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This is a new direction for Dyson. It is a floor cleaner that does not mention suction, cyclone technology, or regular vacuum cleaner terminology. Wash G1 is the company’s first hard floor cleaner, replacing suction with high-speed rollers, water, and nylon bristles. It’s set to go on sale later this year for $700/£600, which is expensive but still cheaper than Dyson’s top-of-the-line 5th generation vacuum cleaner. I was able to try out his Wash G1 at Dyson’s headquarters, a few hours west of London, UK.
This product was born out of the increasing presence of hard floors in our lives. Dyson says that fewer and fewer rooms in homes around the world have carpets. But cleaning hard floors (industrial processes aside) is still a fairly manual process, usually involving the use of a mop (or Swiffer cloth, this monster), which leaves behind stains and streaks. Regular mopping involves wiping away diluted dirt and grime from around the floor after the initial soak.
Dyson’s method uses dual microfiber rollers that separate fresh and dirty water and apply water during cleaning to mechanically remove dirt and grime. The company dabbled in this with his V15 Detect Submarine, which has a dedicated wash head with a (much smaller) water compartment built into it. The Wash G1 pulls up dirty liquids into its own container and traps physical debris in a slim tray with a mesh filter.
The rollers rotate in the opposite direction, lifting the dirt. During the test, I also got the feeling that the cleaner was floating when I turned the roller. Dense microfiber cloth absorbs and traps both liquid and solid dirt, while hardened nylon bristles remove large dirt and objects into the tray. Dirty water is also squeezed out of the rollers and drawn upwards into the machine.
The Wash G1 has 26 hydration points that ‘precisely’ soak the microfiber roller, ensuring it has enough moisture to tackle dirt and dry stains. The company claims that one tank has enough water to clean a surface area equivalent to a tennis court, but that depends on the machine’s settings.
There are three hydration levels, with an additional maximum setting that drains the tank much faster and applies as much water as possible to the most stubborn stains. This is different from the maximum setting when vacuuming and has no particular effect on battery power. This is because Wash G1 isn’t pushing the engine harder, it’s just using more water. To reach the edge of the floor, Dyson moved the roller’s engine to one side so that the right side was flush against a wall or edge.
The Wash G1 can also self-clean, using half of the water tank to flush the system and clean the brushes. There is no heating function, but when you rotate it, most of the water is squeezed out. This all happens while the Wash G1 is docked and charging. It’s a flat surface that plugs into the wall instead of the typical cables and racks used in Dyson’s other vacuums.
Once the water purification tank is used up, it is easy to remove and refill, much easier than a coffee machine. The unit with both containers snaps out of the body, allowing you to tip the dirty one and refill it with clean water. The sewage container has a wide mouth, making it easy to clean without touching the accumulated dirt.
However, there is one problem. The sewage tank is…horrible. We know it’s satisfying to see dirt and mud when cleaning your floors, but that mysterious cloudy beige container is actually quite unpleasant to look at. Perhaps Dyson could make it in a smoky plastic that makes dirty water at least a little less noticeable?
The way Dyson separates liquid and solid stains also reduces the amount of slimy stains produced when cleaning floors with water (not to brag, but I’ve only cleaned one or two carpets in my life). maybe). This is done by ensuring that solids are not present in the water for long periods of time. Dirty water is drawn into a removable container by differential pressure. This also means there’s no chance of dirt interfering with the motor, filter, or other sensitive parts.
A final microfiber roller then sucks up any remaining water and buffs the floor to avoid a streaky finish, Dyson says. In my short time with the Wash G1, it still had a streaky finish, but perhaps Dyson will fix this. After all, there’s plenty of time before this ships to consumers. In the UK, the company is aiming for an autumn (well, autumn) release, while in the US the Wash G1 will be available later this year. The demo space also had a reflective marble surface, which was probably a more difficult surface to clean thoroughly. The streaks probably wouldn’t have appeared on the hardwood floors in my house.
This is Dyson’s first attempt at cleaning dedicated hard floors, but there are still many questions about how well the filtration tray will work. How much can you fit into something so thin? We hope to get more answers as we dig deeper into it ahead of its launch later this year.