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For tough stains and the best performance, the Karcher FC 5 Hard Floor Cleaner is hard to beat. This plug-in model automatically dispenses cleaning detergent onto the two microfibre rollers beneath the machine. These spin at high speed, buffing out stains and almost pulling you along with the rolling action.

As well as cleaning quickly, and even coping with tough, ground-in dirt, the FC 5 has a vacuum action that sucks up dirty water from the floor and puts it into a tank at the back of the machine. The result is that you don’t just get a visibly clean floor, but that you physically remove dirt and bacteria from the floor.

This machine has a variety of cleaning fluids available, although you can use it with most floor cleaners – and it’s safe to use on sealed wood floors, too. Once done, the rollers can be easily removed and put through the washing machine, prepping them for the next time you need the cleaner.

A touch heavy in the hand, the FC5 Hard Floor Cleaner is a great tool for any house with a lot of hard flooring, particularly those homes with mixed hard floor surfaces.

Reviewer: Richard & Jackie Stevenson
Full review: Karcher FC 5 Hard Floor Cleaner review

Most hard floor cleaners require you to vacuum your floor before you can clean them. Not so, the Vax ONEPWR Glide. This model is a proper vacuum cleaner and hard floor cleaner in one – and it’s cordless, too.

To use the Glide, you just turn it on and start moving it over the floor. It vacuums up anything in its way, and can even tackle wet spills. Depress the handle  and water from the detergent tank soaks the roller at the front, letting it clean. And, cleverly, the vacuum then sucks up the dirty water, removing filth from the floor and depositing it in a separate tank.

There’s a comparatively small detergent tank, so you may need to fill it multiple times to tackle a large area. Neatly, Vax’s detergent is formulated for all floor types – although you can use your own cleaner if you prefer.

You can self-clean the roller by running the Glide on its dock. But if you buy from Vax direct then you’ll get a spare roller, so you can clean one in the washing machine and still be ready to tackle a hard floor.

The replaceable battery is rated to last for 30 minutes on a single charge. Or, you can buy additional batteries to increase run-time – which you may need to do if you’ll be cleaning large areas.

Excellent cleaning performance makes the Vax a pleasure to use, although a vacuum cleaner may still be required to get into the edges.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Vax ONEPWR Glide review

As good as many steam cleaners are for tackling your hard floors, they can all take a bit of manual work to scrub up. Not so with the Shark Steam & Scrub Automatic Steam Mop S6002UK, which uses two spinning microfibre cloths to do the hard work for you.

Pumping steam out automatically via the two settings (High for tiles and other hard surfaces, Low for wood and laminate), this mop steams and scrubs at the same time.

All you have to do is glide it effortlessly across the floor and it will do the hard work for you. Even tougher stains are dealt with, and I just had to leave the mop over the mess, letting its mop cloths do the work for me.

There’s one minor complaint: the round cloths can’t get into corners, so you’ll need to do a bit of finishing off yourself at the end. Still, for minimum effort and detergent-free cleaning, this mop is hard to beat.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Shark Steam & Scrub Automatic Steam Mop S6002UK review

If you’re looking for a simple-to-use hard floor cleaner that can replace an existing mop, the AirCraft PowerGlide could be for you. This battery-powered model lasts for 30 to 40 minutes per charge, but you can buy additional batteries to extend run-time.

This model uses two large spinning microfibre cloths that buff and remove dirt. To aid with this, you can spray the floor in front of you with detergent from the integrated tank (this accepts any regular floor cleaner). Just be careful how much detergent you spray; this model doesn’t have any suction capability to pick up dirty water from the floor.

In addition to cleaning, the PowerGlide can also be filled with liquid wax. You can then use the polishing cloths to give your hard floors a final protecting buff after cleaning. If you have special floors that need protecting, then the PowerGlide is a top choice.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: AirCraft PowerGlide review

If you the ultimate flexibility and also want to tackle the occasional rug, the Bissell CrossWave Cordless Max is the model for you. This revamped cordless model has a 30-minute run time, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but the thick rollers and powerful suction mean that you can get over a lot of hard floors.

And, this cleaner is also certified for use on rugs and carpet that can be wet washed. You don’t get the full cleaning ability that a carpet cleaner gives you, but for regular maintenance, this model does a great job.

Hard floors are where this cleaner excels, dealing with stubborn stains with ease, leaving a nice shiny floor at the end. Impressively, the CrossWave Cordless Max is also a decent vacuum cleaner in its own right, so there’s no need to clean up with a vacuum cleaner first; in fact, the only thing you’ll need a regular vacuum cleaner for is to get into tight gaps and for edge cleaning.

Simple controls on top let you select the mode (carpet or hard floor), and there’s a trigger to push out cleaning detergent when you want to use it, letting you control the amount of fluid: more for tough stains and less where the floor isn’t so dirty. When you finish, there’s a self-clean mode, so there’s not much cleaning up.

Sure, this model is quite expensive, but if you want the flexibility of a cordless device without having to sacrifice power, this is a great choice.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Bissell CrossWave Cordless Max review