Review: Dreame H13 FlexReach Wet Dry Vacuum Mop
Big thanks to Dasher SG for providing another vacuum mop for review. I agreed to this review only because my wife was extremely excited to try this new vacuum mop. The previous one I reviewed was the Dreame M12 from two years ago.
FYI, Dasher SG is a Singapore retailer that sells home appliances through their online store and on Shopee SG.
The Dreame H13 FlexReach is a wet dry cordless vacuum mop. Price at the time of review is SGD 699, and two years warranty is provided.
I don't really follow vacuum mop trends so this review will only focus on this specific model. I can't compare with other vacuum mops because there are too many to compare with, and I don't want to compare with products that I've not personally tested.
What is a vacuum mop?
A vacuum mop, in case you don't know, is a mop that can also vacuum. It's an electronic home appliance that can put out clean water for mopping, and sucks in dirty water and dirt.
Two years ago, my wife was skeptical about using a vacuum mop when I asked is she wanted to try the Dreame M12. Today, she's a vacuum mop convert and cannot live without it. She has also bought vacuum mops for her parents. Note that plural because the ones she bought from other brands (avoid iLife) did not last long and she had to buy replacements. She now knows more about vacuum mops than me.
A vacuum mop is extremely convenient and a quality of life improvement. You're actually doing two jobs at the same time since it can vacuum and mop simultaneously. And you can expect vacuum mops to do a good job at cleaning because these products have new features and upgrades with every new models released yearly.
Specs
Vacuum mops have too many features nowadays, so let me just list the key features to look for in a good vacuum mop based on my wife's experience of having used several.
- Run time (mins) - Get something that has at least 40 minutes of run time. 40 minutes is good for a floor area around 900 sqft (84 sqm), and there is still some allowance.
- Clean water capacity - 800ml can cover a floor area around 1200 sqft (112 sqm)
- Hot air drying - This will dry the roller, kill germs and remove the smell
Below's a comparison chart I found on Dasher SG's product page.
And below are a few more models.
Let's go through some key features and talk about my experience.
TangleCut™ Scraper (100% Hair Cutting / Anti-Tangle)
I'm not sure how effective this TangleCut is but the filter does a good job trapping hair at one location. There are no hair entanglement problems, and you don't have to clean hair from different places in the vacuum mop.
90°C Hot Water Wash
The hot water kill germs, and the heat makes it easier to clean grime from the roller brush.
90°C Hot Air Drying in 5 Mins (Sealed Quiet Drying)
Hot air drying is important since a wet roller brush can smell and mold can grow. There's the option of 5-min and 30-min cleaning. 5 min hot air drying can dry maybe 90-95% of the roller brush, and you can then remove the roller brush to air dry it.
180° Lie-Flat Reach: Goes Beneath. Cleans Beyond.
This is a so-called Dreame exclusive feature. This vacuum mop can go real low to reach under tight spaces. This is a useful feature.
When completely flat, the height to the top of the dirty water tank is 14cm, and the roller section is 9.6cm.
Obviously, whether the vacuum mop can fit into tight spaces will depend on how much space there is. My TV console has a cross beam beneath that's 14cm from the floor, and that beam will hit the dirty water tank to prevent the mop from going in fully. If there's allowance for 15cm, the vacuum mop can go further in.
50 Mins Long Run TIme
This is enough to cover the cleaning of my place which is 1200 sqft (112 sqm).
Things included
- 1 x Main Body
- 1 x Handle
- 1 x Replacement Filter
- 1 x Charging Base
- 1 x Deodorizer
- 1 x Spare Brush Roller
- 1 x Cleaning Solution
The unit will come dismantled but assembly is straightforward as all the parts are designed to fit only places they can go. Read the user manual just in case. Disassembly is also easy.
The physical dimensions of the unit is 39 × 37.2 × 117 cm. Make sure you have space to put the base charging station, and a power socket is nearby.
It is important to use only the included Dreame floor cleaning liquid for cleaning. Each bottle only has 500ml but you don't need that much for cleaning. Space bottles are sold for around SGD 9 each, or much cheaper when purchased in bundles.
Do not use other floor cleaning detergent because you won't know how much sud or froth those detergent will create. I'm saying this based on experience: the sud and water overflow from the tanks can damage the electronics. The Dreame cleaning liquid has no sud at all and still cleans effectively.
Usage
Usage is straightforward. Fill the clean water tank, pour in some Dreame cleaning liquid, and start.
The four cleaning modes available are
- Smart mode - The appliance will detect the stain level and intelligently adjust the suction power and water flow accordingly.
- Turbo mode - Maximum suction power and increased water flow for stubborn stains on hard floors.
- Quiet mode - The appliance will maintain moderate suction power at a low noise level.
- Dry mode - Dry vacuum only without water dispensing.
Smart mode would be the one to use. Turbo mode gives you more suction power but Smart mode is already very powerful. Quiet mode is still noisy so there's no point choosing this.
Choose Dry mode to vacuum without water or mopping.
The 5.1kg vacuum mop is heavy but still easy to handle because the roller does a good job at rolling around.
If you have to stop cleaning halfway, you can set the vacuum mop upright in standing position and go do other stuff.
Having a strong handle is so important. My wife bought an iLife vacuum mop and the handle broke within warranty period and the company refused to repair. And when that happens, you'll have a customer who will mention the lousy product whenever possible.
The vacuum mop is very effective at cleaning. It can clear dust, food, oil, hair or basically anything that can go under the roller.
The vacuum mop can only be used on hard surfaces, not on carpets.
The roller can clean quite close the to the walls or edges too.
After cleaning, the floor will have a thin layer of water that can dry within 5 minutes. There are no water patches and the floor looks great after cleaning.
Before you self clean the unit, you should pour out the dirty water, and have enough clean water. For a quick 5-min hot air self cleaning, press the button within 3 seconds of activation, otherwise the default cleaning session is 30 minutes. Even 5 minutes can dry the wet roller brush quite sufficiently so 30 minutes is not really necessary.
After cleaning, the roller brush looks good as new, and there's no smell.
Conclusion
This product is straightforward to use. My wife did not experience any issues after using it for two weeks.
It has all the key features for a good vacuum mop, e.g. long battery life, large clean water capacity and hot air drying. The FlexReach feature is also quite useful for cleaning under tight spaces, within its limits.
I know this is going to sound like a biased review since it's a sponsored review, but I don't really have any negative things I can think of to say.
For those who are coming over from traditional mop and vacuum cleanings, the SGD 699 price tag is indeed high. But seriously once you've tried a vacuum mop, you won't go back.
Availability
The Dreame H13 FlexReach can be purchased from online store and on Shopee SG. The product comes with 2 years warranty.
Add new comment