Dyson PencilWash wet cleaner review: Convenience comes at a cost

A wet cleaner isn’t the most exciting tech toy for techies like us, is it? Unlike a robot vacuum that lets you tinker with settings and scheduled runs, a wet vacuum does just…mopping. But it’s also what you end up grabbing when the robot skips that awkward corner near a piece of furniture, or when something spills onto the floor and you need it to be cleaned quickly, and that’s where something like the Dyson PencilWash starts to make more sense.

At least, that’s what I thought after a few days of trying to figure out where it actually fits in my home. Because on paper, it still feels like an odd addition. I already have a robot vacuum and a cordless stick vacuum that I use for cleaning dusty or dirty spots. It’s hard to argue that even with a robot vacuum around, having a stick vacuum is still a handy backup for doing the heavy lifting. So the PencilWash ends up raising a simple question: do you actually need a standalone wet cleaner? Hopefully, you’ll have your own answer after this review.

Convenience at a cost

The PencilWash is a fairly straightforward wet cleaner, just done with the kind of polish you’d expect from Dyson. A lot of brands – especially the usual China players – have tried to replicate Dyson’s design language over the years, but most of them still feel a step behind in terms of fit and finish. That same familiarity carries over once you start using it, especially if you’ve used the Submarine attachment on the V12 Detect Slim from way back in 2023. You slot the cleaning head into the main handle, fill up the water tank, hit the power button, and you’re good to go.

Once it’s moving, it sort of pulls itself along the floor, so you’re guiding it rather than pushing it. Across a mix of marble and parquet flooring, it glides with very little effort, and the 2.2kg weight makes a noticeable difference here. There’s a button to add extra water when you run into something more stubborn, and while it does help loosen things up, it can also leave the floor a bit too wet if you’re not careful. It took me a couple of tries to get used to it, but there’s definitely some trial and error involved at the start.

Dyson claims about 30 minutes of runtime, but in my use, I almost always ran out of water before the battery became a concern. So the PencilWash isn’t meant to mop your entire apartment in one go. It’s more of a wet mop you take out for a quick clean after a spill, or when the kitchen floor gets a bit grimy after cooking, rather than a full cleaning routine.

I also noticed very quickly where this wet cleaner limits are – it isn’t really built for heavy-duty cleaning. As I mentioned earlier It handles light, everyday messes without much issue, but once you run into something more stubborn that even a robot vacuum can’t manage, it becomes obvious that this isn’t a replacement for the tried-and-tested mop and bucket. Putting a bit more pressure on it to deal with tougher stains doesn’t work either, as it can cause the roller to slow down instead – and in some cases even stall.

There’s also the maintenance part, which to me is likely going to be the deal-breaker for some. Because unlike a robot vacuum that heads back to its dock to clean and dry itself, the PencilWash needs to be cleaned manually. First, you have to carefully lift the cleaning head attachment very carefully and level – otherwise the unsealed dirty water reservoir might spill back onto the floor (spoiler: it can be very icky). Then you have to drain the dirty water, disassemble the head into its individual components, wash each part thoroughly under running water (spoiler again: it can be very icky), and then leave it to dry separately.

Every. Single. Time.

So, the irony is not lost on me. Cleaning with the PencilWash is quick and easy; but it’s cleaning the PencilWash itself that’s actually the hard work.

Final thoughts

At S$499, the Dyson PencilWash is not exactly an impulse buy – since it doesn’t replace your robot vacuum or your cordless stick vacuum. With the PencilWash, it’s all about the convenience of being able to deal with everyday messes quickly without turning it into a full cleaning session. But that convenience isn’t entirely fuss-free either. You still have to get your hands dirty (literally) with emptying the filthy water tank, rinsing out the roller, and making sure everything is properly dried, which will feel like a chore after a few sessions.

That also makes the PencilWash feel very much like a secondary, almost lifestyle-type appliance. You’ll still need a proper vacuum for carpets and heavier dirt, and a dry and wet robot cleaner does a better job handling routine maintenance. If you’re specifically looking for a standalone wet cleaner, there are arguably more practical options out there with docking stations that take care of the cleaning and drying process for you.

In the end, I really wanted to like the PencilWash. It looks great, it’s easy to use, and for what it is, it does a decent job at wet mopping. But the thought of having to clean it up properly after every use does take away from that experience. And after a while, that’s the part that sticks with you.

The Dyson PencilWash is now available for $499 at Dyson. Click here to buy.

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