So, last month a bucket list goal of mine came true and I was offered to partner with Dyson for a couple of blog posts. We’re about to do a deep dive here folks, because I have been OBSESSED with their vacuums for over a decade, and with this Dyson Ball Animal 2, some of my assumptions about vacuum styles have been blown out the window.
How deep? Try nearly 13 years.
I got my first Dyson vacuum somewhere around 2005 or 2006, right before Bo and I moved into our condo. It was the first big purchase we made (well, outside of THE CONDO), and I was obsessed with it. As soon as we got it I brought it to my Grandparents house and tested it out – right after their cleaning lady had finished for the day. In just one bedroom (which had JUST beed vacuumed), we had a full canister of dog fur. They had two pups, Titan (a German Shepherd) and Tiki (a Great Pyrenees). In that moment I became a life long believer in Dyson quality and capability. So did my grandparents, who went out and bought one for themselves.
Fast forward to last year. I had gone through three different cordless vacuums, and that original Dyson of mine was starting to struggle. By no fault of it’s own, you see I, ahem, did’t take the best care of it as a twenty something. Meaning I tried to fix a popcorn clogged hose with a metal BBQ skewer. I was an idiot. I obviously didn’t fix the clog that way, but I did manage to poke about 20 holes in the hose. Sigh, twenties.
Decisions, decisions…
Anyway, last year it was time for a new vacuum. Do I get a new canister? Or do I get the cordless Dyson V8 Absolute. With three kids tracking dirt from the front of the house to the back eight times a day, I went for the cordless Absolute. It’s AMAZING (since I got it for myself, I also talked my cousin, Aunt, and Nana into each getting one too!)! It hangs on the back of our fridge cabinet, out of sight, and ready to grab all the little spills and dust piles that my three kids and cat accumulate daily. Seriously, it is used AT LEAST 6 times a day, and when I have to, like when surprise visitors are on their way over, I can quickly vacuum our entire house (3200 square feet, 4 bedrooms) on a single charge and a bunch of caffeine.
But then, that one cat (Izzy), turned into two this summer (meet Alice, she’s super cute!). But Bo, my awesome husband, who knew I fell in love with Alice instantly and had to have her, is allergic to cats. Like, really allergic. To make it even worse for him, they’re both long haired. He really, really loves the kids and I. But I have been feeling horrible seeing him down Benadryl like they’re candy, and constantly sniffing and blowing his nose.
Suddenly, my V8 Absolute wasn’t really cutting it in the bedrooms. Two long haired cats leave a lot of fur on that carpet, and while the V8 is amazing for those quick jobs, it wasn’t getting down deep enough to get the really stuck in stuff. Once a week I needed something stronger to help.
Dyson Ball Animal 2, where have you been all my life!
Enter the Dyson Ball Animal 2. I was BUZZING when I heard it was on the way. Seriously, I was so excited about its arrival that it spread to the kids. Here’s Anna’s face the day it was delivered:
And what did I do as soon as it was delivered? I vacuumed the bedrooms. In the kids rooms, I’d been on a cleaning strike for a bit (literally from the moment I found out I was getting this vacuum). Here’s Sophie’s room before and after (look at the carpet, you’ll see all the cat hair specs). This literally took me two minutes, there was no need for a thousand passes!
Not noticing much of a difference? Then take a look at this, all this cat hair that the Dyson Ball Animal 2 managed to pull out of the “not too terrible looking” carpet!
You know what else I vacuumed? The rest of the house. Because it was FUN! The most shocking thing, and of course the one thing I didn’t think to take a picture of (I will next time!), was the amount of dust it got out. I vacuumed downstairs, which is all hardwood save for the one shag rug. When I emptied the canister, at least half of the stuff in it was the finest dust I’d ever seen, I was blown away.
Side note on that shag – it’s the first time I’ve ever felt like that rug was actually CLEAN after being vacuuming. It’s a long shag, and usually I’m on my hands and knees after pulling cheerios out of it, but this vacuum got them all out on its own!
But how does it really clean?
Let me tell you, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 has surprised me away at every turn. The kids playroom? Wait, let me show you. This is stuff of my nightmares:
Play-Doh is awesome, and Play-Doh sucks. It’s awesome because the kids love it and it keeps them busy. It sucks because no matter how much they promise to clean up after themselves, and no matter how much they actually are able to clean up, this still remains.
And this.
But after a 30 second vacuum, it’s flawless again!
Well, except for the blue paint. I’ve just learned to live with that.
Wanna know what else surprised me?
We have 10 foot ceilings downstairs, and a giant curved staircase. The hose with the wand that’s hidden in the handle reaches all the way up them. I thought I was a canister girl for life, but this changed my mind completely. No more bumping a canister up the stairs. The base just stays there, standing at the bottom of the stairs, and I take the hose and wand up to clean them. I’ll do another post after the holidays and get into all the amazing attachments that come with it.
Another thing the wand was amazing for: vacuuming the kids bookcases! Two of the most used attachments are always snapped to the side of the vacuum, so they’re always at hand. I clipped the combination tool onto the end and slid the dusting brush down it then vacuumed all the cubbies and edges in seconds. I could’t believe how fast and easy it was, and I don’t have to dust them by hand anymore.
These two things alone will seriously save me at least an hour around the house every week dusting (like in between the stair pickets, which I HATE doing, which means I used to hardly ever do it).
I can’t say enough amazing things about the Dyson Ball Animal 2. I’ve been converted from the canister style (which I NEVER expected), and I’m loving the deep clean I can give the house every week. Or every two, I mean lets be honest here. How often I deep clean all depends on who’s coming over for visits, and how many times Bo sneezes in a day. Once the holidays are over (and I’ve kept the house in “holiday form”), I’ll do another post and get into all the little tips and tricks I’ve figured out using it around the whole house!
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