This season brings something new, and so, dear readers, I found myself cleaning – and I mean cleaning – recently.

Don’t get me wrong – my house is not a cesspool. But with three dogs (don’t ask), two cats and two kids, it needs more than it gets, namely mopping during the week and hosing down on the weekends.

It’s not that I’m lazy or that I don’t like cleaning – I’m just incredibly busy. Vacuuming and mopping (especially the latter) take up so much time. But then those clever people at Dyson came up with something that’s changed my life a little bit.

It seems there’s nothing like a fancy £700 cleaning gadget to bring out the Mrs Hinch in you. The Dyson Wash G1 electric blue floor mop arrived on my doorstep like a divine being, sleek and chic and a multitasker. Who needs a man with this electric mop and sweeper in one?

Furnish

I had high hopes for this beast with its robustness and impressive range of features. Dyson is known for its foolproof technology and tries to make things as easy as possible for people to use. Despite their best efforts (including an app with various videos and troubleshooting information), my mechanically unreasonable self still struggled to get to grips with it at first.

It has two tanks (one holds the clean water while the other collects the dirty water), which is impressive enough, but the separation technology doesn’t end there. The machine also picks up dirt while it simultaneously mops – according to Dyson, “the combination of high-density microfiber and the application of clean water ensures that spills are sucked up, while dry dirt, debris and hair are encased in millions of fibers.” In layman’s terms, that simply means you get a very clean floor.

My first problem was that I mixed up the tanks – I had to put clean water and floor cleaner in the top tank (I actually wanted the bottom one) – and although it was a bit fiddly, once I got it sorted it worked like a charm. It’s a sturdy machine, not particularly heavy, and it got to work quickly.

And while it’s oddly satisfying to see dirty water build up like that, I was also a little repulsed. While I was delighted with my shiny kitchen floor, my worst fears were confirmed when I emptied the dirty water tank. I had actually been living in filth – and that was no surprise, since I’d spent most of my adult life mopping with murky water.

The dirt drawer

Understanding the next part is what separates the very clever engineers from the rest of humanity – how the dirt tray was designed with a 500 micron screen to separate dirty water from the large dirt particles and keep them in the head of the machine. An inspection of the dirt tray – which looked like a selection box filled with human and animal hair – only increased my guilty conscience (although it is a self-cleaning machine, it has no thumbs and therefore requires human intervention).

Somehow I also managed to pull out the tray and rollers of the machine and not put them back in properly, which resulted in error messages and the machine not working until I got it right. And that’s exactly how it should be (except maybe when you’re premenstrual).

Charge

The machine’s battery life is good for 40 minutes before it needs charging, and it makes the normally tedious sweeping/mopping combo a breeze. The floors downstairs were cleaner than ever. However, I think this bad boy is best suited to apartments or very large homes – since only half of my house has hardwood floors, I had to lug the reluctant Dyson up the carpeted stairs so it could work its magic there. It’s also a little awkward – although it has “corner cleaning,” you can’t squeeze it under or behind small spaces (like the adorable area behind a toilet, for example).

After use, it is placed back on the charging station and carries out a self-cleaning cycle. Great – if only there was something similar for my dogs and children.

In summary, the Dyson Wash G1 floor mop is undoubtedly a step forward in cleaning technology, combining style with functionality. It’s perfect for those who value convenience and are willing to pay for it. At €700, the Dyson Wash G1 is not for the faint of heart, but it’s a great investment if you have a lot of hardwood floors in your home.

And it’s inspiring too – it’s unleashed a cleaning curse that had been trapped inside me for years. Buy online at www.dyson.ie.