Dyson launches vacuum that also washes the floor

Dyson has launched a wet vacuum cleaner – intended to wash the floor as well as pick up dust.

The new vacuum works like a mop, putting water onto the floor and then picking it back up again, hopefully along with any dirt that it has picked up.

It is the first combined wet and dry cordless vacuum that Dyson has made. But the mop part – known as “Submarine” – is actually a separate head that is attached to the normal Dyson unit.

As such, the vacuum cleaner does not actually use its motor for suction when the Submarine is mounted, and that power is routed to the mop head instead to spray water. It also means that users will have to hoover their floor first to pick up hair, dust and other dirt that needs clearing before the floors are washed.

Dyson said that the Submarine will deliver the right amount of water onto the floor without leaving them excessively wet. It does that by spraying water out of jets onto the floor, which are then picked up by the roller – that roller is then squeezed into a chamber full of dirty water that can be emptied out again.

The new vacuum comes with other recent developments from Dyson. That includes the “Detect” technology that mounts a laser in the vacuum’s head, which lights up the floor to show how dirty it is.

Dyson launched the Submarine last year, alongside a host of other products including a new robot vacuum and air cleaning products. It has arrived in the US and some other markets since, but will now launch in the UK.

The Dyson V15 Detect Submarine will be available from 6 March, on Dyson’s website and elsewhere. It costs £799.99.