Eureka RapidWash: Two Cleaning Processes, One Product, Zero Complications

Consistently keeping your floors clean is a full-time job. Even if you spend hours on it, your freshly-cleaned efforts can instantly be wiped away by the endless cascade of foot traffic, pet hair, and dust, forcing you to go back through the arduous, multi-step routine of vacuuming and mopping to bring those same floors back to their former shine.

Thankfully, Eureka has created a serious solution that will save you time, energy, and stress: the Eureka RapidWash. This stunning device combines all the functionality of both a vacuum and mop into one lightweight product. Now, in theory, this sounds amazing, but does it work in practice?

The unfortunate truth is that many of the other vacuum mop cleaning tools on the market deliver somewhat lackluster results; they're either not great at sucking up debris, or provide very little cleaning power when used as a mop. Eureka, however, has a long history of creating innovative and reliable vacuum cleaners, so there's a chance they'll strike the perfect balance with the Eureka RapidWash. I gave the exciting new product a test drive to give you the dirt on the RapidWash.

When I received the Eureka RapidWash, I had everything I needed to get started: the vacuum cleaner pieces, a charging dock, cleaning solution, and floors in need of some serious TLC. The vacuum is battery-operated, so it needed to be charged before the first use, but setup was exceptionally easy. The dock plugs into the wall and the vacuum clicks in place, where it automatically charges. There's even a convenient charging bar to show its progress, along with optional voice prompts that let you know when it's docked or running low on battery.

Once it was charged, all I had to do was fill the water reservoir with tap water and a few capfuls of the included cleaning solution. After installing the water tank back on the vacuum, I was ready to start cleaning. The vacuum itself doesn't have too many different modes, so even on the first use it was fairly simple to determine which button I needed to press to get going.

Immediately after I started cleaning, I was impressed by the vacuum's speed and efficiency. It's already a fairly lightweight and easy-to-maneuver product, but it effortlessly slid across both wood and tile flooring without issue. Throughout the cleaning process, it released a small and fairly consistent amount of water on the floor as part of the mopping function. I did notice a few drips and puddles if I was on a more uneven surface or if I lingered in one spot for too long.

As I continued across my floor, I ran into a few pieces of debris that I worried the vacuum might not be able to pick up, but it impressed me every time. It tackled pet hair, crumbs, small leaves, and even cat litter without any struggle. I was finished with my living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom in just a few minutes, and the vacuum still had plenty of charge and water left in the reservoir. If you do need a break, though, the vacuum has a convenient pause mode where you can stand it upright to automatically stop the suction without having to completely shut it off.

This vacuum is obviously primarily designed to tackle messes on wood, tile, and laminate, but it can also be used on low-pile carpet. I tested it out on an ultra-thin rug in need of a once-over, and it quickly cleaned up all of the debris on the surface without leaving it too wet. This rug also had a small self-tanner stain, so I decided to make a few extra passes over the spot to see if the liquid would help to lift it. My expectations were low as the Eureka RapidWash is billed as a more general cleaner than a stain remover.

I was pleasantly surprised. After a few passes in the same spot, the stain was almost completely gone. Of course, this did leave the spot on the rug a bit more damp than other areas, but the vacuum function and controlled flow of water ensured that it wasn't completely soaked.

After I made my way through most of my house, the vacuum paused to let me know that the rolling brush needed to be cleaned. There's quite a bit of hair in my house, so this didn't come as much of a surprise, but I was shocked by how easy this task was to complete. The front piece of the vacuum comes off with a simple click, and the rolling brush can be removed from the side. After cleaning off the debris and reinstalling the brush, I was able to finish the rest of my house without issue.

After I was done, I removed the dirty water tank to dump it in my sink and was greeted with the disgusting gray water of a job well done. Unfortunately, there were some larger pieces of debris in this tank that I had to remove by hand, but it was a generally mess-free process. I returned the vacuum to the dock to charge, then activated the device's self cleaning function. It runs for about 20 seconds at full speed during this mode, then lowers to a much quieter noise level for about five hours while the brush dries. This noise can get a bit annoying if you're in the same room, but it's comparable to a dishwasher or washing machine running.

Though it's intended for a more utilitarian use, the Eureka RapidWash feels like a luxurious product. The voice prompts, sleek design, and convenient docking station all combine to provide an experience that helps to alleviate the annoyance of doing a chore and quells the urge to stow the vacuum away in a broom closet the second you finish cleaning.

While the feel and appearance was certainly a draw, I was even more impressed by this product's performance. It effectively cut down the time I would spend on my normal cleaning routine and was incredibly easy to set up, maneuver, and use. It seemed to work best on my wood surfaces thanks to the fact that they're a lot more even than the tile in the other rooms of my house, but I didn't run into any major issues even when the water flow was a bit less consistent. It even did a good job on my rug, but it's best to stick to using it on low pile carpeting that won't absorb and trap the water it releases. Overall, the Eureka RapidWash is a great product that lives up to its promises in every way.