Review: Electrolux 800 3-in-1 Wet & Dry (EW82U2DB)

Cleaning is one of the most boring things there is. So when devices appear that are supposed to make it easier or more efficient, we at least get interested. Cordless stick vacuums are very practical because they’re easier to have on hand and you don’t have to deal with that annoying cord. And there are some really good ones out there. We also like wet cleaners that can replace the old-fashioned mop, but so far no one has nailed the design. The dream would be an appliance that both vacuums and mops effectively. We’ve tried a few, and some come close, but there’s always something annoyingly wrong with them. Electrolux has chosen a hybrid solution that works surprisingly well.

What’s in the box

Let’s face it – this isn’t a neat little device that you can tuck discreetly away in a corner. That’s because it’s basically two units, but with a common motor unit. So you get a huge base station where you can put the mop, a holder where you can place the wand with nozzle, as well as holders for the dust nozzle, the crevice tool for hard-to-reach places and the cleaning brush. The base station acts as both a charging station and a cleaning station for the mop.

Practical use

This is the first Electrolux model we’ve seen that actually has a small colour screen instead of a simple display and light indicators. The screen shows the remaining capacity and power level, but above all it shows different symbols when you need to take action. Very educational. A regular power button is complemented by a spray button for the mop and a button to regulate the suction power, which can be set to auto, high and boost.

The motor unit has a larger battery than we’re used to, which is necessary for the mop, but it also makes it a bit heavier. This is something to consider if you have to clean for a long time and your arm gets tired easily. But it also provides a very long battery life, which we measured at just over 40 minutes at high power. Impressive!

Cleaning the machine

As usual, Electrolux accessories have clear buttons to disconnect the accessory. In this case, however, it’s mainly a matter of moving the motor between the wand and the mop. We appreciate that Electrolux’s rods are metal, whereas many competitors – even the most expensive ones – seem to have switched to plastic.

 

To remove the dust container, simply press the button at the bottom and pull it out. The filter insert requires loosening a small lever before pulling it out, which is an unnecessary hassle. But you’ll quickly appreciate it when you realise that the machine separates larger particles like gravel and finer ones like dust. When the nozzle on a stick vacuum cleaner rattles, we often think it will cause a blockage somewhere. Not with this solution! Why haven’t we seen this before? We also like the fact that you can rinse the filters under the tap to make them last longer.

The dirty water is collected in a surprisingly large container in the centre of the mop. We didn’t really understand its purpose until it was time to empty it. It is triggered by a simple button and then you pull an insert out of the tube. It turned out that it consisted of a filter system that separates larger particles from the dirty water. Compared to previous mop solutions we’ve tried, this is nothing short of brilliant! You can just pour the dirty water down the drain like you do with the mop bucket, while you can throw the larger debris in the bin and not worry about it clogging the drain.

Vacuuming

The motor nozzle works really well on hard floors, where our revealing laser barely found an overlooked dust particle. The built-in light is absolutely useless at showing the dirt. However, the nozzle does have a problem with getting stuck in our smooth-woven carpets, a problem that so many other vacuum cleaners we’ve tested also have. On such occasions, we wish it was possible to switch off the rotating brush. On the positive side, long hairs don’t get caught in the brush, which both long-haired people and pet owners will be happy about. The dust nozzle and crevice tool are very low-tech and do their job as expected.

Mopping

Something more high-tech is the mopping machine. It uses two counter-rotating brush rollers, a solution we’ve seen before with the Dyson WashG1. It’s an effective solution and we appreciated that Electrolux left a significantly drier floor. Something that usually causes problems is large dried-on stains. Not much actually happened when we dragged the machine back and forth over one. But then we remembered the spray button on the handle. A few presses and the stain was soaked in water with detergent. We tilted the handle up so that the machine stood on its own, switching off the motor. A little later, we came back and washed the stain again and the result was a sparkling clean floor. And knowing that we wouldn’t have to deal with the mess later on almost made us long for the next time the cat got sick!

 

When you put the machine back in place, you simply press a button and the cleaning process begins. The brush rollers are washed with clean water for two minutes, followed by a five-minute spin and finally a 70 degree drying to ensure there are no bacteria or odour problems. The rollers can of course be removed and cleaned manually if needed.

 

Conclusion

We’ve tried a few vacuum cleaners with mop nozzles and also combined machines. There’s always some kind of problem with them; most often it’s the mop that is inefficient and requires an unreasonable amount of messy manual cleaning. In this case, the vacuum cleaner is the weakest link, but it actually works just fine. The mop impresses all the more. It actually manages even dried-on dirt. But most importantly, it separates debris from the dirty water so you don’t have to mess with it. The waste goes straight into the bin and the dirty water goes down the drain. The mop rolls are then cleaned and dried in the charging station. We’re actually looking forward to mopping now!