Forget traditional mopping, the Dyson PencilWash is the most innovative way to clean

It seems like Dyson are on a roll. From rethinking their classic cordless vacuums to introducing ultra-slim, pencil-style innovations, the brand has reshaped the way many of us clean our homes. And this has never been clearer than with the launch of the Dyson PencilWash. It's mopping, but not like you know it.

As someone who regularly tests some of the best steam cleaners and best Dysons on the market, news of the Dyson PencilWash was enough to stop me mid clean. These newer models are a really new step in the floorcare industry, offering an ultra-slim design with a hygienic roller system that constantly refreshes and sanitises as you clean.

It leans into Dyson’s signature focus on sleek engineering and effortless performance. In practice, it sits somewhere between a mop and a floor washer, but with the polish and precision you’d expect from one of the best Dysons yet and it’s already changing expectations of what “clean floors” really look like.

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Dyson PencilWash review

• RRP: £299.99
• Dimensions: 266.5mm (L) x 198.3mm (W) x 1,158mm (H)
• Weight: 2.2 kg (full machine), 380g in hand
• Runtime: Up to 30 minutes
• Charge time: 3.5 hours
• Handle size: 38mm
• Water tank capacity: 300ml (clean), 360ml (dirty)
• Floor coverage: 100m²

Who would the Dyson PencilWash suit?

The Dyson PencilWash is essentially a more powerful, thorough, and technical upgrade on your traditional mop. With that in mind, it will suit households that prioritise ease, speed and a consistently clean finish on hard floors rather than intensive deep-cleaning power.

It’s particularly well matched to busy homes with pets, children, or high-traffic areas like kitchens and open-plan living spaces, where spills and marks appear daily and need dealing with quickly and hygienically.

It also love how the Dyson PencilWash would appeal to design-conscious users who already own Dyson vacuums and want a cohesive, lightweight cleaning system that feels intuitive and effortless to use. If you prefer low-effort maintenance cleaning that feels almost meditative to use, this is perfect.

What is the Dyson PencilWash like to use?

The first thing you need to do is add water to the Dyson PencilWash. This is surprisingly simple and, importantly, very clean in execution. The clean water tank clicks into place with that familiar Dyson precision, and I’ve found it easy to top up at the sink without any splashing or awkward angles.

Once filled and reassembled the PencilWash feels reassuringly balanced in the hand and light enough to carry between rooms, but solid enough that it never feels flimsy or underpowered. There’s a similar design language here to the Dyson PencilVac, particularly in the ultra-slim profile and pared-back, almost architectural feel of the handle.

You might already know that the 38mm handle is one of the Dyson features that the brand shouts about. It's the same size as their hair tools and sits wonderfully comfortably in the hand. The self-propelled base of the PencilWash drives it in a way that makes it feel like you are floating the mop across the floor, rather than pushing and scrubbing, as some other steam cleaners do. It's an unbelievably premium experience.

The PencilWash is really designed for hard floor cleaning, so this is where it comes into its own. The first thing I noticed, alongside that floating feeling, is just how nimble and light this is. At around the 2kg mark, it feels incredibly light in use, and the weight distribution does a lot of the work for you.

I tested it on everyday kitchen spills and dried-on marks, and the combination of constant clean water flow and rotating microfibre roller lifted grime quickly without needing repeated passes. Dried soy sauce and tomato ketchup lifted on the first pass in most cases, except when I left large spills for over 12 hours, which is an unlikely experience you'll have in your home.

I expected to feel like it was scrubbing the floor, or, at the very least, like I would be working up a sweat, but I hardly even knew it was working. The only way I could tell was the clean floor appearing after each pass.

The small and nimble head also makes manoeuvring around table legs and tight corners feel easy. There’s a real sense of strength in the cleaning power despite the minimal effort required to use it, which is where Dyson has clearly tried to bridge performance with ease. Like the PencilVac, it leans heavily into that idea of ultra-light, precision cleaning, but here, it’s the sensation of a continuous, polished glide over hard floors that makes it feel genuinely different from a traditional mop or even most electric floor cleaners.

How does the Dyson PencilWash compare?

I like to compare every product to similar models so that you get a clear sense of where it sits in the market, but the PencilWash is a particularly tricky category to place. Unlike many Dyson products, this isn’t a vacuum cleaner at all, which removes one of the most obvious comparison points. Instead, I’d position it somewhere between an electric mop with water circulation and a lightweight steam cleaner. I’ve seen some reviewers describe it as a “mop hybrid,” which feels like a very fitting way to frame it.

If you’re using a traditional mop but feel ready for a more powerful, hygienic upgrade, this sits in that sweet spot. It takes away the physical effort of scrubbing and, crucially, the constant refresh of clean water makes a noticeable difference when you’re going over the same mark repeatedly. On the other hand, if you’re comparing it to steam cleaners, it’s important to note that this is a gentler, lower-intensity clean. It won’t match the deep sanitising heat or heavy-duty stain removal of more industrial-style machines, but it does feel faster and more controlled for everyday use.

For Dyson’s own range, the closest point of reference is the Dyson V15 Submarine. While the V15 remains one of the most powerful cordless vacuums on the market, the PencilWash occupies a completely different role in the cleaning ecosystem. Where the V15 lifts and captures dirt and then can be swapped in for mopping with the same technology as the PencilWash, the PencilWash simply washes. The PencilWash is more complementary than comparable.

Should you buy the Dyson PencilWash?

If you’re someone who already owns a solid vacuum but finds traditional mopping frustrating, inconsistent, or simply too time-consuming, this is a compelling upgrade. It makes most sense for sealed hard floors and everyday spill-prone homes, where the appeal lies in speed, hygiene and ease rather than heavy-duty deep cleaning.

However, if you’re expecting it to replace a high-performance steam cleaner or tackle deeply ingrained, long-neglected stains, it will feel more limited in scope. In short, this is less about raw cleaning power and more about refinement, a sleek, effortless way to keep floors consistently fresh with minimal thought or effort, in true Dyson fashion.

How we test mops and vacuums

At woman&home, we have a series of standardised tests that we put all of our steam cleaners and mops through. We look at what surfaces and functions they are best used on and work across those with stains ranging from soy sauce to tomato ketchup. We also look at how powerful they are and how easy they are to use and clean. If you want to find out more about how we test mops and steam cleaners, you can visit our dedicated page.