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Floors are among the hardest-working surfaces in our homes, making regular cleaning absolutely essential. Dirt, dust and stains can rapidly build up if not regularly tackled.

I vacuum and mop my floors weekly, typically opting for whichever floor cleaner is cheapest when I need to restock. I have experimented with various products over the years, but have noticed the leading brands appear to be Flash and Fabulosa. When the time came to purchase a new floor cleaner, I decided to buy both and compare them.

Flash All-Purpose Cleaner claims to be the number one in the UK and "removes up to 100% of grease and dirt". I selected this in the fresh lemon scent, which promises a lasting fragrance and "brilliant" shine. It came in a one-litre bottle priced at £2.25 from Heron.

I also bought Fabulosa's cotton fresh concentrated disinfectant cleaner, which can be used on floors, for £1 for a 220ml bottle. It is promoted as delivering "long-lasting freshness" while eliminating 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.

I tested both floor cleaners in my living room on laminate floorboards. I simply split the room in half, using Flash on one side and Fabulosa on the other.

Flash's instructions stated to use two lids of the cleaner (60ml) in five litres of water. I poured this into my mop bucket and was instantly struck by the powerful lemon scent.

It had a fresh and clean scent, though it left me questioning whether it might be better suited to kitchens and bathrooms rather than living rooms. The cleaner lathered up nicely when I dipped my mop into the bucket and proved straightforward to spread across my floors.

I felt the ratio of cleaner to water was well-balanced, providing ample solution to work with. The Flash cleaner delivered an immediate shine as it was applied across the floor, along with a pleasant fragrance. The scent was considerably better than anticipated, without being overly pungent.

Fabulosa's instructions differed slightly, with the bottle recommending adding one capful to 400ml of water. This appeared insufficient for my mop bucket, so I doubled the quantity to two capfuls in 800ml of water.

Fabulosa states the bottle makes 10 litres of disinfectant. The cotton fresh fragrance was considerably stronger than the Flash cleaner, accompanied by a warning stating: "We do not recommend usage in food contact areas as Fabulosa is highly perfumed and may taint."

It is further advised not to allow pets to lick or walk on wet treated areas. I set about tackling the remaining half of my living room with the Fabulosa cleaner.

The scent entirely overwhelmed Flash's cleaner, dominating the whole room. It similarly produced an attractive shine across the floor as I worked it around with my mop.

But I noticed some patchy areas despite having cleaned the entire surface. I wondered whether this was due to having considerably less water in my mop bucket than in the Flash version, since it also failed to lather as effectively.

Once I had left the floor to dry, I compared both results side by side.

Having used Fabulosa frequently in the past, I was convinced it would come out on top. However, Flash impressed me more, leaving my floor noticeably shinier and fresher.

Ultimately, I found the Fabulosa cleaner to be overly strong-smelling, even with the windows open. The requirement to keep pets away from the wet area also proved problematic, as I own a cat.

Both products cleaned my floor effectively, yet Flash edged it overall. Despite being the more expensive option, I believe the bottle will stretch to considerably more uses.