I’m in my ‘weird’ mop era – and Joseph Joseph’s new sellout launch fits the bill perfectly (while also offering impressive cleaning power)

As it’s literally my day job to test floorcare tools and appliances, I’m under no illusion that these products often look the same. But when I learned of the brand-new Joseph Joseph UltraClean Microfibre Floor Mop Cleaning System (£80 at Joseph Joseph), it's fair to say that its alien-like appearance intrigued me.

My guide to the best mops already includes a Joseph Joseph mop that I rate very highly. But the UltraClean is a first from the innovative brand known for its space-saving, design-led products. It’s their first mop AND bucket set, to reimagine mopping so you’re only ever cleaning with clean water - instead of pushing dirt around.

But while I have a lot of thoughts about the look of this new mop (more on that later), my first task was to try it out for size and see how well the brand’s new SprayClean technology fares in a real home and against real-life messes. This is how it got on - and why I'm not surprised it sold out once already.

Featuring separate clean and dirty water tanks, the UltraClean is designed to remove dirty water from your mop pad while spraying it with clean water every time you rinse. This allows you to use the perfect amount of water, ensuring you don’t make any mopping mistakes or oversaturate your hard flooring.

This was highly effective when I tested it myself, leaving them damp to the touch but not overly wet. In fact, my floors were dry again in just 5 minutes on a relatively gloomy day with the windows closed. That was its first tick.

And while there’s a lot going on in the way of technology, this doesn’t affect the UltraClean’s ease of use. All you have to do is fill up the clean water tank, add your detergent if desired - I love this Wild Rhubarb Method Floor Cleaner (£4.50 at Amazon) - and then pump it a few times to kickstart the process.

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When it's time to refresh the mop, simply pump it again to spray clean water onto the mop pad. At the same time, the dirty water will be scraped into the dirty water tank - leaving behind a clean mop head and a satisfyingly dirty bucket of brown/grey water.

And while the new Joseph Joseph UltraClean was only released a few months ago, it proved so popular that it sold out instantly and has only just come back in stock.

Plus, its impressive reviews prove I’m not the only one who appreciates its cleaning power. One reviewer wrote, ‘The clean and dirty water separation is brilliant, and you can clearly see it lifting dirt. It feels solid and well-made, and it’s very satisfying (if slightly alarming!) to see how much dirt collects in the bucket.’

Another raved, ‘The mop is very lightweight, yet gives a brilliant, effortless clean in hardly any time. I never thought I’d ever say this about a mop, but it looks extremely stylish too!’

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That last comment is where things get a little murky for me, though, as I’m still unsure on the design front. On the one hand, it’s very on-brand for Joseph Joseph, and I’d definitely be able to pick it out of a line-up. My husband also loves the modern, alien-like aesthetic and even told me he’d be happy to keep it on display if we didn’t have space in the cupboard to store it.

I’m not as convinced, though. I find the look a little weird and a bit too out there for me, but I will admit that it’s grown on me the longer it’s been in the house. And I guess that’s the difficulty of designing something that’s so very different to the other mops on the market; some people will love it, while others won’t.

But, ultimately, most customers want to buy a mop based on its cleaning power, and the Joseph Joseph UltraClean has that in spades. Plus, it makes an impact.

However, I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I told you that this new mop was perfect. The price is a big issue for me, especially when you consider that, while impressive, the technology isn’t exactly unique. In fact, it’s very similar to another mop I tested recently, the Vileda H2PrO Flat Mop System (£49.99 at Argos).

As you can see from the pictures below, the basic features of these mops are very similar. They both have separate clean and water chambers, they both offer flat, machine-washable mop heads, they’re both relatively compact, and they both use the same clean-water spraying mechanism within the bucket.

The main difference is the price, with the Vileda mop coming up £25 cheaper. The Vileda is also much smaller, making it better suited to smaller spaces. But while they both offer squeaky-clean results, I can confidently say that the Joseph Joseph offers more in the way of manoeuvrability.

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The all-access rotating mop head, combined with the telescopic handle, makes it extremely easy to clean smaller nooks and crannies. And while it's extremely lightweight in hand, in true Joseph Joseph form, it still feels very high-quality. Although for £80, I'd expect nothing less.

Whatever mop you buy, though, it’s important that you always vacuum before mopping to ensure the cleaning process is as effective and efficient as possible. Alternatively, you could invest a little more into one of the best vacuum mops that’ll do both jobs for you.

Alternatives to shop

So, will you be joining me in my 'weird' mop era?