Deceptively simple, impressively effective
The last two weeks of 2024 are full of fun opportunities. From Christmas and Hanukkah to Kwanza and New Year’s, chances are you’ll see more people in your home in the coming days than any other time this year.
I put on Christmas dinner and with it came the reminder that I am not a clean and tidy entertainer. The egg itself was spilled, my path through the house was easily traceable as I carried a plate laden with bacon, mud was tracked from everywhere.
Thankfully I had a secret weapon in my cleaning arsenal that made all of these things nothing more than a few seconds of annoyance. The Dyson WashG1 is a powered mop that completely eliminates the need to vacuum before cleaning your floor.
What is it?
No need to vacuum!
Amazingly simple to operate, the WashG1 is an upright power mop that uses a pair of counter-rotating squeegee rollers that clean themselves as they remove spills and tough debris from your floor in one pass. Surprisingly, for a company that prides itself on vacuum suction, the WashG1 relies on roller propulsion instead of suction to clean your floors.
The 64,000-thread microfiber cloths are abraded clean as they flow, removing debris and dirty water, ensuring that the cloth that touches the floor is always clean. The company tested a large number of real spills (well beyond the industry standard of dry mustard, tartar sauce, and coffee) on a black floor using UV light to ensure the WashG1 was legitimately passing every test.
The best part about using Wash GI is that you don’t need to clean the floor before you clean the floor. Hard debris (like the nut shells left all over your kitchen floor by that uncle who insists nutcrackers are functional, not decorative) is caught in a pull-out tray between two rollers. At the end of a cleaning session, all you have to do is slide it out and dispose of the gun that has been caught by the filter. Meanwhile, the dirty water is separated. Simply unlock the central water module, unscrew the dirty water tank and throw it away.
The WashG1 uses a small motor to create negative pressure to draw dirty water out of the tray. The smaller motor translates into a longer run time on a single charge. The water tanks are visible and easily visible during use, so you don’t have to think about whether you need more clean water or empty dirty water.
How well does it work?
In its natural environment, my often dirty kitchen.
The WashG1 feels awkward in the hand at first, but once you turn on the cleaning rollers, it glides easily across the floor, cleaning up the water it throws down. The amount of water is controlled via a handy button and the full color LCD screen keeps you informed of what the machine is doing or needs.
The full color LCD is a nice touch
The head rotates easily in almost any position. The handle swings horizontally with the brush head to clean under furniture. I also really appreciate that you can close the cloth in a vertical position. It makes it a lot easier when you have to stop mid-task to take care of something (as opposed to having to prop the handle and hope it doesn’t fall).
When you’re done cleaning, there’s no need to disassemble the cleaning rollers, just run a self-cleaning cycle. I was concerned that there would be mold growth (a problem I’ve encountered with power mops that don’t have drying bases), but those fears were unfounded. Whenever I needed the WashG1, it was ready to grab and put into action.
WashG1 body, waste tray and cleaning module
Not having to vacuum beforehand means the waste tray will be full. You’ll want to make sure to clean it each time. The cleaning module is easily withdrawn even for occasional cleaning. Dyson recommends doing this every third use. I think I should do it at least every other run because I have a lot of pet and human hair running around my house. What’s nice is that the WashG1’s display guides you through the manual cleaning process every time you start a self-cleaning cycle.
Is it worth it?
At $699 it’s in line with comparable products from Tineco and Roborock. And while other companies have more gimmicks, like heated drying or hot/ozonated water, I appreciate the fact that Dyson has focused on making the WashG1 a deeply effective machine without adding extra technology.
If you have hard floors, the WashG1 is a tireless and impressive performer that will keep your floors pristine no matter what you throw at them. Learn more on the Dyson website.
