I used Tefal’s vacuum mop to clean tomato sauce, flour and a cracked egg from my floors – as a busy mum of three, it's made speedy clean-ups so easy

Vacuum mops have become one of my favourite cleaning gadgets, simply because they cut one of the most time-consuming household jobs in half. I've tested plenty of models, so for it to really impress me, it needs to stand out from the crowd.

The Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop did exactly that. After putting it through its paces in my family home, it quickly earned a spot among the best vacuum mops I've tested.

In a nutshell

I didn't expect to be quite as impressed with a hard floor cleaner. But after testing the Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop around my busy family home, it's saved me so much time - and even made cleaning my kitchen floors feel like less of a chore. Not only does it vacuum, mop and dry floors, but it also does so with minimal effort required on my part. This is all thanks to its powerful self-propelling function, which I'd go as far as saying is the best I've come across (and I've tested a lot of vacuum mops).

I can't fault its cleaning performance either. It cleared up everyday mess from my three children with ease, and even removed beans, flour and a cracked egg in a single pass. My floors were only left lightly damp afterwards, too, so there was no waiting around for them to dry before you could walk on them.

Tefal have really paid attention to the design, too. It feels premium, and features such as the built-in LED headlights and 180° flat-edge design make it super versatile for tackling hard-to-reach areas. There are three modes to choose from - Auto, Max and Eco - and it uses automatic dirt detection, adjusting the suction power and water flow accordingly. It also has an impressive 50-minute run time, which is one of the longest I've come across on a vacuum mop.

It falls short of a 5-star review because it won't fully replace a vacuum cleaner, as it's only suitable for use on hard floors, and at £449 full price it is an investment. The clean water tank also sits on top of the main floorhead, which is a quirky feature, and I found it took a little getting used to, but it's decently sized so you won't need to refill mid-clean. Overall, it's a really impressive, powerful floor cleaner that's perfect for busy households.

How I tested

Rebecca Lawton

I'm Rebecca, and I write freelance content for Ideal Home, where I test a variety of cleaning appliances. With three children, my home is a constant testing ground for any cleaning tool, and I'm always on the lookout for upgrades that make everyday life a little easier.

I tested the Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop on the hard floors around my family home at least once a day for two weeks.

Specifications

• Weight: 5.98 kg
• Dimensions: 325 x 300 x 1192 mm
• Max run time: 50 minutes
• Modes: 3
• Clean water tank capacity: 600ml
• Charge time: 3.5 hours
• In the box: Wet dry cordless vacuum cleaner, additional soft cleaning roller and filter, charging and cleaning base, cleaning brush.
• RRP: £449.99

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

The X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop arrived in a large, oblong-shaped cardboard box. Although it was slightly awkward to carry single-handedly because of the size, it was noticeably lighter than I'd expected.

I opened the outer packaging to find another cardboard box, this time branded with the Tefal logo and product images. Inside, all the components were neatly secured between a layer of moulded cardboard, and wrapped individually in plastic bags, labelled as '50% recyclable'. I always pay attention to how eco-friendly the packaging is, and while I'll always favour brands that use 100% recyclable material, it's not something I've come across regularly.

The box contained the main vacuum mop and handle, an additional soft cleaning roller, the charging base, a cleaning brush and a user manual.

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Assembly was incredibly simple; all I needed to do was insert the handle onto the base and pop it on the charging station to charge before use. And my first impressions of the Tefal X-Clean 7 were positive - it instantly felt premium and well made. It was lightweight too, and I appreciated the fact that the charging station was compact enough not to take up too much room (always a bonus when you're short on storage space!).

Once connected to power, the LED display on the top of the main unit activates, and a voice prompt confirms that it's charging. It took around 3.5 hours to reach full charge, which is fairly typical for a vacuum mop.

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Before getting started, I needed to fill the clean water tank. Rather unusually, the tank is located at the front of the main body, just above the floor head, and I won't lie, it did confuse me for a second! It's not something I've come across before, and my first reaction was that the tank wouldn't hold as much water as a typical upright design. But at 600ml, it's on the larger side for a vacuum mop, so it's deceptively bigger than it looks once you remove it.

The tank then clips away from the main unit easily; there's a release button on top of the unit which you press to pull it away. The manual advises that adding cleaning solution is optional, but also comes with a warning not to use any foaming, vinegar or greasy products.

There's also no solution included, and I do think the guidance could be a little clearer, something I picked up on when reading online customer reviews. Personally, I try to stick to natural, chemical-free cleaning products anyway, so I decided to stick to water initially to see how it performed.

The manual advises filling the water tank with clean water between 10°C and 50°C. I found it slightly more fiddly to fill because of its shape, and even though it's described as transparent, I did find myself having to pay attention to how full it was, especially as there's no fill line. That said, there's a flashing icon on the LED display to let you know when the tank is empty, as well as a voice prompt, so it's not a dealbreaker.

Using the Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop

The Tefal X-Clean 7 has three cleaning modes: Auto, Eco and Max. When the machine is turned on, it defaults to Auto mode, which detects dirt and automatically boosts suction power and water flow when it comes across messier areas.

To get started, I stepped on the floor nozzle, pulled the handle towards me and pressed the power button. As the unit powered on, the LED headlights on the base lit up the floor ahead, making it easier to spot hidden dirt. I also noticed it sounded louder than I was expecting, probably on a par with my regular vacuum.

I started by taking it for a spin around my kitchen floors, which are all laminated, to familiarise myself with it. Straight away, what I noticed was how smooth it felt to manoeuvre. As soon as I switched it on, a self-propelling motion activated to help the machine glide across my floors with barely any effort needed from me.

I've tested my share of vacuum mops, and I'd easily say this was the most powerful I've come across. I really felt like the mop was doing the cleaning for me, and all I had to do was steer it in the direction I wanted it to go.

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I also really appreciated the LED lights on the base of the machine, which illuminate any hidden dirt, and were particularly useful for hard-to-see areas, like under my dining table.

The auto-adjustment worked really well, too. I could clearly hear when the machine boosted its suction, while the coloured ring on the LCD screen gave a visual indication of when it had detected a dirtier area.

The handle also has a 180° flat edge design, which made cleaning under furniture easier. Because of the size of the floorhead, I couldn't reach completely under my sideboard unit, but the flexible design made it much easier to reach underneath my kitchen table - an area I always struggle to clean - without needing to crouch down awkwardly. The voice prompt also lets you know when the machine is cleaning underneath low furniture, confirming that the suction levels have been adjusted. I thought this was a handy feature - although I can imagine the voice updates may feel jarring after a while.

The vacuum mop left a light layer of moisture behind, but this dried within a couple of minutes, so the floor was ready to walk on almost straight away - something I appreciate in a busy home.

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To really put its cleaning power to the test (and as part of how we test products at Ideal Home), I cracked an egg on the floor, squirted ketchup and threw a handful flour directly in the vacuum mop's path. This is where it really impressed me.

After switching on the unit, keeping it in Auto mode, I slowly glided it over the mess. It cleared every trace within the first pass. Given the amount of debris in its path, I was genuinely surprised at how quickly it removed everything, with barely any effort on my part. I've carried out this test before on plenty of vacuum mops, and even the most powerful models usually need a couple of passes to pick everything up, so its cleaning performance is definitely one of the Tefal X-Clean 7's standout features.

Immediately after, I emptied the dirty water tank - which pulls outwards from the front of the machine easily - and poured the contents away. As you'd expect, the grime inside the tank wasn't pleasant to say the least, so if you are using the machine to clean up bigger messes, you'll want to empty and rinse it straight away.

This is where the self-cleaning feature comes into its own. After use, I placed the machine on its docking station, and pressed the self-clean button at the top of the handle. I know from testing other vacuum mops that this stage can be pretty noisy, and this was no exception. The roller was automatically rinsed, and all the dirt and debris were flushed into the dirty water tank. The cycle lasts three minutes, after which the dirty water tank was full of filthy water, which I took as a reassuring sign that it had done its job.

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Having little ones means I'm constantly mopping up spills, and I had more than one opportunity to see how well the Tefal X-Clean 7 cleaned up large liquid spills, thanks to my one year old's new favourite hobby of throwing milk, water and anything she can get her hands on, all over the floor.

I kept it in auto-mode, and once again, I didn't really need to do much. It suctioned up the puddles with ease, leaving just a light layer of moisture behind. Unlike some models, there's no dedicated 'Dry Only' mode, but I didn't find it made any difference to its performance.

Cleaning, storage and maintenance

Cleaning and maintenance are straightforward and made even easier thanks to the self-cleaning function. Before starting the self-cleaning and self-drying cycle, the manual advises emptying the dirty water tank and making sure the clean water tank is full. It's also worth noting that the function won't start if the battery has less than 20% charge.

Beyond that, Tefal manual recommends cleaning the different parts of the machine once a week. There are a few handy illustrations showing how to remove and clean each component, using a cloth and the cleaning brush that's included. This includes removing the filter that sits on top of the clean water tank and rinsing it out.

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There's no guidance on how to how often to clean the roller itself, but from experience it's worth doing regularly, as bits of debris can get trapped between the roller and the floorhead.

Thankfully, the manual includes a step-by-step guide for removing and replacing it when needed. Tefal recommends replacing both the roller and the filter every six months. I like the fact that a spare roller brush and filter are included in the box, as it feels reassuring to know long-term running costs should be kept low.

How does it compare to its predecessors and similar models?

The Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop builds on the strengths of the X-Clean 4, which was awarded a 4.5-star rating by Ideal Home's Content Editor Lauren when she reviewed it.

The biggest upgrades include a new lay-flat design, which makes it easier to reach under furniture, as well as LED headlights to help illuminate hidden dirt. During her testing, Lauren found the X-Clean 4 struggled with smaller spills, whereas the X-Clean 7's automatic dirt-detection felt much more responsive to everyday mess.

It's also worth comparing it to the Shark HydroVac Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner, which really impressed me during testing. Both models have built-in LED highlights, but I think the Tefal has the edge thanks to its more powerful self-propelling motion and hot air self-drying function, which helps keep the roller fresh between uses. It does come with a higher price tag, though.

I've also tested the Kärcher Floor Cleaner FCV3, which I found impressively lightweight and easy to manoeuvre. It also has three cleaning modes and is more affordable, making it a strong option for lighter cleaning tasks. But when it comes to overall performance the Tefal X-Clean 7 comes out on top.

How does it rate online?

The Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop currently holds a 4.5-star rating on the brand's website, from 62 customer reviews. Impressively, 92% of customers recommend the product, with feedback praising the suction power and ease of use. The price point does receive mixed reviews, and one reviewer did highlight the lack of guidance around cleaning solution caused confusion.

Elsewhere, on Very, it has a 4.5 star rating from 58 reviews. Although it's worth noting that a good proportion of the reviews were collected as part of a promotion. Feedback was similar, with users commenting on the impressive power and overall cleaning performance, but listing the affordability as a drawback.

Verdict: Should you buy the Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop?

For busy households who regularly vacuum and mop hard floors, and are looking to cut down on cleaning time, I really couldn't recommend the Tefal X-Clean 7 Cordless Wet & Dry Vacuum Mop enough. There's no shortage of hard floor cleaners on the market, and this one does have a high price tag, but its incredible cleaning performance, powerful self-propelling motion, 50-minute run time, edge cleaning abilities and flexible handle make it really stand out from the competition.

As long as you're happy emptying the tanks and keeping on top of basic maintenance, it takes much of the hassle out of cleaning floors. My only really niggle is that I wish I could use it on carpets, too!