I'm terrible at cleaning my house, especially vacuuming. I came to a realization that the only way for me to stay on top of this is to lower the friction as much as possible. Up until now I've had a a big bulky thing that I bought a while back. It has a filter that must be replaced and re-purchased every so often, is heavy enough to make me not want to bring it up or down stairs, loud enough I don't want to run it at night (I have attached neighbors) and dirty to clean. So the friction has been pretty high. My solution yesterday afternoon was to purchase a Dyson DC35 Digital Slim. I like it so much I decided to do something I normally wouldn't: write a review of a vacuum cleaner.
The Digital Slim is a lightweight cordless vacuum by Dyson that can be held in one hand and can be used either as a handheld or floor vacuum (by removing or using the included aluminum tube) It doesn't seem to pick up any less (more, actually) than my old vacuum, and being cordless is means I can use it for the car as well. I also enjoy that it sort of looks like something from Doctor Who.
The battery lasts for about 15 minutes (which is a lot longer than it sounds), and can be recharged in about three hours. One of the things I really wanted in a new vacuum was for it to not have a filter that had to be re-purchased occasionally; the filter in the DC35 pulls out easily, only needs to be rinsed once every four weeks, and never needs to be replaced. I was able to vacuum my entire house (about 1200 ft²) in that amount of time. I was also able to get into places I never could before, due to its size, the floor attachment being able to turn 90˚ and because it's easy bend down and extend the tube under things (e.g., the bed or couch).
It might seem a bit expensive at $329, but I was tired of friction, dirt and things that didn't work well. I consider my time to valuable to waste on cheap appliances. It's light and easy enough to move around, so I feel no obstacle to taking 5 minutes to clean up, and my floors are cleaner for it. If you live in an apartment or moderate sized house it can definitely be used as your only vacuum and I recommend it for that. Buy it using one of the links in this article and I'll get a small referral fee from Amazon.
