Dyson is to Die For (Dyson DC01)

Member Name: Squiggles

Product:	Dyson DC01
Date:	22/05/01 (434 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No bag to empty or change, Powerful suck, Dust and bacteria filters

Disadvantages: Noisy, Belts easily melt

I’m the lucky ‘mum’ to two very adorable and generous cats, too generous for their own good in fact. They think nothing of bringing me little gifts, which they leave all over the house for me. Such lovely items too, including dead birds, feathers, torn wings from butterflies and moths and even the occasional vole or two! And if that wasn’t enough, they give me a part of themselves too, yes, clumps of fur and fluff that sticks to carpets, curtains and furniture!

I also have a husband, this one doesn’t bring me pressies as such (sob!), but he does like to leave as much mess as it is possible to create. Biscuit crumbs, crisps, dust and general clutter and I generally find myself clearing up after him non-stop. The joys of being a cat and man owner!

After hearing me moan and groan just once too often for his liking, hubby decided to reward my somewhat unenthusiastic cleaning efforts with a thoughtful gift. No, not chocolates or flowers, but a new vacuum cleaner! But to be honest I was really pleased because this particular vacuum cleaner is by far the best and most efficient I have ever tried, and has certainly made hoovering this tip considerably easier.

The Dyson DC01 is an upright cleaner, and its first big advantage is that it needs no bag thus saving you a fortune in replacements. Instead, the dust, crumbs and general household yuk are sucked into a largesee-through cylinder, which can then be emptied at your leisure. Or in my case, about three times a day! The machine has a very powerful suck (ahem) and it can often be very disconcerting to find that one quick hoover over the smallest carpet can generate enough fluff in that cylinder to create three more cats! It is by far the most powerful vacuum cleaner I have used, and removes even the most stubborn of cat fur and fluff from carpets and furnishings.

The Dyson comes with a dual cyclone action, which you can actually watch whizzing around as
you happily push it back and forth. Be prepared to be horrified at how quickly the thing fills up with dust and dirt, but emptying the container and cleaning it is simplicity itself. You just release the catch and the thing slides towards you ready for emptying. In fact, the machine is very easy to maintain and keep clean and everything slots together simply.

The long hose that you attach various brushes to for stair cleaning and so on is actually an integral part of the hoover. It just needs to be unclipped and pulled out when needed. You don’t have to worry about attaching ends to anything as it’s all done for you!

It also comes complete with lots of attachments to allow you to vacuum corners, stairs and so on more easily. These all sit neatly on the back of the machine so are very convenient, no more trekking backwards and forwards to the understairs cupboard to find the right attachment!

Although you do no longer have to buy replacement bags, you will need to purchase replacement filters for the machine quite regularly. There are two different types of filter. The first is an anti bacterial filter that kills nasty bacteria and demons thus making it an excellent choice for those who are prone to asthma and allergies. This should be changed every three months or so unless you live in my house, in which case every six weeks seems more appropriate! In addition, a Hepa filter is provided which needs to be changed once a year and this keeps the inner workings of the machine free from dust and so on which could prevent the machine from working properly if not changed regularly.

One thing I have found though, is that if you so much as catch a tassel on a rug, or try to pick up a length of cotton, you can wave goodbye to the belt as it practically melts………you can smell that awful burning rubber straight away and know you have a problem. Extra belts (and filters) can be bought from many DIY and hardware
type shops but the belts are fairly expensive. I seem to be replacing mine every five minutes!

Appearance wise, I guess you could say it’s quite attractive. It looks very hi-tech with it’s yellow and grey trims (no other colour choice available with this model!) and is a good size without being too heavy that pushing it around is difficult. It can also cope with any type of floor, be it carpeted or tiled, as the Dyson has an automatic height adjustment setting.

We bought our Dyson about 18 months ago, at a cost of £199 but I believe the price has come down a bit since later models have been introduced. Expect to pay somewhere around £150 to £180.

Overall, it’s the best I have personally tried, its suction power is immense and it can cope with just about any level of dirt and dust you care to throw at it. Seeing all your household dirt whizzing around the clear cylinder can be a little disturbing but at least you know it’s doing the job and can see at a glance when it needs to be emptied. It’s a wonderful cleaner and I wouldn’t be without it! It totally sucks!

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