Traditional Indian Cleaning Methods Could Be Spreading More Dirt Than Removing It: Dyson Study

Hans India

a day ago

Dyson announced the results of its first Global Wet Cleaning Study, to investigate wet cleaning habits and behaviours, frustrations people face with their wet cleaning tools, and why our best intentions might not be delivering the hygienic homes we expect.
The global study uncovers that despite frequent cleaning by Indian households, current tools and habits could be making homes less hygienic, not cleaner. The study finds that hard floors dominate Indian homes, with 94.5% of people having floors made of tiles, stone, or wood—materials that attract dirt easily and require frequent wet cleaning. However, popular cleaning methods, including traditional mops, buckets, and cloths, may be spreading dirt rather than removing it.
Key findings from the Dyson Global Wet Cleaning Study 2025:
In India, 49% of people don't change the water after cleaning each room.
Nearly 1 in 3 Indian households spend over 2 hours on routine floor cleaning, far exceeding the global average.
The use of mops and cloths for wet cleaning is highest among Indians in APAC.
Top frustrations with existing methods include inefficient cleaning, slippery floors, edge-cleaning struggles, and time-consuming.
Indians are obsessed with cleaning: Is that enough?
Unlike South Korea or Australia, where wet cleaning happens more reactively, occasionally or for specific messes, in India, wet cleaning is part of the daily routine. Traditional wet floor cleaning methods remain the most preferred choice for many Indian households, with mops, cloths, or wet sweepers in constant use. Yet, despite their popularity, these tools bring their own set of challenges:
1 in 3 Indians say wet cleaning is simply too time-consuming. In fact, 75% spend over an hour on their cleaning routines, with nearly 35 minutes devoted to wet cleaning floors.
In fact, 75% spend over an hour on their cleaning routines, with nearly 35 minutes devoted to wet cleaning floors. Indian use of mops, brooms, and wet cloths is the highest in APAC—yet only 33% finds cloths or sponges truly effective for hard floors.
for hard floors. 49% admit they don't change the cleaning water for every room. This means dirty water, and the germs in it, are spread from one part of the house to another, defeating the purpose of cleaning.
This means dirty water, and the germs in it, are spread from one part of the house to another, defeating the purpose of cleaning. 45% cite stubborn stains as their top cleaning challenge, and 31% worry about slipping on wet floors. With hard floors so prevalent, this becomes more than a minor grievance.
With hard floors so prevalent, this becomes more than a minor grievance. 29% struggle with cleaning hard-to-reach areas, and 28% of Indians find the process physically tiring or uncomfortable, reflecting the physical demands of wet cleaning. Moreover, traditional cleaning tools like mops and cloths simply aren't designed for India's mix of dust, stains, and spills.
Tim Hare, Dyson Engineer
'Indians are among the world's most dedicated floor cleaners—almost 1 in 2 clean their hard floors daily, more than double the global average,' says Tim Hare, Dyson Engineer. 'But frequency doesn't guarantee hygiene. Traditional cleaning methods and tools could be spreading dirt and bacteria. Poor cleaning routines don't just cost time but may also impact health. Using dirty water repeatedly is unhygienic; it promotes the spread of bacteria rather than removing them.'
Seeking Solutions: What Do Indians Want in a Wet Cleaner?
Despite a strong cleaning culture, India ranks lowest in the APAC region in terms of awareness around modern wet cleaning machines. While 62% of Indians believe that vacuum cleaners with wet functionality are the best solution for floor cleaning, adoption remains low.
With the country's cleaning frustrations exceeding global averages, Indians are clear about what they need:
Easy maintenance (32%)
Durable, high-quality build (28%)
Effortless emptying and cleaning (25%)
A machine that truly handles tough messes, stains, and spills (23%)
Moreover, common tools like mops and wet cloths struggle to pick up larger or solid debris, often requiring brooming and mopping to be done in separate steps, doubling the cleaning time. For busy urban households, this extended time commitment underscores the need for a more efficient solution that seamlessly combines dry and wet cleaning.
From Smear to Sparkle: How Dyson reinvents the way we clean our floors
Blending decades of expertise in dust and wet science, Dyson introduced the Dyson WashG1™, its first dedicated wet floor cleaner, engineered to deliver a hygienic, barefoot clean. Designed to tackle both wet and dry debris in a single pass, the Dyson WashG1™ combines hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to pick up spills, stubborn stains, and even hair, while automatically separating debris for more hygienic maintenance.
At its core are two counter-rotating, highly absorbent microfibre rollers that clean on all sides, delivering a faster and more thorough deep clean. The machine removes stains in 30% fewer passes and enables floors to dry up to 80% faster compared to traditional mopping.
Dyson's unique separation technology ensures dirty water and solid debris are kept apart, with debris trapped in the machine's head and wastewater directed to a separate tank. This means no-touch, mess-free disposal after every clean. Both clean and dirty water tanks feature wide openings for easy filling, emptying, and rinsing. And with the built-in self-cleaning mode, the machine saturates both rollers with clean water at high velocity, flushing the entire system to prepare it for the next use.
For an all-in-one cleaning solution, the Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine™ is Dyson's first wet-and-dry cordless vacuum cleaner,
engineered to offer users a multifunctional and versatile way to remove dust, spills, and debris. It combines Dyson's pioneering dust illumination, powerful suction, and anti-tangle technology with the Dyson Submarine™ wet roller head to tackle spills and tough stains efficiently.
Powered by the Dyson HyperdymiumTM motor, the Dyson V12s Detect Submarine TM delivers powerful suction and a comprehensive deep clean. The machine includes interchangeable cleaner heads: the Fluffy Optic™ illuminates invisible dust, and the Submarine™ tackles spills, stubborn stains, and grime with ease. With its low-profile design and full-width brush bar enable smooth manoeuvrability under furniture, ensuring every corner, crevice, and hard-to-reach space remains spotless.
Engineering smarter solutions for modern homes
As homes and cleaning needs evolve, so must the tools we use. Dyson's commitment to engineering everyday solutions, rooted in its research, is reflected in its innovations, offering a smarter, more hygienic, and more efficient way to clean. Whether it's tackling daily spills or deep cleaning hard floors, Dyson's wet cleaning technology is designed to meet the demands of modern households, delivering high performance without compromise and redefining what it means to truly clean.