Dyson brings pencil-thin design to the wet-vac world

Dyson's PencilVac was a huge shakeup of vacuum cleaners when it launched last year. It's still one of my favourite vacuum cleaners to buy. So it's hardly a surprise Dyson decided to bring the same design ethos to its wet/dry vacuum lineup with the PencilWash.

The new machine is built around the same remarkably thin 38mm handle as the PencilVac, and weighs in at just 2.2kg. This makes it significantly easier to flick around kitchen islands or carry between levels than the bulkier dedicated wet cleaners we have seen previously.

While many wet cleaners can feel like pushing a small tank, the PencilWash is designed to lay almost flat. It can reach under furniture as low as 15cm, meaning you won’t have to shift the sofa just to deal with a spill.

The technology inside focuses on a "fresh water" cycle, using a combination of hydration, agitation, and extraction. This ensures the machine isn't just spreading dirty water around, but actively lifting grime into a separate 360mL waste tank.

Control is handled via a hydration system that adjusts water flow based on the floor type or the severity of the mess. Whether it is a sticky spill or just a light refresh of the floorboards, you can tune the output to ensure the floor dries quickly.

"PencilWash applies that thinking to wet cleaning: our slimmest, ultra-light format that simplifies the process without compromising on the deep clean," said John Churchill, Chief Technology Officer at Dyson.

For those with larger homes, the machine covers roughly 100m² on a single charge. The runtime tops out at about 30 minutes, which is plenty for a standard apartment or a targeted clean of high-traffic areas like the kitchen and dining room.

While the PencilVac focused on dry dust on hard floors, the PencilWash is the logical next step for those who want that same nimble feel for wet messes.

It effectively bridges the gap between a traditional mop and the more powerful, but heavier Dyson WashG1.