Many years before I moved into my one-bed haven, I was in a houseshare with three boys. Lovely people, but our views on cleanliness… let’s just say they differed, like Trump and Harris.
The bathroom sink was freckled with their beard trimmings (sometimes landing on toothbrushes), they littered the living room with dirty plates for days on end, and their approach to cleaning up kitchen floor spills was to simply let them evaporate.
Refusing to tidy after them (feminism and all that), I monitored a puddle of spilt milk shrink over a summer weekend, filling the kitchen with a rank, sour smell. Needless to say, I’m thrilled that I’ve left my house-sharing days behind.
Mind you, if we’d all chipped in for Dyson’s new WashG1 Wet Floor cleaner, we’d probably be fighting over who got to clean up the mess instead.
Dyson’s new cleaner is designed to clean up spills, grime and dirt across kitchens, bathrooms and living spaces with just water. Does it live up to the hype, or will I find myself frowning over more spilt milk? I took it for a spin to see.
Dyson WashG1 Key Specs
- Clean water tank: 1 litre capacity
- Dirty water tank: 0.8-litre capacity
- Run time: Up to 35 minutes
- Dimensions: H1140mm x L225mm x W300mm.
- Weight: 4.9 kg
- Charge time: 4 hours
- Cleaning coverage: Up to 290sqm, equivalent, the brand says to a tennis court.
Packaging
Dyson’s cleaner comes in a compact box that stands about thigh height with all parts held in place by folded cardboard wedging and inserts. I noticed a lack of glue, which means the waste will be easier to recycle.
Some plastic protected the plugs and were used in cable ties but it’s clear Dyson is making an effort to cut back as much as it possibly can. Tick.
Set up
Instructions are illustrated in a series of diagrams inside the box (sidestepping more paper waste) and are intuitive, although there is a QR code, plus searchable online guides to help if you need them.
Connecting the handle to the water tanks and the cleaner head is step one. Step two is snapping the charging base and one other part together. Allow the cleaner to power up on its base before taking it out for a first spin. Oh, and never use the machine without adding clean tap water to the upper tank first as failing to can cause it to overheat.
Design
The main thing to note is the dual water tanks - this is what separates the WashG1 from the rest. The upper tank should be filled with tap water and reattached to the cleaner: this is used to hydrate the rollers on the vacuum head. Dirty water is funnelled into the lower tank and must be emptied into the sink afterwards, but it’s a simple process that keeps your paws away from icky water.
Similarly, the self-clean mode sheds solid detritus like crumbs, dust and hair from the head’s rollers and into a tray insert which can be popped out and chucked in the bin without getting your hands dirty.
Performance
Two controls are set on the handle, making them easy to operate one-handed - good news if you’re hastily shoving stuff out of the path of the WashG1. Above the two buttons, you’ll find a circular LED display through which you can scroll through options, including water levels (low to high, with drops ascending from one to three to demonstrate intensity) and self-cleaning mode, which should be run after you’ve finished a session.
Handling the vacuum is a dream; it can get low to the ground to clean under beds and sofas and the rollers excel at removing food splatters, drink spills and rug tape residue off my laminate flooring. The cleaner head manoeuvres around tight corners and right up to the skirting board when approached side-on. The counter-rotating rollers are real workhorses, agitating dried-on stains with each pass until they’re toast. If you’ve got a really stubborn stain on your hands, increase the water level to get rid of it.
Two bugbears: if you have many area rugs, as I do, you’ll need to remove them before cleaning with the WashG1 - it won’t work on anything but hard floors. And in the bathroom, the vacuum’s head couldn’t fit around the base of my pedestal sink or loo, so some jobs will still have to be seen to manually.
Cost
Look, it’s Dyson and it’s new - it’s going to be expensive. The question is, is this worth the £600 dent to your bank balance?
If your home is wall-to-wall hard floors - as many are these days - then getting Dyson’s cleaner makes sense. Similarly, if you feel as though you’re spending your life mopping up sticky food spills and muddy paw prints off your kitchen, hall and bathroom floors, the WashG1 is much cleaner and more efficient than a regulation mop and bucket.
Plus you don’t need to fill it with anything other than clean water, so there’s no onwards expense after the initial purchase and zero toxins to worry about.
Verdict
Dyson WashG1 wet floor cleaner
Designed to clean hard floors such as laminate, vinyl and sealed wood floors with nothing but tap water, the WashG1 will retire your mop and bucket for good.
Counter-revolving rollers glide across the room and under heavy furniture picking up dry and wet mess quickly and efficiently. Dry dirt is collected into a tray, while dirty water empties into a separate tank, so you’re only ever cleaning with fresh water - perfect if you’re trying to avoid harmful chemicals in a house with pets and kids.
The vacuum can clean right up to wall edges when used side-on, erasing everything from accidental food and drink spills to stubborn stains with three levels of water hydration. All that is left behind is a thin film, which dries quickly so that you’re not saturating floors in water for long periods.
Dyson’s vacuum even has a self-cleaning mode to keep the appliance in good working condition, ready for the next clean.
Buy now £599.99, Dyson
