Lakeland Electric Scrubber review: "Grout lines, tap bases, rubber seals, plug holes and awkward corners are where it works best"

RRP: £15 | Buy now from Lakeland

How I tested

I tested the Lakeland Electric Scrubber over the course of an afternoon during a whole-house clean. I used it on grout, tiles, bath taps, hob edges, a hob splashback and limescale on a plastic shower screen.

I focused on the sort of awkward jobs a small electric scrubber should help with: corners, mineral build-up, grubby seal edges, plug holes and narrow gaps that are annoying to clean by hand. I also checked how easy it was to fit the batteries, swap the brush heads, hold the scrubber with wet hands and keep it running without constantly pressing the button.

Related: Best robot vacuum cleaners

My verdict

The Lakeland Electric Scrubber makes the annoying bits of cleaning feel less tedious. It won’t replace proper scrubbing for heavy grime, but it’s useful for the detailed cleaning most people put off. Grout lines, tap bases, rubber seals, plug holes and awkward corners are where it works best.

The pointed brush attachment is its best feature. It gets into tight spaces far more easily than a cloth or standard scrub brush, and the cordless design makes it easy to move around bathrooms and kitchens. I also liked the slide-to-stay-on button, which made longer cleaning jobs much easier on the hands.

There are some drawbacks. The battery compartment is fiddly at first and the scrubber struggles with larger areas because the heads are fairly small. The bristles also started looking worn after one afternoon of use, although this didn't seem to affect their performance.

For £15, it’s a handy little cleaning gadget as long as you know what you’re buying. I wouldn’t use it as your main scrubber, but for awkward jobs, tough dried-on grime and detail cleaning, it’s worth keeping in the cupboard.

What’s in the box?

The Lakeland Electric Scrubber comes with the main handheld scrubber and four interchangeable brush heads. Batteries aren’t included, so you’ll need four AA batteries before you can use it.

• Main electric scrubber unit

• Large flat brush head for tiles, shower screens and wider surfaces

• Small flat brush head for taps, hob edges and smaller areas

• Pointed detail brush for grout lines, corners, plug holes and seals

• Soft-bristled brush for lighter cleaning and finishing jobs

Read next: Best steam cleaners

Can the Lakeland Electric Scrubber be used on grout?

Yes, and this is where the scrubber works best. It’s small, precise and far better suited to grout lines than large surfaces.

The pointed detail brush was the standout attachment for me. It got into grout, corners, plug holes, rubber seals and around taps with much less faff than using a cloth or manual brush. It’s especially useful around joins where dirt and limescale build up quickly.

It worked well on grout and limescale, although you still need a decent cleaning product and a bit of patience. It’s basically a dupe of the SonicScrubber, although it doesn’t feel quite as powerful. The brush oscillates to help loosen dirt, but you still need to put some effort in yourself.

The largest attachment helped a bit on wider sections, but the brush head is still small. Cleaning a full shower screen or large tiled area takes a while, and I mostly reached for it on corners, edges and dirtier patches instead of bigger surfaces. That matches how these smaller scrubbers are usually used. They’re most useful for awkward spots rather than full-room cleaning.

The bristles showed some wear after use, which is worth keeping in mind if you clean grout regularly. It didn’t affect performance during my test, but I’d want to see how the heads hold up over time.

Read next: Best handheld steam cleaners

Is the Lakeland Electric Scrubber comfortable to use?

The handle is easy to grip and stayed secure even when wet, which helps when you’re cleaning the bathroom. The scrubber is small and lightweight, and because it’s cordless, you don’t have to deal with a cable around taps or shower rails.

The button is better than I expected. You can either press it for short bursts or slide it up to keep the scrubber running. The slide function worked reliably throughout testing, which makes longer cleaning jobs much easier.

The brush heads were also easy to swap, even after use. None of them jammed or stuck. The battery compartment was more annoying. It was stiff and awkward to open the first time, which isn’t ideal when the product doesn’t include batteries and you want to get started quickly. It became easier after a few attempts, but first impressions weren’t great.

Related: Best cordless vacuum cleaners

Is the Lakeland Electric Scrubber good value for money?

At £15 at the time of writing, the Lakeland Electric Scrubber is reasonably priced for a small detail-cleaning tool, especially with four brush heads included. Lakeland also gives it a three-year guarantee.

How useful it feels depends on what you want it for. For grout lines, plug holes, tap bases, rubber seals, hob edges and tight corners, I found it genuinely handy. It’s compact, easy to store and useful for the more irritating parts of a clean.

I wouldn’t buy it expecting fast results on large jobs. Even with the biggest attachment, it takes a while to clean bigger areas, and it doesn’t replace a proper scrub brush for stubborn grime. It’s also frustrating that batteries aren’t included, and the lack of a stated battery runtime makes it harder to judge convenience long term.

Compared with more expensive rechargeable scrubbers, this feels fairly basic. Compared with a manual brush, it gives you extra movement and makes detail cleaning easier. I’d see it as a useful extra for awkward jobs rather than something you’ll use for every clean.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials like steam irons, vacuum cleaners and heated throws.

From a highly recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.