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Cleaning floors isn’t exactly rocket science, but the last frontier that wet floor cleaners such as Dyson’s Wash G1 aim to conquer is the business of washing away spills and solids in one hit. It sounds oddly specific, but if you’re a passionate (read: messy) cook, have small children or indoor pets, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Take, for example, the feeding of a baby. At the conclusion of every meal, there’s a mess on the floor to contend with. It could be saucy spaghetti strands, sticky rice (that stuff spreads) or steamed pumpkin. You really don’t have much choice but to get down on your hands and knees and pick up the solids one-by-one before hauling out the mop and bucket to finish the job. Until now. Dyson’s Wash G1 is designed to pick up both wet and dry messes and wash your floors at the same time – all without using suction.
Explaining how this works isn’t easy, but I’ll give it my best shot. The cleaning head basically has two microfibre rollers that spin in opposite directions to pick up debris as they mop and polish your floors. Meanwhile, clean water flows into the head and across the rollers while dirty water is simultaneously extracted and stored in its own designated tank. Solid debris is also filtered into its own tray that can be emptied into a bin at the conclusion of each clean. But does it really work? Is it really worth the $999 price tag? Dyson graciously lent me a review model so I could put it to the test in my own home on my own timber and tile floors. Here’s what I think.
Home Beautiful’s Dyson Wash G1 review verdict
- Our rating: (6 out of 10)
- Why we rated it a (6/10): You may actually look forward to cleaning messy floors thanks to the Dyson Wash G1, but, weighing in at just under 5kg, it is heavy and requires regular maintenance that isn’t as straightforward as the sleek demonstration videos make it appear. While it’s fairly good at what it does, and satisfying to use, the price tag and limited uses around the house make it a nice-to-have, rather than a need-to-have.
Pros
- Does a great job of cleaning up messes in one or two sweeps
- Easy to use
- Intuitive interface
- Perfect for touch-ups and tidying up messy areas of the home such as the kitchen and dining room
- More convenient to whip out than a mop and bucket
- Even using the highest water setting results in floors that dry quickly without streaks
Cons
- Expensive, retails for $999
- Only one side of the head can clean edges, which is awkward to use in some key areas such as the kitchen
- Bulky head will not fit underneath bed frames or sofas
- The microfibre rollers don’t do a great job of picking up mess caught in grout lines
- Annoying to take apart and clean, and improper care can lead to bad odours
- Additional accessories such as spare mop heads are costly to buy and replace. Rollers need replacing every six months
What’s so special about the Dyson Wash G1?
Hard floor cleaners, or wet floor cleaners, are designed to make cleaning your floors a breeze. The Dyson Wash G1 essentially does the job of a vacuum cleaner (albeit without suction) and a mop in one, with the added advantage of being able to pick up chunks of food and debris like pasta, peas or pet kibble, which would normally have to be picked up manually prior to mopping. Hard floor cleaners also have a motor that ‘drives’ the device as you use it, allowing the head to glide along the floor with little physical effort from the user.
How to use the Dyson Wash G1
- Fill the clean water tank with water. Optional: add a low suds detergent to the water.
- Turn on the machine and use the onboard screen to adjust the amount of water used.
- Watch as messes are cleaned up right before your eyes.
- Once cleaning is complete, place the machine back on the charging dock.
- Empty the dirty water reservoir and refill the clean water reservoir. Replace back into the machine.
- Select ‘Self clean’ cycle. Empty and rinse the debris tray.
- Every few uses, check the rollers for debris and wash if necessary.
Results from our test
I fell hard and fast for the Wash G1 once I had it out of the box and set up. It took away a pinch point that had been bothering me for such a long time: post-toddler mealtime clean ups. Now, our family could simply enjoy meals together, no matter how messy things got. Toddler’s ‘yeeted’ (slang for throwing an object with force) an entire bowl of spaghetti on the floor? No worries. Accidentally knocked a cup of milk over while getting brekkie ready? No worries. I can’t stress enough how liberating it is to not have to worry about my floors, or wrecking my knees kneeling under the table picking up food scraps.
Cleaning under the dinner table after a messy meal is a breeze with the Dyson Wash G1. (Photography: Armelle Habib | Styling: Julia Green)
The ease of use extended to cleaning large swathes of my home. I promptly set about cleaning the tiled floors downstairs. It probably took me less than 15 minutes to cover the kitchen, dining and living zone. It was a breeze, but I noted some small dried-on stains on the tiles that just did not budge despite setting the machine to the highest water level. If I was using a spin mop or a flat mop, a bit of elbow grease would have made quick work of these spots, but you can’t apply any extra force with the Wash G1. It just doesn’t work like that.
Then it was time to do upstairs. Weighing in at just under 5kgs, this machine isn’t exactly heavy, but it is cumbersome to lug up the stairs. However, once I got it up there, it made light work of the bedrooms and bathroom. I’d washed and dried my hair that morning, so it had its work cut out picking up loose strands. It did eventually capture the bob-length hairs, but it did take three to five sweeps to do so. To clean the floors upstairs and downstairs required about three water changes.
Once finished, I lugged it back down the stairs. I am a domestic goddess, I thought, marvelling at my sparkling floors. As I placed the machine back on the dock, it prompted me to initiate the self-cleaning function. I’ll get to that later, I told myself. Big mistake.
Everything was fine and dandy, and I was pretty much a convert. I must admit, the next morning did I wake up to a very sore arm – turns out doing the entire house is a workout even if it feels like the machine is driving itself across the floor. I found myself actually getting excited about mess on the floor. Oh yes, another chance to whip out the Wash G1. That entire first week, I reached for it over my trusty stick vac and spin mop. I got so caught up in the joy of the appliance that I made one grave, grave error: not emptying the debris tray and not running the self-cleaning function. But more on this later …
How does the Dyson Wash G1 compare to other hard floor cleaning methods?
As much as I love the Wash G1, it won’t replace your vacuum cleaner, mop and bucket or even your flat mop – despite what the marketing materials suggest. Why? Because these old fashioned floor cleaning methods are affordable, multipurpose (you can clean skirting boards, kitchen cupboards and walls with a spin mop, for example), cheap to buy and, most importantly, easy to clean.
An old-fashioned mop may not be fancy, but you can use it in many different ways, including to wash walls and freshen up skirting boards. (Photography: Simon Whitbread)
Who will love the Dyson Wash G1?
I’m not convinced that the Dyson Wash G1 will satisfy those who already clean their floors using an old-fashioned mop and bucket. I believe those who usually reach for a flat mop or a steam mop are the most likely to enjoy the Wash G1, simply because it offers the same kind of convenience, manoeuvrability and cleaning power. The Wash G1 is also likely to appeal to those with hybrid, vinyl or wood floors, as the machine uses just the right amount of water to get your floors clean without saturating them, and the quick-dry means a perfect, streak-free finish every time.
But the group who will love this appliance the most? Parents and pet-parents. Cleaning up after messy meal-times, and tidying up spills and little accidents, is a breeze with the Dyson Wash G1.
I have a confession to make…
Okay, so the glossy brochure part of this review is officially over. Now let’s get down and dirty – literally. After a week of gloriously slurping up messes effort free, I began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Those ‘self-cleaning’ prompts? I’d ignored them one too many times. Why? Well, I was in a rush to tidy up the kitchen and then make a start on bath and bedtime. Also, the clean tank was empty (or was the dirty tank full?) and it just wasn’t convenient to empty and refill the canisters then and there and well… life happened. Anyway, so there I was, entering the garage where I keep all my cleaning supplies and I noticed it. The smell. And it was coming from the Wash G1.
What happens when food scraps, spilt milk and stagnant water are left to sit in a dark corner where, let’s be real, air doesn’t circulate? I’m sure you can guess. I know, I know, this was 100 per cent my fault, but I’m including this embarrassing slip-up in my review because I believe the type of person this appliance was designed for – i.e. busy people – could easily make the same mistake. Plus, the wash-up that ensued was nothing short of horrific.
Dyson recommend emptying the clean and dirty water tanks after each clean to avoid stagnant water. They also recommend initiating the ‘self-cleaning’ cycle after each use. The rollers, brushes and base of the charging dock should also be cleaned and dried once a week.
What I should have done
Cleaning the Dyson Wash G1
Before attempting to clean the Wash G1, I watched a series of soothing how-to videos on Dyson’s website. This’ll be a piece of cake, I told myself. Here’s my first person account of cleaning the unit…
Cleaning the debris tray
First I had to slide out the debris tray. It almost sounds quaint, debris tray. But what was inside was more akin to primordial slime than debris. I couldn’t just tap the contents into a bin as I’d imagined, I had to scrape off the smelly grey sludge and scrub every nook and cranny with a detergent-laden brush.
Cleaning the rollers
Then came the microfibre rollers. Initially I rinsed them, added a touch of gentle laundry detergent and shampooed them thoroughly. I rinsed again. But upon lifting the roller to my nose, I couldn’t deny that the distinct smell of sour milk was still there. So I popped them in a bucket of Napisan for 30 minutes before rinsing them clean again. Thankfully this removed the odour.
Cleaning the brushes
And then it was time to turn my efforts to the machine itself. I wiped down the base of the machine (where all of the rollers and brushes attach) first with a damp cloth and a slosh of white vinegar (I was desperate to eliminate the odour). Then I wiped it down with a damp cloth and a drop of dishwashing liquid. Then I hand-washed the water canisters and hand dried them before refilling the clean tank and placing it back on the machine. All in all, there were over ten different parts that needed to be pulled apart, hand washed, air-dried and reassembled.
Drying the rollers
It’s also worth noting that the rollers take a long time to dry. It’s winter now, so the weather isn’t exactly in my favour, but I put the rollers outside at 12pm on an overcast day and they still weren’t completely dry by 4pm the following day. I don’t see this being an issue in summer but, because they cannot be tumbled dried, if you’re planning to use this appliance regularly, you may want to purchase an additional set of rollers.
Overall, is the Dyson Wash G1 worth it?
The biggest advantage that the Dyson Wash G1 has over old-fashioned floor cleaning methods is that, if there’s a mess, it’s just so convenient to grab, clean up and move on with your life. The floor also dries super quickly, which is important if you have young kids running around. If you have young children or messy pets, you may find this appliance well worth the price tag.
But, and there’s a big but, I believe any time saved using this appliance is used up again every time you have to pull it apart to wash and maintain it. The entire cleaning process – which Dyson recommend undertaking once a week – took me about 30 minutes (not including time for air-drying) and the whole time I couldn’t help but think: I should have just gotten down on my hands and knees and picked up the mess myself.
Where to buy the Dyson Wash G1
- Dyson, $999 (and when you buy directly from Dyson you’ll also receive two additional rollers valued at $49, for free)
- The Good Guys, $999
- David Jones, $999
This article originally appeared on Home Beautiful and is republished here with permission.
