Russell Hobbs Replacement Steam Mop Pads for RHSM1001-G Steam & Clean Mop, Pack of 5, RHPAD1001-G

Product Information

Whereas traditional mops rely on detergent and elbow grease to disinfect floors, steam mops heat water in an onboard tank and then release the vapour directly on to the floor at temperatures of up to 120 degrees Celsius, making for a deeper clean and killing most bacteria likely to be lurking on surfaces. It wasn't all about colour choices either, although at first glance I thought the pale blue Shark looked a bit more modern and on trend than the retro brown/pink of the Russell Hobbs which reminded me of my nan's old Hoover.

RUSSELL HOBBS Replacement Microfibre Mop Pads - Currys RUSSELL HOBBS Replacement Microfibre Mop Pads - Currys

It had real oomph and power behind it but was still lightweight and easy to manoueuvre, while its extra-long cable made getting round quick and easy.Instead of one large pad it has two circular pads that work together to effectively simultaneously steam and scrub the floor. Steam mops are are ideal way to keep your home clean but with them all largely doing the same thing how do you choose which one is right for you? Steam mops are one of the more versatile cleaning gadgets and can be used on a range of floor types including tile, lino and hardwood, although wood floors should be properly sealed to avoid the steam warping the wood. All three mops have a tank big enough to run for more than 15 minutes and, unless you live in a mansion, this would cover tiled bathrooms and kitchens easily. In practice however, they all seemed much of a muchness and it’s not as if I was tapping my foot impatiently waiting an extra couple of seconds for the Shark to come up to temperature.

Russell Hobbs Replacement Steam Mop Pads for RHSM1001-G Steam

All three mops assembled very quickly and, while they had instruction booklets, it was hardly the Krypton Factor putting them together. as real users, posing a threat to a site’s security, so the site sometimes runs random security checks. Both the Lakeland and Shark mops had two speed settings, with the lower speed recommended for wood floors and more delicate surfaces and the higher speed for more ingrained dirt and tiled areas. I pitted three of the best-selling steam mops head-to-head for our test, the Shark Steam and Scrub, the Lakeland Steam Mop and Russell Hobbs' Steam and Clean. I used them on different parts of the floor so they were tackling the same amount of grime and while they all got me out of my sticky situation in the end it was soon clear that for the worst kinds of dirt and mess the Russell Hobbs took a little longer to get the job done, with me having to run the mop back and forth across the same spot several times to see the difference.Having said that, you don’t actually need to apply any pressure at all to get the Shark to work - it glides across the floor easily, so easily in fact that I wasn't sure it was working properly until I saw the grime it was able to pick up after just a few seconds’ work. Secondly, if you really want to test a steam mop the best way to do so is in the aftermath of a precariously-put-away almost-full bottle of maple syrup falling out of a cupboard and smashing onto a tiled kitchen floor. This minimised the possibility of spills while filling, making it the easiest of the three to prep and, more importantly, the simplest to remove any leftover water from at the end before putting the mop away. In terms of testing the performance of the mops, I hadn’t intended the aftermath of a maple syrup spill being the place to start, but having used most of a bottle of Dettol and an entire kitchen roll to try and get the worst up and still having an audibly sticky floor it felt like a pretty solid test. When you turn it on it feels noticeably more powerful to use, to the extent if you’re someone who struggles with holding a hefty gadget I’d consider plumping for one of the others.

Russell Hobbs RHDSM4001 POSEIDON Detergent 11-in-1 Russell Hobbs RHDSM4001 POSEIDON Detergent 11-in-1

In terms of filling, the Lakeland actually has a key benefit beyond the other two, with the water tank able to be totally unclipped from the machine to fill at the tap and then be put back into the handle. Two of the mops tested came with a host of additions in the box, although notably the Lakeland only came with an instruction book. The plastic carpet glider on the Russell Hobbs was also a handy bonus as it meant if you did have the urge to deep clean a carpet or rug or even tackle a stain on a sofa you could run the steamer across the fabric easily without it rucking. The cable length does vary considerably though, with the Shark coming in at a generous 8m compared to the other two’s 5m cables, making it easier to get round without having to swap plug sockets if you’re tackling multiple rooms.Steam mops have become increasingly popular in the UK over the last few years, thanks in part to cleaning influencers like Mrs Hinch and Stacey Solomon who swear by theirs and who, like many of us, are keen to have a gleaming home without using too many chemicals, especially around children and pets. But once the excess has been cleaned up the steam will loosen the most stubborn and built-in grime, which is then picked up by the microfibre of the mop head. When you turn it on you can feel the power but despite that additional oomph, the pads glide easily across the floor making easy work of grime. The Lakeland mop had the widest of all the pads so I was able to cover the area quickly and efficiently and it didn’t take as much back and forth as the more budget option to see a noticeable difference to the floor.