Dreame M12 wet & dry cordless vacuum cleaner (review)

Review unit provided by Singapore online retailer Dasher SG

Dreame M12 is a wet & dry cordless battery powered vacuum cleaner. I didn't know such devices even existed until the company contacted me to ask if I'm interested to review it.

The company calls it a vacuum cleaner but in this review I'll call it a vacuum mop because it can vacuum and mop at the same time. The main selling points are:

• It saves time by doing two things at one time
• The dry vacuum cleaner is detachable and can be used as a standalone
• Battery powered cordless design

Prices for such vacuum mops start from SGD 400 to 1000. Apparently such products are incredibly popular in USA. There are more than tens of thousands of reviews for such products on Amazon USA.

Bottomline: It is quite effective at mopping and vacuuming. It does help save time since it's doing two things at a time. The floor dries fast, is spotless and smudge-free after each cleaning session. Downside is the vacuum mop can't reach into tight spaces and underneath certain areas, e.g. low TV console table. And it will take some time to get used to the moving the 5kg unit but it's on roller and wheels so that's not a big issue. Cleaning up the unit is easy and quick.

Price

Official retail price of Dreame M12 is SGD 799, or SGD 878 with the M12 Plus Kit (mentioned below).

At time of this review, it's SGD 699 on Shopee SG and Lazada SG. 2 years warranty is included. This is available directly from online retailer Dasher SG too. There are actually other models too: H11 & H11 Max, H12 and H12 Pro.

Since this review is part of influencer marketing, you can use Shopee promo code DREATEOH for $35 off.

There's an optional M12 Plus Kit that comes with two additional items: the vacuum extension and floor cleaner. The price is SGD 89 (usual price SGD 149).

Specs

Here are the differences between the different Dreame models:

*Note that the prices can vary depending on whether there's any offer or promotion going on.

Brushless motor is more durable, has better speed and acceleration, more efficient and quieter. Downside is it's more expensive (for the manufacturer).

All the vacuum mops above can cover floor space of 160 sqm and above. Floor space for my 3-room condo is just 86 sqm, or smaller when you account for furniture.

Runtime for all the models is at least 30 minutes.

One useful feature is self cleaning that's only available on the H12 Pro and M12. H12 Pro has hot air drying feature after self cleaning the roller.

The M12 is the only model with detachable vacuum.

Things included

The items included below are from the M12 Plus Kit.

• Main body
• Handle
• Charging base
• Floor washer accessories stand
• Vacuum dust container
• Vacuum extensions: short, long and floor roller
• 2-in-1 dusting brush
• Vacuum accessories stand
• Cleaning brush
• Power adapter
• 1x vacuum filter (3 to 6 months)
• 2x floor washer filter (3 to 6 months)
• 2x brush roller (3 to 6 months)
• Cleaning solution 500ml (3 to 6 months)
• User manual (PDF (20MB)

The expected lifetime for the disposable accessories is 3 to 6 months. The accessories can be purchased from Dasher, Shopee and Lazada. The roller brush is $25. Filter is $15.

The 500ml Dreame cleaning liquid bottle is SGD 14.90, $27.80, $40.90 and $51.90 for 1, 2, 3 and 4 bottles. Company recommends using 18ml (bottle cup) for each 900ml water capacity so 500ml should give you 25 cleaning sessions. The cost of the cleaning liquid per cleaning session is $0.52 to $0.60.

Important

The company says not to use other brands of cleaning liquid.

Using the Dreame cleaning liquid does not produce excess foam or bubbles in the tank which allows you to clean without interruption. Another problem with other cleaning liquid is excess foam will overflow out from the motor area which is obviously not good for electronics. My wife actually tried AJAX Fabuloso (SGD 6 for 3 litres) and it caused the sensor to detect the used water tank as full (of foam) much faster and hence you have to empty the waste water.

Design

My first impression when I saw the Dreame M12 is there are so many components.

Thankfully, setup is so straightforward that reading the manual is not necessary. The design looks pretty sleek.

This thing is larger than I expected. The weight is 5kg but weight is not something to worry about as the Dreame M12 can move around easily with the roller and wheels. The unit can be made to stand vertically on its own should you need to tend to other chords suddenly during the cleaning session.

The three buttons on the handle are for:

• Self Cleaning Mode
• Mode Switch
• Power Switch

The vacuum unit is the workhorse for wet and dry vacuuming. Battery life is up to 35 minutes and a full charge will take 5 hours.

This can be detached easily with a button near the top.

Actually every component of the M12 can be detached and attached easily. The overall design is quite well thought out.

After the vacuum unit is detached, you can attach it to the dust container and vacuum nozzle to use it as a dry vacuum.

When the vacuum unit is on the main body, it works as a wet vacuum cleaner.

Before you can use the wet vacuum, you have to fill the 920ml clean water container first which is located at the back. You'll have to add 18ml (bottle cup) of floor cleaner too. Do not add too much floor cleaner or that will create more foam inside the used water container, and the sensor will tell you that container is full (of foam) and stop working.

There's also a minimal water level (labeled) that's needed for self cleaning of the roller.

The 700ml used water container is located in front, and there's a water filter on top to filter out all the dirt. The water filter can be cleaned and can be replaced.

Both water containers are transparent so you will be able to see how dirty the used water is, or how much clean water is left.

The cover of the roller can be detached by releasing the latch on top.

In the photo above you can see one end of the roller is almost at the edge. The roller can reach and clean corners quite effectively.

However, there will some corners the roller cannot reach because the roller only goes to the edge on one side, not both sides.

And the roller can be detached with a button on the side.

The holders for the brush, extra water filter and extra roller can be attached to the charging base. There's no place to keep the dry vacuum floor cleaner though.

This is a setup that can be placed neatly beside the wall and does not take up too much space.

Notice that little circular robot vacuum? That's only effective if your home has a minimalist layout without much obstacles. Anyway, Dreame has various models of these mobile robot vacuum cleaners. Since my home has many obstacles, it's still more effective to manually clean the home even if it's more time consuming.

Operation

Just power the unit, choose Auto mode, tilt it at an angle and start.

On the display are indicators for

• Auto mode: the main cleaning mode
• Suction mode: For vacuuming water
• Standard mode: Standard strength for dry vacuum
• Turbo mode: Extra strength for dry vacuum
• Battery life
• Error message if any
• Self cleaning

Having the unit wireless means you don't have to drag any powder cable around.

Having built-in water supply means you don't have to keep going back to the bucket.

Cleaning effectiveness

To test the effectiveness of Dreame M12, I've placed the following on the floor:

• Cheese: Sticky
• Bread crumbs: Dry small and big particle
• Spilled drink: Liquid
• Power: Very small and sticky

Dreame M12 has no problem sucking anything that's dry and wet as long as the thing is small enough to go under the roller. E.g. Big biscuit chunks or chicken bones will not go under the roller. Anyway, for big chunks, you probably should just pick them up with your hands before using the vacuum cleaner. When going over lots of mess, the vacuum will automatically switch to high suction mode, and switch back to low when the mess is cleared.

While whatever sticky mess is vacuumed, the mopping is happening. The floor is spotless after Dreame M12 goes over it.

One thing I like is the amount of water released during mopping is just right which allows the floor to dry quick and without smudges. If you have ever slip and fell while stepping on wet floors, you'll appreciate how fast the floor dries.

My wife has a tendency to use too much water while mopping, and the excess water has gone into the skirting/baseboard around the apartment and caused water damage. Nowadays developers like to cheap out and use non-water resistant MDF skirting boards that can be damaged easily with water. It sucks. So having a vacuum mop that releases just the right amount of water can prevent water damage to lousy quality MDF skirting boards.

The floor also dries faster and to a non-sticky smudge-free surface.

After you're done cleaning, you can press the self cleaning button on the handle for self cleaning which will take a few minutes. At least 15% battery life is needed for self cleaning.

The display will show you the percentage of self cleaning that's done.

The used water tank can look yucky if you vacuum dirty liquid. If there are no solid particles in the used water tank, you can pour the waste water into the toilet bowl and flush away.

Having separate clean and used water tanks makes cleaning even more effective. Compare this to dipping your mop into the same bucket to get water each time.

What you see above are the pieces or cheese, bread and beverage powder in the waste water.

There will be some mess above the roller beneath the used water tray. This is where the cleaning brush can be used to clear away the dirt.

The roller will eventually be stained or wear out, and can be replaced for $25.

Conclusion

The Dreame M12 is quite effective at vacuuming and mopping. The floor can dry fast, is spotless and smudge-free after each cleaning session. The cleanup for the unit is also easy and quick. This is a convenient product that can help you save a good amount of time.

The downsides would be the difficulty reach into tight spaces and underneath certain areas.

If you already have a vacuum cleaner, it may be better to get Dreame H12 Pro which does not have detachable vacuum cleaner. Dreame H12 Pro has hot air drying feature for the roller which I find quite useful. Without the hot air drying function, you have to remove the roller to dry it manually otherwise mold can grow.

As to whether this is worth the money, you can decide based on the findings I've presented.

Is this something I can recommend? Yes.

If you have any questions regarding this product, let me know in the comments section below.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Design looks good
+ Battery powered means no dragging of power cable
+ Setting up is very quick
+ Saves time when you vacuum and mop at the same time
+ Cleaning is quite effective with separate clean and used water tanks
+ Built in water tanks means you don't have to go back to the bucket
+ Can handle a variety of mess
+ Floor dries fast, spotless and smudge-free
+ Detachable vacuum cleaner
+ Self cleaning
+ Can stand vertically and will power off with inactivity
+ Cleaning the unit after each session is easy and quick
+ Can reach corners
+ Battery life good for 200 sqm
- Cannot reach small spaces or underneath certain areas
- Roller does not go to the edge on both sides so certain corners cannot be reached
- Handling a 5kg vacuum cleaner takes time to get used to
- Cannot clean carpet
- Remember to dry the roller or there can be mold growth

Availability

You can find the Dreame M12 on Shopee SG, Lazada SG and Dasher SG

Shopee promo code: DREATEOH (enjoy $35 off)