Today, Dyson has announced the upcoming launch of a new addition to its floorcare range: a super-lightweight wet hard-floor cleaner with an ultra-slim 38mm handle. The Dyson PencilWash has been designed for maximum manoeuvrability, but what excites me most is the incredibly affordable price point (well, for Dyson, anyway).
This isn’t the first wet floor cleaner Dyson has brought to the table, as the older WashG1 and the newly-released Dyson Clean+Wash hygiene have already proven to be contenders to beat some of the best vacuum mops out there. But like the best Dyson vacuum cleaners, they’ve both entered the market at extremely high price points: £599.99 and £429.99, respectively.
However, the PencilWash will be available to buy in the UK from the 23rd February and is priced at just £299.99, which makes it significantly cheaper than most competitors. Is it still worth it, though? This is everything we know about the Dyson PencilWash so far, along with my take as Ideal Home’s Certified Expert in Vacuums.
Dyson’s first entrance into wet floor cleaners was the WashG1, which has the clean and dirty water tanks located on the main unit. It also has a self-cleaning function and docking station, and you can read my full review here.
Dyson’s second hard floor cleaner is slightly different, as the dirty water tank is located on the floorhead. It still has a self-cleaning function, but it also includes a hot air drying dock. My full review is coming soon!
The Dyson PencilWash builds on the success of the Dyson PencilVac, which hit the market as the world’s slimmest vacuum cleaner. The 38mm pencil-handle format and the manoeuvrability of the floorhead earned it an impressive 4.5-star review during my testing process, so it’s no surprise that the floorcare innovators at Dyson have used the same slimline design in its new hard-floor cleaner.
In short, the PencilWash weighs just 2.2kg, lies flat to 170o to clean under low furniture, uses an eight-point hydration system to deliver fresh water to the high-density microfibre roller, and should be able to clean up to 100m2 of hard flooring across a 30-minute run time with a swappable battery pack available to buy separately if needed. In short, it should be able to tackle wet and dry debris on hard floors in a hygienic and manoeuvrable way.
Talking about the new PencilWash, John Churchill, Dyson’s Chief Technology Officer, says, ‘We’re keen on making machines smaller and lighter while dramatically improving performance. PencilWash applies that thinking to wet cleaning: our slimmest, ultra‑light format that glides effortlessly and reaches where others can’t.’
‘Using hydration, agitation and extraction, it delivers a hygienic clean with fresh water only, supported by our filter‑free system. It brings the simplicity of a broom together with the precision and power from Dyson engineering,’ he adds.
And I can’t deny that I’m impressed with the ingenuity and engineering behind the new slimline design. Some of the things I loved most about the PencilVac during testing were the slimline handle, the handy manoeuvrability of the swivel floorhead – and these positive features have all been passed down to the PencilWash.
However, my excitement wanes when it comes to the actual cleaning. Unlike other vacuum mop manufacturers, Dyson doesn’t use suction to clean hard flooring; instead, it relies on a clean water tank and rotating rollers to agitate and extract debris before collecting it in the dirty water tank.
And after testing both the Dyson WashG1 and the Clean+Wash (keep your eyes peeled for the full review of this new model next week), I’ve seen firsthand that agitation and roller technology alone don’t give the spotless clean that I’m after – especially when there are more viscous liquids and bigger solid debris involved.
Sure, the rotating rollers are hygienic and effective on smaller messes like spilt milk and small amounts of dirt, but they struggle when it comes to bigger messes and could leave you questioning whether a vacuum mop is worth it.
The PencilWash’s docking/charging system is also very different. Although there are separate stands for the handle and the floorhead, this model doesn’t include a self-cleaning mode or drying dock. Instead, this affordable model is designed to be disassembled so that every part can be washed and dried individually after use.
However, this makes me worry about mould growth, nasty odours and how long it’ll actually take to dry. And for a model that prides itself on its hygienic cleaning method, I can’t help but think that the post-cleaning maintenance is somewhat of a contradiction.
For £299.99, though, I do think Dyson has priced the PencilWash competitively and perhaps knows that its cleaning ability doesn’t match up to the vacuum mops that do use suction to aid hard floor cleaning – or the ones that include self-cleaning modes.
This includes my top-rated vacuum mop, the Bissell OmniForce Edge, which retails at £379.99. And while the Bissell would suit those who desire a deep-clean every time, the Dyson PencilWash could disrupt the market for those who want an affordable, everyday mess-buster without too many bells and whistles. As long as they’re willing to put in some work themselves.
You can bet your bottom dollar that the Ideal Home team will be testing this out as soon as it’s available to buy on the 23rd February. But if a vacuum mop isn’t quite your style, check out my guide on the best vacuum cleaners instead.
Read the full article here