Don't Tell Hubby, I'm In Love With Another! (Dyson DC04)

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	Dyson DC04
Date:	17/06/01 (411 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: better for allergy sufferers, great colour schemes, extending hose for cleaning stairs

Disadvantages: little tools are a bit annoying, quite heavy and bulky to carry, expensive to buy

My love affair has only recently began, but it’s already passionate. He’s tall, sleek, smooth, helpful – and, joy of joys, PURPLE!! Yes, I’ve got a Dyson! <jumps round the room, singing> I’m a real housewife, at last.

I have struggled for a few years now with an old vacuum cleaner which just wasn’t strong enough for my requirements. A combination of four children, rented accommodation with cheap carpets and the housewifery skills of Waynetta Slob are not conducive to a clean house.

After years of chugging along, choking on old bits of playdough and bent earrings, my old vacuum cleaner went to that great scrapheap in the sky. What hadn’t already fallen off or cracked just smoked a bit, leading me to witness its slow, painful death with the cry of “Yippee! Now I can get a Dyson!”

Mum-in-law ordered it from the catalogue for me, meaning I’ll be paying it off for months and it’ll cost me about £80 more than if I had the cash upfront, but such is life. I don’t care. The new appliance in my life will be loved, cared for and cherished.

So, what has the DC04 got that makes it so special? Well, I’ve already told you it’s purple, that’s enough for me. Its attractive appearance is a definite bonus. This particular model is available in a variety of colours. My other half and all my four kids wanted the red, yellow and blue one. We live in a fair world, a democratic society. I wanted purple and lime, I lost 4-1. Tough! I do the hoovering, I get to choose the colour scheme!

Within a few hours of owning this little beauty, I had hoovered most of the house. My kids came home from school and were so intrigued by the new model in my life, that my nine year old son tidied his bedroom (!), just so he could have a go. Now, if that’s not a great selling point, I don’t know what is!

We used the Dyson on everything, trying out all
its little features. For this is not Ye Olde Worlde vacuum cleaner, this is technology (or something). Let me make a few comparisons between my old one and the Dyson DC04…

To clean the stairs …

OLD ONE – Plug it in downstairs, carry it up halfway up and balance said heavy hoover while attempting to dispose of cat fur with inflexible metal rod. When finished, carry hoover downstairs, unplug, lug the damn thing back upstairs, plug in again and repeat the process from upstairs down.

DYSON DC04 – It has a special extending hose thingy (‘instant hose operation’ apparently) which means you can park the main part of the machine at the bottom of the stairs. You then pull out the hose which extends to reach the top of the stairs. Therefore, you just hold the handle and hoover contentedly, without worrying about a huge thing falling on top of you. Excellent! Especially for short people like me, who find the hoover is often bigger than they are.

Allergic reactions…

OLD ONE – Difference between amount of dust in bag and dust in hoover – negligible. Consequence – wheezing, coughing. Result – a quick swift puff on my Ventolin inhaler needed.

DYSON DC04 – Picks up more dust, doesn’t release it back into the air, recommended to allergy sufferers. It has a ‘lifetime HEPA filter with bacteria-killing screen’. Whatever it is, it works. No Ventolin needed as yet.

Running out of bags…

OLD ONE – Our deceased vacuum cleaner used a certain type of hoover bags, which could be bought from the company themselves or from a shop in Weston-Super-Mare, which is about an hour away. Rather impractical. Plus you had all the hassle, dirtiness and wheezing associated with changing bags.

DYSON DC04 – Doesn’t use bags at all. The dirt goes into a clear drum and when it is filled up to the level indicated, you
empty it straight into a bin or bag, then rinse or wipe round the drum, before replacing it. Quick, easy and once again, no coughing.

Noise levels...

OLD ONE - So noisy that you couldn't hear the 'phone ringing.

DYSON DC04 - Purrs happily...

So, what about the disadvantages? Of course, there are some. The vacuum cleaner comes with three little tools – a crevice tool (for nooks and crannies, skirting boards, etc.), a stair tool (with velour strips on to collect the hairs, etc.) and a brush tool (for cobwebs, etc.).

These slot in neatly around the Dyson, but they fall off, get in the way and are really quite annoying. Still, if you lose or break them, you can buy them separately from the company for £4, £7 and £6 respectively.

The machine itself is also quite bulky and heavy to lift. It is helpful though to be able to lift the drum section out to clean it, or use the hose up the stairs, so this at least minimises the need to lift it too much.

The only other drawback I can see is the price. Argos sells the model I’ve got for £246, but you can easily pay over £300 for one. Hopefully though, these will last for a good few years and end up being well worth the initial outlay.

So, what are you waiting for? Why not try a new model, like I have? It’ll show you just how clapped-out and primitive your old one was. And what more could you wish for than a vacuum cleaner that actually encourages you to do the hoovering? Now all I need is Dyson to make a new model of iron and we’d all be happy.

P.S. Thanks to all those whose opinions on Dyson models I read both here and at Ciao. It was thanks to your recommendations that I now own this wonderful machine :-)

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