This Vacuum Is Life-Changing for People with Pets (And Everyone Else, Really)

I live in a tiny studio apartment. (Thanks, New York City.) So, you would think that the lack of surface area means I have no problem keeping my home spotless. Wrong. I also have a very sweet but very, very fluffy cat. Ever since Leroy came into my life almost four years ago, he has brought me endless joy — and an endless supply of loose fur and fuzzballs that coat my entire apartment in a thin layer of gray-and-white fluff. 

I’d like to say I’m the kind of person who vacuums the cat hair from the corners of her home every day, but I’ve never been that good. In fact, I would have a hard time being the type of person who does it every week (and trust me, my apartment needs it much more often than that). So, I’d just let the fluff accumulate in the corners next to my couch and around the legs of my kitchen table … until a friend was on her way to my place and I’d frantically schlep around my Bissell vacuum trying to clean it all up before she arrived. I was not in a good pattern. Until recently, when everything changed. 

Enter the new love of my life (second, of course, to Leroy): the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute vacuum. Guys, never in a million years did I think I’d be so excited by, so enamored with, so absolutely attached to a … vacuum. But I am. Dyson’s latest creation has changed everything about my cleaning routine, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it has actually changed my entire life. Here’s why… 

1. It’s cordless. You would think a vacuum cord wouldn’t be an issue in a studio since, well, everything is in one room. Actually, it presents a whole other set of issues when a long cord is strung across a closely-packed room: I start vacuuming one area and when I try to move to the next, the cord trailing behind me knocks a water glass off the coffee table. Who actually has time to pay attention to the cord as you vacuum? Not me, I’m just trying to get this sh-- done. And don’t even get me started on the feeling of your vacuum suddenly shutting off because you’ve pulled it too far and the plug popped out of the socket … A cordless vacuum solves all of that. No more unplugging and replugging as you go. And if you live in an actual house rather than a studio apartment, you’ll love this feature even more as you carry your Dyson from room to room on a single charge that lasts a full 60 minutes. 

2. It’s so light. SO light. Compared to my previous vacuum, which was a whopping 18.25 pounds, the Dyson Cyclone V10 is only 5.9 pounds, which makes a HUGE difference when you’re lugging the thing up or down stairs. Heck, it makes a huge difference in my decision to bring it out to begin with. I used to have to weigh the benefits of having a clean apartment versus the physical burden of schlepping around a heavy, bulky vacuum. Now, I come home and the first thing I do is pick up my Dyson and do a super quick, hassle-free sweep of the main living area. It takes zero energy, zero plug-in, and (almost) zero time to get it done. 

3. It’s the easiest vacuum I’ve ever owned. Can I invite the people who designed this thing out for a drink? Because they did a seriously fantastic job. 3a) The days of bending down to turn on your vacuum are over thanks to Dyson’s trigger-style button right on the hand grip. 3b) Emptying the thing is less messy and more hygienic than ever with the bin’s point-and-shoot emptying mechanism. Better yet, you’ll have to empty the bin less frequently since the V10's bin is 40 percent larger than previous models'. 3c) Wall mount = big win for a small space. 3d) It comes with a variety of attachments, big and small, that are made to fit every nook and cranny you can imagine. And they all snap in and out effortlessly — no more tugging. You can even remove the barrel and turn it into a handheld, so not only will I be tossing my old full-size vacuum, I can say adios to my old handheld, too. 

4. This is the feature that’s closest to my heart: It’s second-to-none when it comes to pet hair. I have a set of floor cushions that Leroy claimed as his own. That’s fine, but it means they’ve become the hairiest and filthiest pillows ever. In fact, they used to be so gross, that I completely ignored cleaning them for months on end because the task of ever getting them to look good again seemed impossible. I’ll let this photo — of half the cushion in its destroyed-by-cat state and half the cushion vacuumed with the motorized pet hair attachment — do all the explaining for me: 

I mean … I completely forgot what the original color of the pillow was until I let my Dyson at it!

A Dyson does not come cheap, but if you’re thinking about all the time and energy it gives back to you every time you use it, I’d say that’s priceless. (And there’s a 90-day money back guarantee with free shipping on returns, so there’s zero risk in testing one out to see for yourself.) Ever since this baby came into my life, it’s easy peasy to do a two-minute vacuum of my apartment every day. Ok, every other day. (I’m trying!) Anyway, it’s no exaggeration to say that I actually enjoy vacuuming at this point — and that is life-changing. 

On sale for $379.99: 37% off of the original price of $599.99.