Cleaning up with Dyson!

In a house with 3 young children, where we enter directly from the outside (imagine MUD) into a white-tiled kitchen, we have to clean up a lot. I vacuum the kitchen most days at least once, and sometimes twice, and often have to spot clean here and there as well.

You know when a friend tells you "You should get this, you'll absolutely love it!"? Sometimes you wonder, right?  Well...turns out my friend was right! :) She has a Dyson vacuum, and couldn't stop telling me how wonderful it was! I do know that when she had vacuumed her house (with hairy dog) really well, our son was able to play there for a short playdate, with no noticeable allergy symptoms, even though he's allergic to dogs.  Now that I've got my own Dyson vacuum, I am in complete agreement. I do absolutely love it!!! I could start some kind of Shakespearean speech: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!!"

James Dyson, shown with the DC36

But first, a little bit about Dyson vacuums. James Dyson is the man behind the Dyson brand. He's a man who like to make things work better. He and his research team have transformed some of the more common everyday products into fabulous inventions that really do the job well. One of the first modifications he made to the vacuum cleaner was to use cyclone technology and get rid of the vacuum cleaner bag. What a super idea! (Other vacuums rely on bags and/or filters, which is a lucrative industry!) Of course, this cyclone technology has been modified and improved over time:

Dyson’s Radial Root Cyclone™ technology captures more microscopic dust than any other cyclone.  Every angle of each airway is honed to ensure microscopic particles – as tiny as 0.5 microns or 1/5,000th of a pin head – are spun out of the airflow and captured in the bin.  

Another issue of vacuums is how well they manoeuver through the area. For a while now, the Dyson upright vacuum has moved on a ball that turns on a dime. Now, the Dyson canister vacuum is being introduced with ball technology as well - and it's a primeur for Canada!!

“Canadians love invention.  They've backed Ball technology so much so that Canada will be the first country in the world to wave goodbye to wheeled vacuum cleaners.  No more shuffling back and forth with fixed wheels, now we’re turning on a dime, all the time.”

When I was offered the chance to review a Dyson vacuum, I did a little happy dance! :) Then, the harder part: which one to choose? I looked at the descriptions and specs online, and finally chose the DC37 Turbinehead. It's a canister-style vacuum, and the list of attachments included with it really appealed to me. It's listed as an "animal" vacuum, which means it's perfect for pet owners. We don't have any pets, but it comes with a mini turbine head (carpet attachment) that is perfect for stairs and cars - we have both around here and they get dirty really quickly with 3 children! As well, it has a separate hard floor tool that has been great for us - with a lot of hardwood and tile in the house.

DC37!

For those of you interested in specifications, here's the "dirt" (pun intended!) on the DC37:

• 275 air watts suction power
• 2 litre / 0.53 gallon bin capacity
• dimensions HxWxD): 507 x 261 x 368 mm
• Max. reach: 10m / 32.8ft
• Cord length: 6.5 m / 21.33 ft
• Weight: 7.67 kg / 16.91 lbs

Now...what do I like about the DC37? Basically, everything!! It is such an improvement over other vacuums we've had. Like I said, I'm using it daily, and need it to be quick to use and really work well, especially with a little person in the house who picks everything up off the floor and tries to eat it. :)

1. The vacuum maneuvers well - the canister turns easily and follows the hose. I also really like the articulated floor attachment that turns to get into smaller spaces, like between the toilet and the wall. Another feature of the floor attachment that I appreciate is that's it's very slim, and is easy to get under our radiators, where I was never able to vacuum before.
2. The "Triggerhead" for carpet starts and stops with air pressure, and is easily controlled by a button on the handle, so there is no need to plug in something extra to operate the carpet attachment. You can tell it's really brushing the carpet and getting everything up.
3. The retracting power cable is very handy (the kids think it's fascinating!) and the cable is long enough that I can reach almost the whole storey without unplugging the vacuum and finding another plug to use.
4. We are very impressed with the phenomenal suction power.
5. There are a variety of accessories for every situation: a couple of favourites are the long skinny stick (with movable brush/duster end), and the small duster attachment. If you are a pet owner, you will love the grooming tool, which features a brush-like surface to really comb through your pet's hair.
6. Attachments click in easily and securely in several places along the hose and handle, so you can use them in smaller places, or with the handle if you have to reach. They won't come loose by themselves, as you have to click a button to unhook.
7. Emptying the bin is super easy and doesn't create a mess - the canister is marked with a max level so you can easily see when it's time to empty. Other vacuums, upon emptying, have created a nice little spread of dust etc on the floor, where the bin just pops out, with the dirt still at the bottom, and easily dumps into a garbage can/bag, and just as easily pops back in again to be ready for more cleaning.
8. The vacuum is lightweight - it's easy to carry from one part of the house to the other, and especially easy to carry/support on stairs.
9. The vacuum seems less noisy than the average vacuum we've experienced - it's engineered for reduced noise levels with essential components housed in the acoustically treated ball.
10. The stair accessory (Mini turbine head) is great for carpeted stairs, also for small area rugs - really brushes the carpets and gets up the dirt. It's equally handy in the car - where you can't always get with larger attachments, but still need the brushing power of a carpet head.
11. I've noticed that the dust doesn't accumulate as quickly on our floors as before. I think this is because it doesn't escape back into the room I've just cleaned...which makes me very happy about the quality of the filters.
12. The vacuum stores compactly because the handle retracts (telescopic) to take up less room - it's also easy to adjust to operator's height (smaller people like my children can also use the vacuum easily - no more excuses there!) The only think I wonder is if the vacuum would be really comfortable for very tall people to use...I'm of average height, and it fits me fine. Other people (yes, our guests want to try our vacuum!) taller than me have tried it with no problem, but we haven't had any super tall people over lately!
13. Filters are washable; Dyson recommends washing about once a month. This means you don't have to purchase extra filters!
14. This is maybe not the most important feature of the vacuum, but we do like it's cool, ultramodern look, and I love that it's purple (my favourite colour!).
15. Dyson vacuums are certified by the Asthma Society of Canada because, not only do they have a HEPA filter, which isn't enough on it's own, they also have constant powerful suction, high dust removal, the ability to capture microscopic particles such as pollen and mould, and no dusty bags to empty. This certification is very important to us, with 3 asthmatics in the house.

Even our 19-month old is able to "use" the vacuum and loves to push the buttons!

There are 3 other vacuums with the Ball technology: the DC36, which is also a canister, and 2 uprights, the DC42 and DC43. Each is designed to suit different environments and uses - check the website for a handy comparison tool to find which one is best for you.

Dyson vacuum cleaners are available at dyson.com and major Canadian retailers: Future Shop, Best Buy, The Bay, Home Outfitters, Sears, Canadian Tire, The Brick, Walmart, Home Depot, and independent retailers across Canada.

**Disclosure: The product mentioned above has been given free of charge from Strategic Objectives for Dyson Canada in exchange for being featured on Glimpse. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Glimpse and have not been influenced in any other way. Please see the full Terms of use.