It’s easy to use and offers some impressive cleaning power, and while it may not come with other bells and whistles like other steam cleaners and mops out there, I don’t think that’s necessarily a negative if something does what it’s supposed to do well - and this one does.

Personally, I felt extremely confident that my floors were cleaner than ever during the three-week testing process, and I loved the fact that the steam power was tailored to both clean and protect different flooring types. Sure, I did miss a few attachments, but if you don’t need them or can look past that, I think you’ll be very happy with this product.