Everyday spills are part of life on hard floors, from dripped coffee to sticky kitchen splatters that travel farther than expected. When it’s just a small mess, hauling out a full-size floor washer can feel like more effort than the cleanup itself. That’s the gap Dyson is aiming to fill with its new Dyson PencilWash, a slim, lightweight wet floor cleaner designed for quick jobs and hard-to-reach spaces.
Priced at $349, the PencilWash builds on the ultra-thin design Dyson introduced with the Dyson PencilVac ($599.99), which rethought the traditional stick vacuum with a narrower handle and lighter frame. Now that same pencil-like profile moves into wet cleaning. And honestly, after years of pushing bulkier, top-heavy machines, I was surprised by how effortless the 4.9-pound PencilWash felt when I pushed it across the floor.
So what makes it feel different? For starters, it doesn’t look or move like a typical wet-dry vacuum. Most models in this category rely on large, heavy bases and oversized tanks, including Dyson's WashG1 Wet Cleaner $399.99), which weighs in at 10.5 pounds. The PencilWash feels intentionally scaled for smaller, modern spaces. It pivots up to 170 degrees and reclines to about 6 inches high, so it slides under low furniture instead of stopping short.
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When I tried it at a Dyson demo, I expected some resistance when it was fully reclined. That’s usually where cleaners start to feel awkward or harder to control. Instead, it stayed surprisingly stable and easy to steer. It didn’t fight me, which is something I can’t say about many floor washers I’ve tested. In my brief use, my chalk drawings, scattered dirt, and small spills were handled quickly, leaving floors clean without feeling overly wet.
The balance plays a big role here. Dyson says only about 0.8 pounds is felt in the hand while the floorhead stays grounded, which helps explain why it’s so easy to guide. Because the clean and dirty tanks are housed in the floorhead and the battery sits inside the slim 1.5-inch handle, the upper portion stays narrow and comfortable to hold. There’s no trigger to constantly squeeze, which I appreciated more than I expected. You’re guiding it, not wrestling with it.
The cleaning system is also a departure from a typical floor washer. Rather than relying on strong suction, the PencilWash uses clean water fed across a fast-spinning microfiber roller to loosen and lift debris, with wastewater directed into a separate chamber. Dyson says only fresh water touches the floor, and there’s no traditional filter to trap residue inside the machine.
The included dock handles charging, and it comes with a drip tray for the damp floorhead. However, there’s no automatic self-cleaning cycle like you’ll find on more expensive cleaners. Run time per charge is about 30 minutes.
I can see the PencilWash being a great fit for apartment dwellers, smaller homes, or anyone who wants a quick, grab-and-go solution for kitchen spills and high-traffic areas without committing to a full deep-clean session. It won’t replace a heavy-duty mopvac machine for bigger or whole-house jobs. It’s clearly about portability and maneuverability. At $349, it also represents one of the more affordable entry points into the Dyson lineup. The Dyson PencilWash will be available starting March 17th.
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[Image credit: Dyson]
