Review: Dyson WashG1 Floor Cleaner

Several years ago, at the launch of its V15 Detect Submarine, Dyson finally dipped its toe in the wet-mop game. The clever, water-filled detachable head and super scrubbing bars gave customers one device with which to vacuum and wet-mop hard floors. It was a quick, premium fix, for those people who want to bring Dyson’s signature efficacy and ease of use to the horrible chore of mopping. And now with the new Dyson WashG1, the company has ditched vacuum suction altogether and designed an all-in-one wet mop that slurps up debris and scrubs your floors.

I’ve spent the past few weeks using the Dyson WashG1 and have been impressed by the cleaner’s ability to embarrass me with just how dirty my floors had become, while also gathering up a surprising amount of pet hair and general detritus.

Photograph: Dyson

Dense Fibers

The secret to the mopping suction of the Dyson WashG1 lies in the two highly absorbent microfiber rollers that rotate counter to each other. A pump then distributes water from the 27-ounce tank evenly across 26 pulse-modulated (read: squirty) water outlets, soaking each roller. As the rollers spin, they scrub the floor beneath, while the 64,800 filaments-per-square-centimeter of microfiber soak up spills and cling onto any bits of dust, food, pet hair, and Cheerios.

Traditional wet-and-dry vacuums have been able to suck up all manner of stuff for years, but cleaning them is often disgusting, with hair and dirt matted around wet, grubby brush bars. Here, Dyson has done a superb job separating the solids from the dirty water, making cleaning impressively simple. Fill the water tank, press Go, push around your home, and dirty water is extracted from the rollers and pumped into the dirty water tank. A nylon-bristled inner brush removes dirt and debris from the microfiber rollers, depositing it in the removable debris tray.

Photograph: Chris Haslam

It is a significant upgrade in almost every way from the Dyson Submarine.

The pull-out debris tray has a 500-micron mesh to further separate dirty water from the large debris. The result is dirty, but not gritty, water in the tank—which can be simply poured down the sink—and a tray full of dirt that can be tapped into the bin. It’s worth noting too that, once back charging on the supplied upright dock, it will automatically self-clean to be ready for the next job. Dyson recommends you manually clean the rollers after three washes, which involves running everything under the faucet.

Wait a Minute

The Dyson WashG1 cannot entirely replace the need for a traditional vacuum. Maybe if your home has only hard floors and is hermetically sealed, you might get away with it, but for most people, especially those with pets and kids, you’ll still need to vacuum or have a robot do it for you. Dyson claims it can replace your vacuum, but I'm not yet convinced. Combined with even the cheapest Dyson cordless vacuum, you’ll not get much change from $1,000.

It is great at cleaning hard surfaces though, and I was impressed by how little standing water was left after passing the rollers over the kitchen tiles. When I first tried the WashG1, the color of the water in the dirty tank was shameful. I naturally blame it on the two dogs that had stayed the previous week. I was most impressed by the cleaning performance on tiles. While it won’t bring grout back to life, the tiles were noticeably cleaner.

Photograph: Chris Haslam

It was also great to be able to use brush bar power, rather than chemicals, to remove any stains. There’s four levels of power available, with a max setting for really dried on gunk, but the second level (for debris, hair and moderate stains) was the best all-arounder. It also worked consistently on wooden floors, although I did use some of my favorite squirt-and-mop almond-scented Method cleaner to give the planks a little extra shine.

Having the dirty water tank on full display is a clever move by Dyson, as it not only shows you how good at cleaning it is, but embarrasses you into cleaning more frequently. I was delighted when, after several days of shame-fueled cleaning, the dirty water was only slightly cloudy instead of looking like a muddy puddle.

Dyson calculates that you’ll be able to cover up to 3,121 square feet (290 square meters) with one liter of clean water. That’s slightly larger than a tennis court. If you can’t picture the size of a tennis court, battery life is rated for 35 minutes, which proved more than enough for a four bedroom, hard floor dominated home.

Weak Link

So, it cleans hard floors superbly, and easily picks up dirt, hair and general gunky bits with ease. But it’s not perfect. Compared to Dysons of old, the build quality feels surprisingly cheap, and there are several catches and clasps that feel like weak spots. This obviously helps keep the weight down (10.8 pounds/4.9 kilograms when empty) but didn’t always fill me with confidence when repeatedly clipping parts together.

It is nicely maneuverable and you don’t have to wrestle with it when the brush bars spin. My 74-year-old mother had no issue using it around her house either, and she was impressed by the amount of dirt it picked up. She wasn’t, however, impressed with the idea of having it standing up somewhere visible to charge and self-clean rather than being hidden away in a cupboard.

Photograph: Dyson

Edge and corner cleaning were also a little disappointing, and while the brushes get up close to the side of the unit, there’s still a small gap between it at the wall. It’s not a deal-breaker, but that, and the fact it struggles to lie totally flat to get under low furniture, might be an issue for some.

Then there’s the cost. When it launches in the US (hopefully later this fall), it will retail at $799. It’s a Dyson so there’s a premium to pay, and it’s a new product category, but with well-regarded options from brands such as Tineco and Bissell available for almost half the price, it will be a hard sell for many, especially as you’ll also need a separate vacuum for a really thorough clean.