Who says I don't have a helper at home?
I do and it's one that I trust because it is so practical, handy and powerful. Yup, I'm not talking about a person but a thing here and as a stay-at-home mum, it's one that I rely on for my daily chores. While I can live without machines like a dryer or dishwasher and have done so since the beginning, a vacuum cleaner is one that I find indispensable and it has become one of my best assistants over the years.
Meet our new Dyson Digital Slim Fluffy Extra - a vacuum that has gone above and beyond my expectations because not only does it look sleek in purple, it is also multi-functional and transforms easily from a stick vacuum to handheld which helps me clean every corner of the house. In fact, I'm not the only one who loves it but my kids are also very impressed by what it can accomplish. Read on to find out more.
GETTING STARTED
Upon receiving the package, I was surprised to see how small it was! I mean, the box doesn't even reach my waist, are we sure that there is a vacuum cleaner packed within? Even though it says 'Slim' - something which I am glad for because it means lighter and more compact - surely it must still be of a considerable size and length if I were to use it to clean the house.
So I enthusiastically opened up the box and was amazed to see the variety of tools and accessories that were inside. Each of them was wrapped and packed neatly so it took me a while to unpack everything because of the sheer number of tools. See if you can do a count below.
I soon realised that the Dyson Digital Slim is designed with Asian homeowners in mind, thereby it comes with a lighter machine suited for more frequent cleaning, a shorter wand to complement those of us more petite in size and a smaller handle circumference for an easier and more comfortable grip - all while maintaining its powerful suction and superior cleaning ability.
While the box came with a set of safety instructions and a guide on how to set up the wall dock, I couldn't find a user manual to help me get started. Then I realised there was a QR code to scan so that I could access the online manual which would provide me with everything I needed to know in order to set up, register and maintain my machine. I totally applaud this move to save the environment and having it online and saved in my phone makes it much easier for me to refer to from time to time too.
Initially, I was wondering how to set up the vacuum cleaner but after a few minutes, I realised it was a piece of cake because with the push buttons, all the tools were easy to insert, remove and switch around. All you have to do rotate the tool to find the correct position, press the red button, push it in and hear the 'click' sound when it affixes. This makes it very convenient for me to change from one tool to another and in one cleaning session, I usually make use of at least three to four of them because they serve different functions. I'll share more about the tools below.
3 MODES TO CHOOSE FROM - ECO, MED AND BOOST
This is my first vacuum cleaner that comes with a LCD screen and the kids and I were saying "So cool!" Haha. When you first turn it on, you will be able to select your desired language simply by holding the red button. Subsequently, there are three modes for you to choose from:
1) Eco
This is the recommended and default mode which has up to 40 minutes of run time for longer cleans around the home. I use this for general cleaning in the home and it suffices to remove most of the dust and dirt.
2) Med
This provides the optimum balance of power and run time. For tight corners or places that have tougher dirt or residue to pick up, I opt for this mode.
3) Boost
This is used for intensive spot cleaning and has up to 5 minutes of run time. It is designed for occasional use only. I use this only when I need an extra burst of power, for instance in crevices or targeted spots in the car.
You can also see the remaining run time for every of the three modes which lets you know how long more you have before you need to recharge the battery.
A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT TOOLS
-> Slim Fluffy Cleaner Head
When the kids first saw the cleaner head, they said "Mama, it's so soft and made of cloth!" To be more precise, carbon fiber filament and felt have been stitched on the cleaner head together, enabling it to pick up both large debris and fine dust simultaneously. Compared to the Dyson V11 cleaner head, this is 40% lighter and smaller - which is good news for my arms and wrists.
-> Light-pipe crevice tool
This is a must-have as it helps to clean hard-to-reach places where the cleaner head would not work, including the balcony door track, the tight space between our beds and walls and so on. Besides looking sleek in translucent purple, it is also cleverly designed to include a LED light so as to illuminate the dark areas. How smart!
-> Combination tool
This is my favorite of all because it is so versatile! This 2-in-1 tool comprises of tough nylon bristles which can help to remove dried dirt and even mud, and you can push the brush out or retract it depending on when you need it.
-> Mini motorised tool
This motorised bar works great in tight spaces for instance the sofa and car, effectively cleaning up dirt, dust, hair, food bits and other particles.
-> Mattress tool
This works great in removing dirt, hair and debris from mattresses and upholstery. The kids have been using it to clean their own beds and everything just feels much better after a quick sweep.
-> Up-top adaptor
It has always been a challenge to clean high-up areas in our home and I was impressed by how this adaptor can twist and lock at different angles so that I can reach these places much more easily and clean them effectively nowadays.
-> Reach-under tool
Due to the size of the vacuum machine and the relatively shorter wand, it is not possible to reach into places like under the sofa or other awkward tight spaces. Dyson has invented a tool to solve this and it comes in the form of a reach-under tool which can extend, bend and twist. I love that it helps to reduce how much I have to bend over and it's now really easy to clean up the dust below my sofa too.
The extension hose can be combined with certain tools, for instance the combination tool or mattress tool, to provide a longer reach. It, however, cannot be combined with others like the crevice tool, which was what I initially tried to do. Still, it can come in handy when you need a longer arm to reach some of the narrower spaces.
-> Wand storage clip
The wand storage clip allows me to store the crevice tool and combination tool - which are my two most commonly used ones apart from the cleaner head - onto the wand of the vacuum. This means I can easily switch them as I go around the house and makes it really convenient for me.
EMPTYING AND CLEANING
When it comes to a vacuum cleaner, I've never been fond of the cleaning part because it is always a hassle yet it needs to be done regularly. The Dyson Digital Slim has changed my view about that because not only is it free of filter bags - I never did like having to replace those - it is also easy to empty and clean.
To empty the bin, just remove the wand and push the red lever to eject the dirt. Yup, as easy as that! You don't even have to touch it unless the hair or bigger pieces of dirt gets trapped in between and you might have to scoop them out.
The bin is also easy to remove and you can simply clean it under running water and dry it with a lint-free cloth. You can also easily wash the tools like the crevice tool and remove the cleaner head's brush bar to wash it with water too. It is also recommended that the filter be washed once a month, which can be done quickly and easily, to ensure optimal performance.
Another thing I love about the vacuum is that it is smart enough to detect a blockage and will make a pulsing sound to inform you about it. The online manual provides videos with step-by-step instructions to teach you on where to check for possible blockages and how to clean the parts of the vacuum cleaner too. They make it really easy to follow and it is easy for me to access these videos anytime I need to.
WALL DOCK AND CHARGING
Initially, I was wondering if we should set up the wall dock for the vacuum as I read that while some people prefer to do so, others choose not to and just store it when they have space. Well, I am so glad I made the decision to do it because it just makes everything look neater!
It is also much easy to store the vacuum after every clean and having the wall dock set up means it automatically recharges every time I put it back. The dock also comes with two slots for me to store a couple of tools that I commonly use so that I can easily reach them the next time.
The click-in battery is easy to remove or swap with a new one and you just have to press the red release button and pull the battery away from the handle. It is recommended that we get an additional battery so we can alternate them regularly to prolong battery health. By the way, you don't need to attach the machine to the battery in order to charge it. Even if they are separated, you can still charge the battery by plugging in the adaptor.
WHY WE LOVE OUR DYSON DIGITAL SLIM
I can think of many reasons why we love this new vacuum but if I have to pick, these will be the top five.
1) No CORD!
This is my first cordless vacuum cleaner and I can only say what a vast difference an absence of cord makes! It makes things so much easier for me and I am less reluctant, and in fact, more excited to use the vacuum cleaner nowadays. I love that the Dyson Digital Slim allows me to reach every corner of the house and that I no longer have to worry about whether the cord is tangled or long enough. In fact, I really don't mind picking up the vacuum to clean the house daily because it is that easy.
2) High cleaning performance
The Dyson Digital Slim vacuum has one of the best performances out of all the vacuum cleaners I've tried over the years. It achieves 99.97% filtration of particles as small as 0.3 micronswhile maintaining no loss of suction. This is thanks to the Dyson Hyperdynium Motor which spins up to 120,000rpm and 11 scrolled cyclones which have been precisely engineered to remove dust and dirt from the airflow. If all that does not make sense, it just means the vacuum is super powerful! Having three different modes with different suction strengths makes it easy for me to tailor the usage to our needs and even when the battery is running low, the suction power remains the same as it should be too.
3) It's easy to use, even for kids
At first, I thought only the girls would be able to handle the vacuum but it turned out that even the boy was very enthusiastic about it and in fact, he was able to clean the sofa all by himself too! The fact that it easily and swiftly becomes a handheld which weighs less than 2kg means it is really convenient and easy to use. This is really music to my ears because it means that the kids can step up and help to clean the house too, woohoo!
4) Wide range of tools
Equipped with the cleaner head and eight different dynamic tools, the Dyson Digital Slim is a versatile vacuum cleaner that helps to effectively clean every corner of the house. There is a tool to suit every occasion and I love how easy they are to switch around and assemble too - even my kids can do it themselves.
5) Compact and easy to store
In our experience, this is definitely the vacuum cleaner which takes up the least amount of space despite it being one of the most powerful ones. Yup, I love its slim, compact design and I feel that it suits my height and my physique perfectly. Living in a space-starved house which doesn't come with a storeroom, this is just the right vacuum cleaner for our home.
Right, so is there anything we don't particularly like about the vacuum? I thought about it long and hard and came up with two points.
The first would be with the shorter wand, it means there are certain places in my house that I am unable to reach. For instance, there is a deep crevice between my girls' bunk bed and the wall and tried as I might, I couldn't reach the end of it with the wand and the crevice tool attached to it.
The second would be that since you are basically carrying the machine with you everywhere you go instead of pulling it along, it can feel heavy after a while. Cleaning the floor is okay because you are able to rest the weight on the floor but if you are using it as a handheld or using it to reach higher places, the weight becomes more apparent after some time. That said, I would take this over having to deal with a cord anytime and so far, I don't get tired out after a cleaning session.
Here's a video to show you more before we end this post. See if you can spot the kids in action too!
