Product test

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Testing the Dyson WashG1 hard floor cleaner

Item: Dyson WashG1
Rating: 3
Author: Stefanie Lechthaler

Stefanie Lechthaler

12.3.2025

Translation: Katherine Martin

The Dyson WashG1 claims to be a roller-toting miracle cleaner. It promises to effortlessly wash not just my floor, but any dirty floor. I put the device and its promises to the test, all while on the lookout for challenges presented by day-to-day use.

Vacuuming and washing floors in one fell swoop? Sounds convenient and time-saving. In other words, the very thing I’ve been looking for. In May last year, Dyson launched its first fully fledged hard floor cleaner, the WashG1. A device that seemed like it could fulfil my desire to get the housework done faster. I first got my hands on one immediately after launch, and have since been testing it regularly on hardwood and tiled floors.

Elegantly blitzes dirt away

In principle, the WashG1 isn’t massively different from other hard floor cleaners. Two counter-rotating microfibre rollers continuously spray the floor with fresh water, wiping it as they go. Instead of emptying all the dirt into one container, Dyson has come up with something new: separating dry and wet dirt. To do this, the rollers spin dry particles into a collection tray, while liquid dirt is transported into a dirty water tank. The system’s designed to minimise direct contact with dirt.

Solid dirt goes into the collection tray…

… while dirty water is pumped into a separate tank. — Solid dirt goes into the collection tray…

Three water pressure modes, one squeaky-clean floor

The WashG1 boasts three cleaning modes. These allow you to adjust the amount of water depending on how stubborn a dried-in stain is. You can also give the water volume a quick boost at the touch of a button. On the flipside, doing this has a notable impact on battery life. You can see how much battery the cleaner has left at any time by checking the screen.

You can switch between three cleaning modes.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

The long overdue deep clean

I start in the kitchen. The room’s dusty corners are long overdue for a clean, so it’s the perfect testing ground. I pop the water tank out of its holder and fill it with fresh water. I don’t use any cleaning products the first time around, as I’m keen to see how the wet cleaner fares without chemical help.

To switch on the WashG1, you have to «click» it out of standby mode. That movement feels pretty rough on the first try, but as soon as you press the start button, it works like a dream. The cleaner virtually floats over the kitchen tiles.

Although the WashG1 gobbles up loose dirt in one stroke, dried-in stains push it to its limits. Even when I up the water volume, the dirt refuses to budge. After several attempts, I give up and tackle the stain with a sponge. Next, I set my sights on the dust-ridden area behind the fridge. Again, the hard floor cleaner whisks away the dust with ease. The only spot I can’t reach is a three-centimetre strip along the wall.

The WashG1 can clean along a wall, but only from the left side of the device. So, unfortunately, it can’t reach every nook and cranny.

Only the left side of the WashG1 can clean right up to the edge of the room.

How accurate is the dirt separation feature?

I then try the hard floor cleaner out on mustard and oatmeal to see if it can separate the two. Both messes disappear from the tiles as the mop glides over them. However, any dirt that winds up in the grout between the tiles gets stuck there. The tiles are too high for the WashG1 to reach the mess, so I’m forced to grab a wet cloth to wipe it up by hand.

When I go to rinse out the containers, I notice the oatmeal has ended up in the collection tray and the dirty water tank has gone slightly yellow. That confirms the WashG1’s separation mechanism works as intended.

The ketchup test

For the ultimate toughness test, I spill some ketchup on the bathroom floor and leave it to dry for three days. I also throw a little red wine around it for good measure. As you can see in the video, the WashG1 holds its own against the stains. The wine disappears immediately, while the sticky ketchup vanishes when I ramp up the water pressure to max. Since the bathroom tiles aren’t as thick, the cleaner easily manages to reach into the grout and clean it. Unfortunately, I have to leave a strip of flooring along the wall unmopped. My bathroom’s really narrow, so I can’t manoeuvre the mop head 180 degrees.

Stefanie Lechthaler: the hard floor cleaner also gets rid of damp food residue and drink spillages.

The eternal hair problem

As I’m mopping up the ketchup stain, I notice the wet cleaner doesn’t really pick up hair from the floor. Instead, it just pushes the strands around the tiles. Curious to see how it’d cope with a major hairball, I grab my hairbrush and throw all the strands caught up in it onto the floor. The result? The WashG1 grabs up most of the hair, but struggles with a few individual strands left behind. I imagine short hairs are too fine to make it into the collecting tray, and long hairs end up wrapped around the rollers. Even so, the entangled hair doesn’t stop the floor cleaner doing its job. In any case, it’s easy enough to remove the hair once I’m done mopping. A competitor model, the Dreame H13 Pro, has less trouble with hair, as confirmed by my colleague Patrick Vogt in his review. Mind you, the H13 Pro throws everything into the same dirt container.

Long hair gets wrapped around the brushes.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Foam party

It takes me a little while to figure out the right quantity of cleaning product. If I add too much to the fresh water tank, foam builds up in the waste water tank. This creates an issue, as the foam stops dirty water from getting into the tank, causing a mixture of filthy water and flecks of dirt to get caught up in the collection tray. When you remove the tray, the liquid spills out.

If you add too much cleaning product, you end up with a big, foamy mess.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Hardwood floors are no bother

To clean my hardwood floors, I pour a little parquet cleaner into the fresh water tank and mop all the floors in my 70-square-metre flat. I have enough room to manoeuvre in my bedroom and living room to use the left side of the device, cleaning all along the wall and reaching the corners. The cleaning mode that uses the least water gets the job done in these rooms, so I only use half a tank. It doesn’t leave any water marks behind. According to Dyson, a full tank is enough for up to 290 square metres of floor space – provided you can cover all that within the device’s 35 minutes of battery life.

The post clean-up clean-up

The manufacturer’s promise that users won’t come into contact with dirt at all isn’t entirely true. When I pull the dry dirt container out of the WashG1, the contents occasionally spill out – especially if I’ve used too much cleaning product. Since the dirt and waste water are kept separate, this is no biggie. Although you need to empty out the wed clods of dirt, you don’t need to potter around with a gross cocktail of grime. If you hold the dirt collection tray under the tap, the particles wash off without any rigorous scrubbing or brushing.

Dry dirt gets sucked into the collection tray and is easy to empty out.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Even the dirt caught in the microfibre rollers is easy to rinse off. If you want to clean each roller more thoroughly, they’re straightforward to unscrew and reattach later. Dyson has even colour-coded them so that you’ll remember which part goes where. Pretty nifty.

… and blue goes with blue. The colour scheme shows you which components go together. — Red goes with red…

I clean out the dirty water tank using a sponge and washing-up liquid to prevent sediment from building up inside. The containers have wide openings, so it’s not a demanding task. In general, I’d say cleaning the WashG1 is uncomplicated and quick.

The waste and fresh water tanks have large enough openings, allowing for easy cleaning.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

Self-cleaning mode

The WashG1 has a self-cleaning mode to thoroughly rinse the inside of the device. To start the process, you just pop the cleaner into its charging station and activate the mode. The display then gives you step-by-step instructions to fill the fresh water tank, empty the waste water tank and clean the collection tray. Once you’ve done that and pressed the start button, self-cleaning mode kicks in. After a two-minute rinsing process, the device is ready for its next clean-up.

The display tells you exactly what to do for the self-cleaning process to start.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

It takes just over two minutes for the WashG1 to be thoroughly rinsed.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

What about day-to-day use?

Although the cleaner tips the scales at just under five kilogrammes, it’s comfortable to hold and easy to move around. With one battery charge and less than one tankful of water, I can cover all 70 square metres of my flat. Assuming the place isn’t sporting too many hefty stains, that is. The WashG1’s strong suit is definitely hardwood flooring. Once I’ve cleared any cables out of the way, I can even reach dust under the furniture.

The wet cleaner is nimble enough to reach the dusty spot under my bathroom cabinet.
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler

If I spill anything in the kitchen, I have to wipe it up myself before going over it with the WashG1. Unfortunately, it can’t get into the deep joints between the tiles. In the bathroom, it’s a similar story. If there’s too much hair lying around, I have to give the floor a once-over with the vacuum cleaner first. With this in mind, the WashG1 doesn’t make housework much easier in either of these rooms.

In a nutshell

A decent wet cleaner with some minor imperfections

The WashG1 is comfortable to hold, glides effortlessly over the floor and does a good job of washing without much chemical help. It separates dry dirt from wet dirt, sorting it into two different containers. The WashG1 is also really good at removing stains from smooth floors. However, it does struggle with hair and uneven surfaces, such as the deep joints between my kitchen tiles. It’s unable to reach the dirt wedged in there. The fresh- and dirty water containers have wide openings, making it easy to clean them out. I don’t have any issues cleaning the other components either. One tankful and one battery charge is all I need to give my 70-square-metre flat a quick freshen-up. When it comes to more stubborn stains, it’s a different story. Increasing the water pressure also uses up more battery.

Pro

Easy to clean
Reaches under furniture
One battery charge is enough for my flat
One tankful is enough for my flat
Works very well on smooth floors
Separates solid and liquid dirt well
Does the job with little or no cleaning product
Easy to move around

Contra

Has trouble cleaning deep grout
Has difficulty with long hair
Only the left side of the mop can clean right up to the edge of the room

Wet floor cleaner

−8%

CHF340.– was CHF369.–

Dyson WashG1

Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler

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Stefanie Lechthaler

Editor

Stefanie.Lechthaler@digitecgalaxus.ch

Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.

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