Silent Revolution: HIZERO's "No-Suction" Path —— Why This "Mop" Has Changed the Cleaning Methods of Hundreds of Thousands of Families Worldwide
In March 2026, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, the hustle and bustle of the AWE exhibition arrived as expected. It was still the HIZERO booth, and the footfall had increased several times compared to last year. Spectators gathered around the booth, watching as HIZERO's various products silently glided across dirty surfaces. Soy sauce stains, coffee grounds, and pet hair were quietly drawn into the machine. When the machine opened, the hair and debris were neatly sorted in different compartments, while the roller remained as clean as new.
"Is this the new technology launched this year?" a member of the media asked, pointing at the new electronic mop machine H100 on the booth. "No," HIZERO CEO Li Kaijiu shook his head. "Why did we create HIZERO? Why did we develop such a mop? What problems are we trying to solve? Why did we make this electronic mop machine? It's definitely to address the problems that consumers are currently facing and the issues in this industry." His opening remarks were calm but went straight to the core.
Two Technical Routes: Why Does Your Floor Cleaner 'Perform Worse Over Time'?
If you own a floor cleaner, you may have encountered these problems: after a few months of use, the floor doesn't seem as clean; the machine starts to emit an unpleasant odor; it needs to be charged more frequently; and it makes as much noise as a tractor when mopping.
This is not due to bad luck or a problem with the brand's quality. It's an inherent flaw in the technical route. Li Kaijiu explained, "Most floor cleaners on the market add a mopping function to a vacuum cleaner. They rely on vacuum suction to draw up the dirty water, but this creates three problems."
First, there is a decline in suction. A vacuum cleaner can handle floating dust, but when it comes to sucking up water, the vacuum suction needs to be increased. Not only does this create noise, but the suction also becomes weaker over time. "Since a vacuum cleaner has exhaust, and the exhaust contains dust particles, it must be filtered through a HEPA filter. Once the HEPA filter is used, it starts to clog, the resistance increases, and the suction decreases." So, this type of machine may work well at first, but as time goes on, the suction becomes weaker and the floor gets less clean.
Second, the materials are difficult to clean. "The materials are clean at the beginning, but they get dirty over time - all cloth materials are not as easy to clean as ours." Dirt gets trapped in the fibers, and over time, it will mold and smell bad.
Third, the mixture of dry and wet waste creates an unpleasant odor. The dry and wet waste that is sucked in mixes together and ferments in the dirty water tank. To solve this problem, manufacturers have added features such as heat drying and silver ion disinfection - using more functions to cover up the inherent flaws.
"These problems are inherent in the vacuum cleaner technical route," Li Kaijiu said. "As long as you use products from that route, problems will occur. After using them for a while, people find them ineffective and end up leaving them idle."
On the other hand, HIZERO takes a completely different approach. "From the very beginning, we didn't follow the vacuum suction route. We directly combined the functions of a broom and a mop."
HIZERO's Difference: Relying on Materials and Principles, Not Suction
HIZERO's core technology is called "bionic adhesion cleaning." The principle is simple: just like a cat or dog licking up food, it can pick up dirt effortlessly with a roll of its tongue.
How is this achieved? Through a polymer roller.
"This material was developed by ourselves," Li Kaijiu picked up a roller. "It has five times the water absorption of ordinary fibers, and its surface smoothness reaches the nanometer level. Solid waste is adhered to the roller and then rolled into a separate waste compartment, while liquid is drawn into the dirty water tank through siphoning, naturally separating the two." He pointed at the surface of the roller. "Unlike ordinary cotton fiber mops, it doesn't easily trap dirt. It can be easily cleaned with a simple rinse. It's like using a dishwashing sponge to mop the floor, but it cleans itself automatically every second - washing the mop head 100 times per minute."
What does this mean? First, there is no decline in suction. There is no suction or exhaust, so there is no need for a HEPA filter to filter exhaust, and there is no pipe blockage. The cleaning effect of the machine remains the same as when it was new even after three or five years of use. Second, there is no unpleasant odor. Dry and wet waste are separated from the start and stored in separate compartments, so there is no fermentation or odor. There is no need for heat drying or silver ion disinfection. Third, there is no noise. HIZERO's power is only 25W, which is one-tenth of that of traditional floor cleaners. When the machine starts, it makes a sound as quiet as the "buzz" of a normal refrigerator. Fourth, it is super energy-efficient. With a power of 25W, it can mop the floor for over 60 minutes on a full charge. There is no "power anxiety" that comes with using most electrical appliances.
Explanation Cost: Why Is It So High?
"I've been here for the second time this year, and I can understand some of what you're saying. But isn't the explanation cost too high for the market?"
"Yes, it is," Li Kaijiu admitted.
HIZERO's logic is different from all the products on the market. Consumers have been educated for more than a decade that the greater the suction, the better; the more roller brushes, the better; and the more comprehensive the base station functions, the better. Suddenly, someone comes along and says, "You can achieve cleanliness without relying on suction," and the first reaction is disbelief.
"This is a tool product, and we'll explain it clearly to you in advance," Li Kaijiu said. "If you buy their products and our products, after using them for three or five years, our products will still work very well, and these customers will recognize us. But those who buy their products may find them useful at first, but they will soon become ineffective, and you won't trust them anymore." He looked around the exhibition hall. "Look at this year and last year. There were many floor cleaner manufacturers here, but now there are only a few left. Why did they fail? Their products are not good, and consumers don't recognize or buy them. Some products that are not good are desperately advertising and lowering prices. There will always be people who try them, but in the end, everyone will abandon this route."
Market: Why Is It Well-Recognized Abroad?
Currently, 80% of HIZERO's sales come from Europe. Why is this the case?
"Because in the overseas market, the users are the ones who make the purchase," Li Kaijiu said. "Once they use the product and find it good, they will spread the word by word of mouth. But in China, the buyers don't use the product, and the users don't make the purchase." In many wealthy Chinese families, there are nannies. The decision-makers (employers) and the users (nannies) are separated, which makes it difficult to convey the technical value. On a certain social platform, a user complained, "Spend 5,000 yuan on a mop? My nanny can clean the floor with a 20-yuan mop."
But changes are taking place.
"As long as they try it once, they can feel the difference," Li Kaijiu said. "You can lie directly on the floor after mopping, and you can see the reflection in the sunlight. If there are family members in your family who are allergic to hair and dust, the product's effect will be even more obvious."
This "visibly clean" experience is attracting more and more Chinese consumers. In 2025, HIZERO's domestic sales increased by nearly 100% year-on-year. In 2026, they set a growth target of 300%.
"The trend has reversed," Li Kaijiu said.
In the past two years, many advertising companies have approached HIZERO for cooperation, but Li Kaijiu has declined.
"Nowadays, consumers are exposed to a lot of information every day. If you advertise, will they believe you?" he said. "We still hope that more people will experience the product, truly feel its benefits, and then help us spread the word."
HIZERO's channel strategy is unique - it mainly relies on offline distributors. "We need distributors to demonstrate and explain the product to consumers," Li Kaijiu said. "Mopping the floor may seem simple, but this is a new product. It needs to be cleaned and maintained after long-term use, so consumers need to be taught. Just like a century ago, those who made cars had to train coachmen to drive cars. There is no such product or usage method in the world, so we need to teach and educate. It's not difficult, but it requires a process. Once they are taught, there will be no problems later."
This year, HIZERO launched a more affordable product.
"Now that people recognize this technology, we want more people to be able to use it," Li Kaijiu said. "We've simplified some functions. It may not be as smart, but it's much better than an ordinary mop."
From developed countries in Europe and America to South America, Southeast Asia, and the Chinese market, HIZERO is bringing the "non-suction" cleaning method to more people.
Industry Trend: Followers Have Arrived
Li Kaijiu pointed to the other side of the booth. "Philips' mop is over there. They didn't used to be in this category, but now they are. Their designers came here yesterday."
Dyson is also making a shift. In 2024, Dyson's second-generation floor cleaner quietly abandoned its proud suction technology and switched to a roller adhesion solution.
"They have verified our direction," Li Kaijiu said. "But HIZERO has been leading for ten years."
Currently, HIZERO holds more than 80 patents globally and cooperates with South China University of Technology and Nanjing University of Science and Technology to specialize in material technology. The early materials were from overseas, but now, "we've made a breakthrough and our materials are better than those from abroad."
As the interview was coming to an end, Li Kaijiu noticed the phone case of a staff member: I am honest, brave, and have a high readership. "On HIZERO's wall, it says 'Honesty, Integrity, Innovation, Respect,'" he said.
He told me a story about a "sterile egg" last year: When he was a child selling eggs, he once sold a "sterile egg" (an egg that can't hatch a chick) to a customer. Although the customer may not have noticed, he carried this guilt for forty years. "That's about honesty," Li Kaijiu said. "But integrity requires more. When someone does something poorly, you have to have the courage to say so. First of all, you have to do things well yourself, and what you say must match what you do. When I say our products are good, I mean it."