It's no secret that we are fans of Dyson products in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab. The brand makes some of the best performing stick vacuums you can buy. Not only is Dyson the brand everyone asks me about, but in our tests, its models exhibit amazing suction, sport innovative features and are tops at gobbling up dirt and pet hair.
So when I heard about Dyson's new WashG1 Wet Floor Cleaner, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. We've tested and recommended many vacuum mops in the past few years as this new category has transformed the way we wash floors in a most convenient and effective way. I was curious and excited to see what Dyson's spin on this appliance would be, what it offers and how it compares to others we've tested.
Like other models, the WashG1 is rechargeable, has separate, removable clean and dirty water tanks and self-cleans when put back on the base. But the similarities stop there. The WashG1 uses a mop head with two wide counter-rotating microfiber rollers. Clean water from the tank is dispensed onto the rollers for wet cleaning the floor, while any loose debris is swept by the rollers into a slide-out tray instead of clogging the dirty water tank. Separate spinning brushes clean the rollers during use and dirty water is fed into a second tank for emptying. And when it comes to design, it's definitely a Dyson: The WashG1 is slim, sleek and stylish with a cobalt blue looped handle.
At a glance
Pros
- Sleek design
- Double microfiber rollers
- Clear, informative display
Cons
- Lacks suction
- Expensive
- Runtime: Up to 35 minutes
- Weight: 10.8 lbs
- Cleaning modes: 4 (Levels 1, 2, 3 and max)
- Tank capacity: .21 gallons (dirty water tank); .25 gallons (clean water tank)
- Special features: Self-cleaning cycle, full width counter-rotating rollers, removable battery
- Warranty: Two years parts and labor
Why I like it
It wet cleans well.
Bells and whistles aside, what you want most from a great vacuum mop is clean floors and the Dyson WashG1 delivers. The blobs of grape jelly and chocolate syrup that I allowed to dry onto our test vinyl and ceramic tile floors were obliterated in just a few passes. And the bowl of milk and cereal that I dumped down was gobbled up quickly and with less effort than I would have had to expend sopping it up by hand. Cola and red wine spills were no challenge at all.
Finally, our floors dried clean-to-the-touch and felt smooth without any sticky or tacky residue. Four mopping modes mean you have control over the amount of water you put down, a plus when cleaning water-sensitive floors, like hardwoods. And I like that, according to Dyson, you can clean with plain water or add some low-foaming household floor cleaner to the clean water tank, if you prefer, so you don't have to buy any brand-specific cleaning formulas with the Dyson.
It's got a good battery.
The Dyson claims to run for up to 35 minutes. Thirty-five minutes comes up on the display and counts down as you mop so you always know how much battery life you have left — a very helpful tidbit of information to have. In testing, though, when I ran the WashG1 on its lowest setting and timed it, I actually got a full 41 minutes of run time.
Either way, the battery should last long enough to complete most cleaning sessions. (Dyson claims it cleans about 3,100 square feet on a single charge.) It's removable for charging which I like, so if you don't want to keep the entire unit out and plugged in you don't have to. You can tuck away the machine and charge only the battery. The WashG1 does need to be on its charging base to run the self-cleaning cycle though.
It's easy to operate.
With only a few buttons to press, the WashG1 is overall very uncomplicated easy to use and the display is clear, informative and easy to read. The machine maneuvers well, the loop handle is comfortable to hold and I found steering it was effortless. After a little practice, I mastered the knack of removing, emptying and replacing the tanks, though I did find the tray on the floor nozzle a challenge to remove. A printed manual was not included in the box so I went to the website and found one. There are also videos on the website and in the Dyson app.
What could be better
It lacks suction.
This appliance is clearly best at wet floor cleaning. It's not a vacuum. It does gather up dry spills, but as it's doing so, the microfiber rollers are wetting the floor so the debris channeled into the tray ultimately gets wet anyway. In my tests, it picked up most of the dry oatmeal flakes and orzo pasta I sprinkled down, leaving just a few stragglers on the floor that I had to chase down and a few more that fell from the rollers once I turned the machine off. Dry cereal was too big of a challenge. Many pieces got crushed into the rollers or never made it into the tray without multiple passes. Some suction might ensure that no strays get away.
The tray is messy to empty.
This, in my opinion, is the WashG1's biggest hiccup. The tray beneath the two microfiber rollers in the cleaning head is supposed to catch the dry debris for easy emptying. It catches it alright, but by the time it gets there, it's a soggy mass that needs to rinsed away. Not to mention that I found the tray difficult to remove and the whole thing messy to deal with.
The water tanks are bulky to hold.
I have small hands and unlike vacuum mops with easy-to-grab handles on their clean and dirty water tanks, I found the stacked design of the tanks a bit awkward to wrap my hands around and remove from the mop. And you have to take off both tanks at once. Filling, emptying and cleaning the tanks is easy and with practice I got better at handling them, but it's just a design that's not really tailored for small hands.
How I tested it
After fully charging the Dyson WashG1, I tested its ability to pick up dry, wet, sticky and bulky messes on the vinyl, ceramic tile and hardwood test floor panels installed in our GH Cleaning Lab, counting how many strokes it took to remove these soils and noting how well it did so without smearing or leaving residue behind.
The unit was also weighed and battery life was timed. I also assessed the ease of using the controls, maneuverability, the amount of water dispensed by each cleaning mode, ease of removing, filling, cleaning and replacing the tanks, the thoroughness of the self-cleaning cycle and even the helpfulness of the manual.
The bottom line: Is the Dyson Wash G1 worth it?
I wish I could answer this with a resounding "yes" because the Dyson Wash G1 cleans smooth hard floors well, looks cool and has some nice features, but I'm afraid I do have some reservations. The Dyson WashG1 does have a lot to offer, but for $700 I don't think you should have to interact with soggy, wet debris in such a hands-on way after each cleaning session. Even after emptying the tray and running a self-cleaning cycle, bits remained behind and on the rollers.
If you're a person who vacuums their floors first before washing them and a Dyson fan, the WashG1 does make the task of wet mopping much easier and saves work. But if you want one appliance to do both, be prepared for a bit of a mess. For its first attempt, Dyson got a lot right and tried a new cleaning system, but I'm looking forward to seeing the improvements on the WashG2.
Carolyn Forté brings more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab. Using deep analytical testing and writing expertise in appliances, cleaning, textiles and organizational products, she produces cleaning and home care advice for GH, has authored numerous books and bookazines for the brand and partners with the American Cleaning Institute to co-produce the Discover Cleaning Summits. She holds a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York.
