A story

Though this was not meant to be a Christmas present, it came at Christmas this year.

Almost 7 years ago I decided to retire my 20 year old Kirby vacuum. It was a big heavy upright vacuum that was very powerful and when I used it I actually felt that my house was clean. It had all the attachments as well as a carpet shampooer. Yes, I like this vacuum or I wouldn't have kept it for 20 years. The vacuum before was a Hoover canister that lasted me all of two years before I gladly sent it packing.

My Kirby was old and well beat up. I used it for cleaning things like the outside mat, the attic that was full of debris and just about anything I wanted to clean as well as the carpets and wood floors in two homes that I owned. It was big and heavy and the furniture zip didn't work anymore (that was the second one I had used to death) and the beater brushes were dying (again, the second beater I had used to death). Just about every 5 years I was replacing the hose on it. Actually, I really liked that machine. I liked how it cleaned and with two cats and a Newfoundland dog, I needed that machine. My house always looked and smelled clean.

When we moved into this home, I decided it was time to retire the Kirby. The hose had a hole in it again, the furniture zip wasn't working and hadn't for some time, and I couldn't find another one to fit my machine. The power beater was almost dead. We took a trip to the local vacuum cleaner store and I told the salesperson what I wanted. I wanted a light weight upright vacuum that could just as easily keep up with hardwood floors as well as carpets. I told them I really liked my Kirby but it was getting harder and harder to find replacement parts. I also wanted one of those new bagless models thinking it was less likely that I would lose power as the bag became clogged. They insisted on a Meile canister machine. My first reaction was "NO" because first and foremost I wanted an upright vacuum. They insisted it was the best on the market and I would love it.

Well, with all the pets now gone except for one cat and the carpet being brand new, the Meile worked fine for a couple of years. Then Bratley came to lived with us and I found the canister to be exactly what I thought it would be. It was OK before but now it was proving to be not what I wanted. Still, I didn't want to spend the money on another vacuum. So I lived with it and did extra cleaning to try to keep up with things. Then Tootsie came to live with us. Now the Meile was proving itself to be totally unable to cope with all the pet hair and dander. My house smelled and looked dirty even after spending a day cleaning. I felt cruddy and dirty after spending the day cleaning.

This is when I started seeing the Dyson Animal advertised. It looked interesting, it claimed to be maneuverable and also laid claim to do wonders with animal hair. Still, the price kept me from taking the leap. The Meile just simply had to do. So one fine day, I came home from work to find, sitting in the bedroom a Dyson Animal with it's canister full of animal hair and dander. Husband said he was it on sale and had to get one. Then he told me that the animal hair and dander in the canister was just a light vacuum of the bedroom only. The room actually smelled clean and the carpet looked about 5 years younger. It came with all the attachments including a furniture zip brush that I missed so much; the Meile didn't have one.

It is so nice having a house that feels clean again! We used this Animal 3 times in the past week and I think we're finally getting ahead of the dander and hair. The house smells fresh and I can see that the carpets really don't need shampooed. I haven't seen them look this clean in years. I may even decide to keep carpet in the bedroom and office.

http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC17-ANIMAL