Dyson Vacuums: Designed by Someone Who’s Actually Vacuumed
Late Tuesday night I came home from Target with a gleaming new Dyson D14 Animal Vacuum. It’s the best thing I’ve ever owned, and perhaps the best thing I will ever own. Our previous vacuum was a Bissel Cleanview 2, which had been in and out of commission for about a week, or exactly the time required to break my last straw. In a house with a dog and cat, you just cannot go more than a few days without vacuuming.
The first thing I noticed about the Dyson, was everything was really, really simple. The Bissel had a myriad of steps I had to complete before I could use it the first time, while I only had to snap the hose into place for the Dyson. Everything you need to do with the vacuum can be performed with the push of one button. The on/off switch is a giant purple button right in front of the handle, so you don’t have to fumble with one of the tiny sliding switches on the side. There’s no pedal to press to release the vacuum from its upright position, you need only gently step anywhere on the front and lean it backward. The floor setting (brush bar) controls are foot operated. The wand is the handle, so I only have to press the button on its side to release it. Did I mention the telescoping reach extends to 17 feet? It’s designed this way so you can vacuum stairs (it comes with an additional attachment specifically for stairs) and ceilings. In addition the the typical accessories, the vacuum came with a mini turbine for animal hair, a low-reaching turbine for under the couch, and a special brush for working cleaning granules (a giant bag was included) into the carpet.
As it was about 10:30 by the time I was home and had it out of the box, I wasn’t really prepared to vacuum the entire house, but I did want to test and see if we got our money’s worth. Most importantly, I wanted to see how it would deal with the giant black shag area rug in the living room, which had always defeated the Bissel. I tested it in my living room and dining room (without moving any furniture out of the way) and found it to be surprisingly quiet. And as the commercials claimed, the machine never lost suction. The shag rug was no match for the Dyson. After finishing just these two rooms, the dirt cannister was full. It took about two passes of the entire house to fill the Bissel. To get rid of the dirt the cannister has a one button release, with a convenient large handle on top. Holding it over the trash can, I pressed the trigger, and all dirt was released, no banging it on the side to get the last bit out. I’d just vacuumed (with the semi-working vacuum) two days before, I couldn’t believe I’d been living in all that yuck. I’m now finding myself looking for excuses to vacuum.
That’s the kind of vacuum that would appear in centerfolds of magazines hidden underneath June Cleaver’s twin-sized mattress. She’d sneak glimpses when she could, worried that Ward would be ashamed that the Hoover he bought her isn’t adequate. And so, she longs silently for this: the ultimate carpet cleaning machine.
Wait. You’ve trained your animals to vacuum while you are away?
Maybe I should go back and read the rest of the post. Sorry, but when I saw “Animal Vacuum” I had two ideas: 1.) it was built specifically for animal cracker crumbs or 2.) you expect your pets to pull their own weight.
Both are sheer brilliance — but then again I drive an Oreck.
I should train my dog to vacuum, seeing as how my animals are the source of all messes in my house.
J, they’re not so far off from being a centerfold. They have Dysons on display at MOMA as part of some British design exhibit.
Ohhhh…I have been curious about these vacuums for a while. Thanks for the review! I am not pleased with my current vacuum.
For anyone who is interested in buying this vacuum: don’t go to Best Buy! I’m not just saying that because Best Buy sucks
They charge $50 more for it. So far, Target is the cheapest. Amazon’s “discounted” price is the price Target sells it for off the shelf.
Hey sis!!! Dad directed me here, he is so proud, of course you knew that, anyway, I have this exact vacuum and we love it!! It is definitely worth the money, of course Mike has a connection and we got it for half the price, so even better!! But with 2 cats and Makenzie and her asthma, it has been an awesome buy, the suction never falters, and cleans pet hair off couches like none I have ever, ever come across!! Glad you like yours, and to all who read this, what are you waiting for…ditch the hoover and get the purple dyson…pronto!! Love the site, hope to see you soon, your sis…
I am surprised you were impressed with dyson’s result on your shag .
I have a short shag and it has frayed it badly . We have requested the carpet company replace our rug and they refused. I have always felt I could use other vacuums on shag but this one ate it up.
I was impressed initially on the shag, but that started to wane. I have two dogs and they grind all kinds of things (scraps of paper, treat crumbles) into it.
I found the only way to get it thoroughly clean was to go over it with the hose attachment afterwards. I did notice it picked up a lot of rug, but never an amount that caused concern. I ultimately got rid of the shag because it was too difficult to keep clean with pets, and they kept chewing on it.
Almost everyone who owns a Dyson seems to love it. I have heard good things about the Animal, but I think it’s a little heavy - right? BTW, I didn’t know Target beat Amazon in prices, that’s interesting.
Recently I got totally taken all the way to the bank by a carpet cleaning con artist. He quoted me a price over the phone and no sooner did he arrive, he started telling my the price was more than double the quote. Has this happened to anyone too? Lucky for me I told him to get lost. After a little homework online I came across a website called http://www.CarpetCleaningConsumerGuide.com.au which made things very clear to me. I did exactly what the guide said to do when I call a carpet cleaner and it worked…I found a really good and reliable carpet cleaning company that I think I will use forever.