Tefal X-Clean 7 specs
Price: £449 / AU$799
Weight: 1.9lbs / 0.9 kg
Suction power: 20,000Pa
Maximum runtime: 50 minutes (on Eco mode)
Charging time: 4 hours
Clean water tank size: 650ml
Used water tank size: 500ml
Founded in 1956, Tefal is a major brand in the kitchen and dining market, renowned for its non-stick pots, pans and home appliances. More recently, though, Tefal has entered into the realm of floorcare with its wet-and-dry vacuums, otherwise known as the X-Clean line.
The latest entry is the Tefal X-Clean 7, which debuted earlier this year. The machine is touted as able to clean hard floors faster with 20,000Pa suction power and weighing just 1.9lbs / 0.9 kg in the hand.
I was particularly intrigued by the brand’s foray into floorcare, as it is synonymous with great kitchen appliances and cookware — I swear by my Tefal Non-Stick Fry pan — so the move felt left-of-field. However, there are only so many pans, pots and cooking utensils one company can make, and the brand prides itself on innovation, so it’s only fair to switch things up. (And spoiler alert: the X-Clean 7 adds another good impression on the brand’s name.)
As someone whose home features predominantly hardwood floors, which are regularly covered in muddy pawprints and kitty litter, I am no stranger to floorwashers. And after reviewing a few floorwashers and consequently ditching my mop bucket for the wet-dry life, I knew I was well placed to take on this review. But could the X-Clean 7 tackle stubborn stains, puppy accidents and everyday maintenance of my hard floors? I tested it for three months to find out.
Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Price and availability
In Australia, where I’m based, the Tefal X-Clean 7 retails at AU$799. At the time of writing, it has been discounted at various retailers to AU$599, including on Tefal’s website. In the U.K., it retails for £449. Unfortunately, it is currently not available in the U.S. The Tefal X-Clean 7 sits in the mid-range price bracket for floorwashers, fitting snugly between most Tineco and Dreame models.
Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Design
After reviewing several floorwashers, I can confidently say this is the lightest one I’ve ever used. Weighing only 1.9lbs / 0.9kg in the hand, the Tefal X-Clean 7 is easy to push around, carry up stairs and get under furniture with its 180° lay-flat design. However, when both water tanks are full (the dirty tank holds 17 fl oz / 500ml and the clean tank holds 22 fl oz / 650ml), the weight does, of course, increase.
Tefal’s design mimics newer floorwashers of late, with a flush-sitting clean water tank atop the brush roller and the dirty tank located at the front of the machine. Tefal’s machine eliminated a gripe I had while testing the Tineco S9 Artist Pro, as the opening for the clean water tank sits on top, rather than the side. This caused fewer leaks — you’ll always have a small leak if the tank is too full when closing — but I had no issues with it leaking on the floor or during transit. Optionally, you can also purchase Tefal’s cleaning solution for the clean water tank, but it’s not necessary.
There’s a round LED screen above the dirty water tank that displays battery life, cleaning modes and system alerts. The screen has an always-on setting and displays charging and battery life when on the dock. There are two accompanying buttons on the handle — the power button and the mode button, which cycle through the cleaning functions — above the LED screen, alongside the self-cleaning button at the very top of the handle. There’s also a voice assistant — which can be switched on and off using a button on the back of the device — that provides alerts. I always knew which mode I was using, how much battery was left and when I needed to clean the dirty water tank.
However, I found the voice assistant was a bit limited in its responses (more on that later) and was rather loud during my first few uses. There is a volume button on the side of the device, and if you’re sensitive to noise, I’d suggest cranking it down (or turning it off entirely).
There are three modes on the X-Clean 7: Auto, Max and Eco. If you’re not sure which one to use, I’d suggest opting for Auto to begin with, as the X-Clean 7 will automatically detect dirt and adjust water flow and suction power to clean your floors. As per the manual, Max mode is for very dirty surfaces, with maximum suction and water flow levels, and Eco mode is for moderately dirty floors, with medium suction and water flow.
(Image credit: Future / Lucy Scotting)
While cleaning in any mode, the X-Clean 7 uses 20,000Pa suction power and claims to deliver up to 50 minutes of runtime in Eco mode and up to 27 minutes in Max mode. Both of these claims are pretty standard for floorwashers. The X-Clean 7’s roller also comes with an anti-tangle comb, which uses 164 metallic teeth to prevent any tangles.
The X-Clean 7 also offers great maneuverability, thanks to some seriously speedy self-propulsion. It’s similar to an electric bike or e-scooter — it won’t drive itself, but it can give you noticeable assistance when removing tough stains without overexerting yourself. The wheels are super durable and have a great range of motion for getting under furniture and into all the nooks and crannies of your home. Plus, when completely flat, it measures at 13cm high, so it’ll easily fit under most couches or tables. It’ll even light up any hidden dust bunnies, thanks to a strip of seriously bright LEDs on the front of the brush head.
Additionally, the box also contains the dock, a cleaning brush, an extra brush roller, and a new filter for the used water tank. You’ll need to set up the dock before use, as it charges the device and runs the self-cleaning and drying programs. Do keep in mind that the dock requires a fair amount of floor real estate, so you’ll need a dedicated room (or cupboard) for it.
Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Performance
Over the past three months, I’ve used the Tefal X-Clean 7 daily on my hardwood floors and tiles in my home. It’s helped clean up everyday messes in the kitchen, including spilt coffees, as well as the occasional accident of my not-fully-housetrained puppy. The X-Clean 7 has excelled in every situation it faced.
Before the first use, I popped it onto the dock, and it took 3.5 hours to reach a full battery. After charging, I put it to the test with some (inconveniently) spilled coffee in my kitchen after missing my cup while making my morning brew. And sure enough, Auto mode easily sucked it up without worry. It left a slightly damp patch in its wake; however, it was much less damp than grabbing my mop and swirling it around (and making more of a mess).
After a few minutes, the floor was rather dry and fine to walk on, so I cleaned the rest of my kitchen and connected living room floors. These are the most high-traffic areas in my house, and my floors are often covered in muddy pawprints, crumbs and copious amounts of dog hair left behind by my two Border Collies. I easily cleaned the entire area within 15 minutes on Auto mode, and still had plenty of battery life to spare.
Case in point, our puppy, who hasn’t fully taken to housetraining just yet, would have the occasional accident inside, and I found Max mode tackled pee puddles with ease. The maximum suction completely vacuumed up puddles without a trace. And if there was any dog hair lying around, the roller didn’t tangle or have any blockages, with most stray hairs sitting in between the teeth of the metal comb. Not only that, I could easily take on any spilled liquids in two passes on Max mode and call it a day, which was very much a win in my book.
Sticky messes took some extra pushes, but overall, the Tefal X-Clean 7 could just as easily tackle a stuck sauce stain. It also did a commendable job of collecting kitty litter and smaller wet crumbs in all three modes.
That said, I didn’t opt for Eco mode much — I largely used Auto or Max mode depending on what I needed to clean — but I did use it a few times on my tiled bathroom floors and in my shower when I didn’t want to break out my mop. I didn’t notice any major differences between Eco and Auto modes in this instance, but it’s a nice mode to have if you’re conscious of conserving the battery life.
I also don’t own a mansion — rather a two-bed, two-bath apartment — and I could easily clean my hard floors in 15 minutes on Max mode, if not less. If you’re mindful of which mode you use, you could easily clean your entire house on a single charge. That said, I did have to frequently refill the clean water tank after every second clean, as it is considerably smaller than other floorwashers I’ve used. This isn’t a big drawback — even high-end models, like the Dyson Wash G1, have smaller water tanks — but if you have a bigger home, you may need to refill it more regularly.
The X-Clean 7 can leave a bit of streaking on darker floors, but it didn’t bother me too much and would easily fade a day or two post-clean.
Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Ease of cleaning
(Image credit: Future / Lucy Scotting)
Like other wet-dry vacuums, the Tefal X-Clean 7 requires regular cleaning and emptying of the water tanks to avoid odor and bacteria build-up. If you leave the voice assistant on, it will remind you to empty and clean the dirty water tank after each use and after a self-clean cycle.
However, I found the voice prompts aren’t that detailed and will revert to using the same phrase for at least three manual cleaning tasks. In my case, the device would consistently alert me to empty the dirty water tank after emptying/self-cleaning, and wouldn’t let me use the device. In most cases, I had emptied the tank, and the clean water tank was full, so in essence, it should have switched on just fine. However, some of these alerts meant I needed to clean the filter or the pipe underneath, rather than just empty the tank.
I’m not sure why the brand hasn’t differentiated these tasks via the voice prompt — or at least provided a different alert on the LED screen — as they are completely different and largely separate from emptying the dirty water tank. Regardless, I just made sure to check all variables after each voice prompt from then on, as I couldn’t rely on the machine just needing the dirty water tank emptied.
Aside from this inconvenience, the self-cleaning and drying functions were easy enough to do by pressing the self-cleaning button on the handle. The self-clean function lasted about 3 minutes, and the dock rinsed the roller brush. Afterwards, the self-drying function dries the roller, and the whole process lasts around 30 minutes.
Tefal X-Clean 7 review: Verdict
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the Tefal X-Clean 7 for its powerful suction modes and lightweight maneuverability. It’s easy to use, has speedy self-propulsion, and you won’t wait long for your floors to dry after a clean. It can easily clean up spilled liquids, stuck-on stains and the occasional hair or crumb under its roller too, making it perfect for homes with pets or kids.
However, it could benefit from larger water tanks and an intuitive voice assistant with more detailed prompts. But if you regularly clean it and keep maintenance low by doing so, you’ll have no trouble washing your hard floors with Tefal’s X-Clean 7.
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