Dyson Is a Feminist Issue

As a young woman, I boycotted cooking and cleaning. Feminism was in full swing, and I wanted more out of life than menial jobs that were relegated to women. Someone had to cook and clean; when I had to do it, I refused to enjoy it.

Through the years I've shed the contraints I put on myself in the name of feminism and realized that I love to cook. Most of the men in my life are great cooks. I exchange recipes with my brother and with my son who's a professional cook.

Do I also love to clean? Not necessarily, but like most people, I feel more comfortable and emotionally uncluttered in a tidy and clean room.

Enter the Dyson brand vacuums. Awhile back, my cleaning lady brought her Dyson to my house, and she was kind enough to try vacuuming the back of my car, as nothing would remove the dog hair. It took her awhile because German Shepherd hair gets embedded in the fabric, but the car looked pretty dang good.

I don't have the luxury of a cleaning lady right now, and I decided to invest in a Dyson vacuum. I'll say right now that the Dyson brand is expensive. But Dyson is in a category of its own. There are vacuums and then there is the Dyson. There are several dog hair models. Mine is the D14.



The first time I used the D14, I had already vacuumed my family room, which is about 9 x 12 feet, with my other vacuum. With the first pass, I filled up the whole bagless chamber with dog hair. I have grandbabies and don't like them crawling or lying in dog hair. Working with the right tool makes a difference, and I can truthfully say that I love to vacuum, using the Dyson.

I've tried various methods to pick up dog hair. With previous vacuums, I had them repaired regularly because the dog hair clogged them and put too much stress on the motor. If the Dyson gets sluggish, I glance at the see-through chamber and see that it's full of dog hair. This basket is simple to change.

The Dyson is cleverly designed. When it is totally upright, the suction comes out of the top that hooks to the attachments. When the Dyson is tipped backwards in vacuuming position, the suction comes out of the base on the carpet or floor. The permanent hose miraculously stretches far enough to vacuum the stairs. The D14 is relatively easy to carry upstairs, especially with the basket removed.

One caveat: I noticed that the cleaning lady's Dyson was getting a little banged up. She may have been throwing it down the stairs or using it for a doorstop. It might not be built to shove in and out of a trunk. It has plastic parts. But I've had my D14 for probably a year, and nothing is broken, nicked or scratched.

I consider my Dyson an investment, so I shopped around. At that time, the price was the same everywhere: at the Dyson site itself, at Costco, and at Walmart.

On my blog I like to share things I like a lot (I'm the Oprah of blogland). My blog is not a store, but I do post links to items I write about. If I don't own it and love it, I don't write about it or post a link to it.

I'm posting a link below to Amazon. You can read about the hepa filter, the mini-turbine head, and the lifetime filter. I often find good deals at Amazon. At the time of this writing, the D14 costs less at Amazon than at Costco or Walmart.

All the Dyson models are similar. If you buy one for your family, everyone will want to use it. Warning: Don't try using the Dyson to vacuum bathroom rugs. The suction is too strong.