Dyson DC07

...there was a representative from Dyson in-store, who kindly took me through all the techie bits and tried to baffle me with jargon. All I wanted to know was would it get rid of these bloody dog hairs. I have discovered since owning my beautiful four legged friend that their hairs are like pine needles and get everywhere.

THE CHOICE
The Dyson range is huge. There are uprights and cylinders ranging upwards in price from around ...
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One thing the Dyson machines do have in common (for those that have been living in a hole in the ground for the last 10 years or so), is that they are bag-less. It was easy to see in the store that the insides of the demonstration models were, to say the least, mucky.

MY CHOICES
Getting rid of pet hairs and dust being my top priority, it was a toss up between two machines, this one, and a more advanced one again, which ... more

Okay, I am off again, and confess I have been spending money. A visit to Comet for a ‘beginner’s’ digital camera saw me return £500 lighter. A call from my Estate Agent while in-store reminded me that I desperately needed a new vacuum cleaner. Some of you may recall that a few months ago I bought a Bissell deep wet cleaner. Whilst this is marvellous for getting muck out of your carpets, it is also a tedious, laborious and muscle inducing experience, that is to be repeated at minimal intervals. Plus I should imagine it is not a good idea to wash carpets too regularly.

Last year, when my cleaner broke down, I bought a Daewoo machine off my mum. She was having problems getting it around the house because of heart problems, and with just the three of us here it was great. However, the arrival of 4 legs and a waggly tail in the form of Hally meant that even cleaning daily was having little impact on my carpets, it was time for a change.

This was an impulse buy prompted by a third-party. As luck would have it, there was a representative from Dyson in-store, who kindly took me through all the techie bits and tried to baffle me with jargon. All I wanted to know was would it get rid of these bloody dog hairs. I have discovered since owning my beautiful four legged friend that their hairs are like pine needles and get everywhere.

THE CHOICE
The Dyson range is huge. There are uprights and cylinders ranging upwards in price from around £149 up to £289. The Allergy Foundation approve all the machines, although unsurprisingly, the rep told me that only those at the top end of the range are particularly suitable for allergy sufferers like little ‘ol me. Let’s face it, he is hardly going to persuade me to buy the cheapest model is he?

One thing the Dyson machines do have in common (for those that have been living in a hole in the ground for the last 10 years or so), is that they are bag-less. It was easy to see in the store that the insides of the demonstration models were, to say the least, mucky.

MY CHOICES
Getting rid of pet hairs and dust being my top priority, it was a toss up between two machines, this one, and a more advanced one again, which allowed the user to switch brushes without switching brushes!!!! As changing the heads is not a problem for me, I opted for the one specifically designed for animals. It does seem, from the store that Dyson colour-code machines according to model. This little beauty is a combination of clear, purple and grey plastic, and aesthetically pleasing in a squat, dumpy way.

GETTING IT HOME
Neatly packed up, it wasn’t particularly heavy. I did however smile sweetly at the assistant who kindly took it out to the car for me. I omitted to mention it was parked as far away from the store as possible. This was because of a nasty prang there a couple of weeks ago when some smart guy alongside me decided to turn and reverse out of his space without looking. The last thing I needed was a bump in my new pride and joy.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER
In comparison to the Bissell, this was simplicity personified, there is an assembly and instruction brochure supplied with the machine, although this was not necessary. The pipe fits into the base, there is a hook arm which attaches to the side of the machine so the piping is not trailing aimlessly across the floor. There is a large pipe which, would you believe has a handle? No more placing two hands firmly around the pipe. The pipe is easily retractable or extendible, so sadly no more complaints about being too tall or short to do the cleaning. With this machine it doesn’t matter if you are 5 ft midget gem like me, or a 6 foot 2 hulk like my other half.

At the end there are several ‘sucking’ attachments that fit neatly on the end of the pipe. Unlike the more traditional hoovers that you simply have to stick one part into another, the piping on this Dyson is joined through plastic clips. This means that it can be dismantled easily. How many times in the past have you been desperately pulling attachments off the hoover arm because they seem to be superglued together by some mysterious force? I know I have.

MANUAL
There is a manual in 13 languages which was interesting to navigate, although not really considered essential as the Dyson Animal was so easy to assemble

ATTACHMENTS
The first attachment and probably the one most commonly used, is the brushing instrument. I suspect this works so well because the of the motorised brush, so as you are moving the cleaner cross the floor, the brush is whipping up all the muck in your carpet.

In addition there is:

• A pipe about 12 inches long with a thin end, useful for getting into those hard to reach places
• A small head about 9 inches long for getting up close to those skirting boards
• A cylindrical shaped short pipe with a brush on the end – useful for a final clean of those dusty skirting boards.

There is also, as would be expected, a retractable electric plug.

DOES IT DO ITS JOB?
Does it hell? The first port of call was my pale green living room carpet, which despite being only two years old has seen better days, thanks to our furry moulting 4 legged friend. The difference was unbelievable. Firstly, gone was the struggle of grappling with the pipe-work as I could calmly use the handle to navigate. There was also no need to press hard as the combination of the suction and the moving brush was enough to revive my pile to a nearly new state

I then tackled my kitchen rug, which we were kindly going to leave for the new owner, as this had seen better days, having second thoughts about this now, the rug looks like new.

Stairs, nooks and crannies and flimsy bathroom carpets quickly appeared as they had done the day we moved in nearly three years ago.

And the Final challenge, a beautiful, hard-wearing, bottle-green carpet in the study and spare room which is a bitch to clean. Sorted, the carpet looks as good as the day is was laid, possibly even better as the lush thick pile sprung up under its new cleaning master, I was hooked.

THE OUTCOME
My carpets look as good as new. I managed to fill three cylinders just doing these 5 rooms. This is amazing considering I had to vacuum daily to keep on top of the dog hairs, combined with the fact that all the carpets were deep wet cleaned just a few months ago, I am not dirty honest.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE WASTE?
As I have said several times, the cleaner is bag-less, so onto the not so nice tasks. Watching your dust and dirt move from the carpet into this clear cylinder is quite satisfying, however, emptying it is not so funny. The dust receptacle dismantles easily through well though out catches, you simply empty the rubbish into the bin, and then you are supposed to reassemble and start again. However, the volume of dust made me desperate to wash it, and this, for me can be a big problem because of my eczema. Also, you have to be extra careful to ensure that all the dust is removed, or it will end up on your floor again. I would also advise caution against putting the contents straight into the bin, use a carrier bag or similar beforehand, wrap it up, then dispose of it.

There is a filter on this machine which needs to be washed every 6 months; it is apparently a ‘lifetime’ filter, however replacements can be bought from Dysons for £12.

PRICE
I have never before thought about paying over £100 for a vacuum cleaner, this little beauty set me back £266.94 from Comet (same price in Currys – do I smell a whiff of a price-match?) Or you can buy it through Curry’s website for £249.99.

I shop in Comet as I have a store-card, whereby if I time things right I don’t have to pay for the items until nearly two months later. However, combined with the digital camera and accessories the bill came to a whopping £500 which I don’t fancy forking out in one go, particularly with the current expenses of moving house and just having bought a new car. A quick query showed that I could buy it on interest free credit over any period from 3 months to a year. I opted for 6 months, paid my 10% deposit and headed home to face the wrath of my other half. Thankfully he was in a good mood thanks to the Swans winning their game and getting into the 5th round of the FA Cup, the first time since 1980.

Also, Dyson machines carry a two-year manufacturers warranty cancelling the need to be conned into any of those ‘extended product protectors’ on offer from your local electrical supplier.

ADVANTAGES
• An absolutely superb cleaning implement making me wish I had put my money where my mouth was a long-time ago
• The handle makes it easy to manoeuvre
• Easy to store
• Light, not bulky and therefore easy to carry around the house
• An attachment to suit every opening
• There is no loss of power as the cylinder fills with dust

DISADVANTAGES
• The motorised brush wheel means that things can easily get tangled around it and make one hell of a noise until you disentangle them
• The motorised brush means that excess hair will wrap itself around it, and if you get it wet you could be in serious trouble.
• It is, very noisy. Hally, not a great fan of the Vacuum cleaner at the best of times (so much for familiarisation when young), has taken a serious dislike to it. She set about attacking it earlier today before skulking off to hide underneath the kitchen table until I had finished
• The cylinder quickly becomes dirty, and it can make one hell of a mess when emptying – you will also need to wash all the parts regularly.
• When using the other attachments the power definitely does not seem as strong as my standard cleaner, making me realise it is the spinning turbo brush that has maximum impact on my carpets.
• The filter needs to be washed every six months or so.

OTHER THOUGHTS
It was when inspecting the brush that I realised that this technology is not as new and innovative as our friend Mr Dyson may have you believe. Thinking back to my childhood we had carpet sweepers, with motorised style brushes for the more well-off in our society. These worked on a similar principal as the Dyson. Bagless with a brush and were handy for use ‘in-between’ days of the old-fashioned upright ‘Hoovering’ experience, doesn’t it make you wish you had thought of it first.

The reason Hoover apparently rejected his designs (according to my friend in the shop), was not because they thought it was a bad idea, but because they made so much money through selling the bags.

SUMMARY
Obviously it is early days so I can’t comment on its longevity, however, the assistant at Comet assures me that hers is still going strong after 6 years.

The animal is effective, robust, easy to assemble and remarkably effective at cleaning carpets. I therefore suspect that Mr Dysons Animal and I are going to be friends for a long-time to come. If you think you need a cheaper model, then I suggest you don’t have any moulting pets (according to Mr Dyson's friend), but I can guarantee that you will notice a difference.

If you want to find out more, need replacement parts, or want an imitation model for your children to follow you around the house (!), visit www.dyson.com where you will find stockists for both high-street and on-line retailers, and also an on-line accessories shop.

Happy Cleaning!!!

 

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