Which is the most efficient vacuum cleaner for dog hair?

Hiya
Well I got my Dyson 04 about a year ago now & its been brilliant, its gets so much hair up!! But a few weeks before Christmas I bought a Bissel carpet cleaner, (cost about £200, but Im not sure what model it is off hand) the carpet looks superb now, no more doggy paw prints & suspect circles where he has puddled lol. The amazing thing is that even if I Dyson first & then use the Bissel, it still gets even more hairs out of the carpet as it washes it!

I bought a carpet 'comb' a few months ago - I use it mainly on my stairs, before vacuuming. When I first got it, I tried using it after using my Dyson and was amazed at how much hair my Dyson didn't pick up :D

Daisy

i have two vacuum cleaners a dyson (an old one at that) and a electrolux, the dyson picks up best by far,
heidi

I do not like dysons; I have a Miele Cat and Dog which I have had since 97, it is brill.

97     I have only had my Dyson for just over a year and I am coming to terms with buying another vacuum, it is stuck together in soo many places, I have had several since they were invented and found the original upright the best but not brilliant.
So I am now considering a Miele Cat and Dog or a Henry.

a vax 615.i have had vaxs for 20 year with no trouble.

I`ve got a vax too Terri :) Not sure which model but it`s about14yrs old now & no probs. Was thinking of getting the Dyson but I`m sure it`d need emptying every 2 mins so am thinking about the Miele or electrolux one.
Forgot to say I`m thinking of a steamer as well, any one got one & how good do you find them? Bear in mind I`ve got no carpets, all tiles but some rugs & it`s got to be light & easy to use :)

Christine, Spain.

i will always stick to a vax.try other do not come up to the stander of a vax

Christine, I have tried one of the makes you are considering and saw more of the engineer that I did clear carpets.

Now I`m getting I`d stick with the Vax but it`s so big & bulky compared to all these neat little new ones, maybe I`ll just get one thats a nice colour :D :D :D

Christine, Spain.

Have had my Dyson since Sept 99 and it's still in one piece !! But since seeing how much dog hair it leaves behind, I am thinking about changing it :) But which vacuum would pass the comb test :D It's a pity that we can't try them out before we buy :(

Daisy

In response to tcarlaidh:  if your dyson is under 2 years old, dyson will replace Free of Charge ANY parts that are broken, just ring them tell them the parts you need and they will send them out pretty quick.

I have a Dyson Animal, it's lovely, I have 5 dogs and I have no complaints about it

Tohme, if you have had a different make of vac since 1997 when did you use a Dyson in your home to know if you like it or not. Just interest not trying to be sarcastic, perhaps you have 2 in the home at once.

Daisy, are you saying the bissel is better.  I only ask because I have cat and dog and was going to buy a "super dooper animal hair thingy vacuum" but someone else told me a carpet cleaner then an ordinary vacuum is much better.  Vacuums do not hoover up paw prints.  I need a cleaner cleaner if you know what I mean!!  Is a bissel carpet cleaner than ordinary vacuum best.  Its the same price.  Thanks.

CG

we've just changed our old Henry for a Dyson allfloors DC11 cylinder, its the best vacuum we've ever had, it gets all the dog hairs up and the revolving brush gives the carpet a good beating too.

Robert

Dyson, Dyson, Dyson - but only the upright, maybe the new cylinders are better but they used to be rubbish.

If you're going to get a Dyson it needs to be a good one at least a DC07 anything below that is pretty bog standard.
We've just bought the Dyson animal which is specially designed for picking up animal hair and we love it. We have cream carpets and a choccie lab (not a clever combination with hindsight) and it gets it all up brilliantly.

I vacced with my DC07 went out the same day and bought the animal, vacced again and it picked up loads extra.

Dyson Animal is great, though heavy and not easy to get into small spaces, DC03 was better weightwise and gor gaps, but not so good suction wise

Also, my friend said the Miele Animal is superior to the Dyson - don't know, don't have either - help people please!

CG

we've got cream carpets and a white dog which is surprisingly sensible for me ! we use a dyson (cylinder one) which seems to work well (hard to tell when u can't see the hairs!)

the only problem is is that lily screams the place down when we use it - 3 weeks ago she fell down the stairs and landed on it (it was at the bottom) and she broke her leg :( she's not quite forgiven it yet !

sarah
x

Well we have a Kirby :D It is the only vacuum cleaner that has lasted me longer than a couple of years ..we have had this one now for about 8 years ;)

8 years!!  I'm there.  Tell me where to buy one :D

CG

Er...well you obviously don't know how much they cost :D :D :D  You might change your mind when you find out :D :D :D Google on Kirby Vacuums and see ;)

my son was selling Kirbys he did a demonstration for us with it I found it wasnt any better than my dyson although I did like the way it washed the carpet that did make a difference

There is no difference to the actual functions ..the difference comes when you see how long they last. Most smaller vacuum cleaners seem to last for 2-3 years at the very most. The Kirby just keeps going on and on , therefore you inevitably save money in the long run :)

Well done, you've reminded me what the thing under the stairs is called :D!!

Its a brilliant machine.  The demonstration price is always well over the top, but you can beat them down considerably.  Not to mention that its also a hard floor cleaner, a carpet washer, a hand held......and they'll service you every year.

So simple even my 4 year old gets it out and uses it.  Beats buying him a toy one :;

i would not go for the dyson had a lot of trouble with  it ,bought a new one from argos this week it was about £75 and its the best i have had its a panasonic and lightweight .

I have had two Dysons, both bit the dust after about 2 years the last one had to have several repairs too, which they did FOC, but it is still a hassle having to send it back.

I now have a Miele Dog and Cat and have found it great. Much easier to hoover out the car than a Dyson too.  I have to say I don't have so many carpets these days though, eventually getting through the house with hard floors.

Sandra

The Bissel I use is a shampooer, its got special powerbrushes on it so it really gets into the carpet to clean it. I use the Dyson for everyday use & have the shampooer for when Dylan gets mud everywhere. Its got an attachment so I can use it on furniture too, very useful for when he pees on the settee like he did this afternoon grrrr lolol. Oh well I have to forgive him the occasional accident hes only a baby :-)
Thanx for telling us about the free replacements for Dyson, I bashed the handle on ours & had to stick it up with tape. It was my own fault not a fault of the machine, I'll give them a ring now :-) 

We were given a dyson DC01  that needed repaires after out last hoover went in a bang and smoke fashion, its not the best and i wont say it is but the parts are simple to replace yourself and theres planty of parts around for £15 (parts and filters) its lasted 4 months now and easyer than a bag vacume.  many years ago there was a vacum in south Africa that used a water resivar (spelling?)  to filter the air  it was amazing friends of ours had kids with alargies asma etc  they found it worked better than anything. may be worth looking them up on google

I LOVE my vaccuum cleaner, its ACE........and, its a VAX Luna 1300, its a cylinder vac which i usually hate, but it also does wet carpet cleaning and hard floor cleaning. It picks up loads of dog hair, its a pretty shade of blue, and i got it for £80 off my local market as a display  model, it has a tiny little scratch on it.

My previous vacs were frankenstien creations, made of old bits cobbled together, mostly Hoover or Panasonics, and they finally stopped makin parts that fitted either, and i ran out of friends with dead vacs to steal bits off.

One TOP tip though, for ppl with a hoover that mysteriously doesnt work, or that needs the old 'wiggle the wire' trick to get it going....

The wire, where it goes into the vacuum gets hot. The plastic insulation suffers fatigue, adn also gets knackered because it usually goes round too many bends, gets tugged, and twiddled too much, so eventually it breaks down......result one dead vacuum.

Take it apart, DONT lose the clip/plug bit that attaches the wire to the motor, they are a bugger to find...cut the wire off about 6 inches above where its knackered, and re wire it........its NOT a tough job, but it IS one that an electrical shop will charge u £50 for!

Hehehehe, tune in next week for Em's masterclass in making remote controls work again.

Em

You sound like my Dad!!!  My Dyson DCO4 had the problem of broken cable, and my Dad wouldn't hear of me paying £25 for the unit that would have to be replaced, as it is all moulded into place.  He picked at it, cut off the bit with the switch, replaced the switch, and hey presto it works again, evenif it does look a bit strange with it's new little red button :D

I liked the DC01 upright as the screws on the base plate were metal, but the DC04 multifloor I have has lots of inspection places to deal with any blockages that are inevitable with dogs and kkids.  Nothing like bits of plastic and paper getting eound up with hair to cause a blockage.

I would love the Animal one with the roataing brush head.

The rotating brush head for the Animal isn't all it's cracked up to be. :( I must buy a 'floortool' and see if that's any better. The rest of the Animal is fab, though!

I like my Dyson because of the colour :p

That is soo girly, Lucy! I got mine because males aren't allergic to Dysons. ;)

Now I think Dyson, Vax, Kirby and Hoover would make great dogs names.  Can't see Electrolux, or Panasonic taking off though!!!! :D :D :D

Have to admit it, one thing putting me off the dyson is the colour, it`s purple & I don`t like that colour
Asked did they have another colour but nope, animal one only comes in purple :D

Christine, Spain.

And which colour have you got Lucy?

It is the purple and turquoise one as it goes with my eyes! It is important to look ones best when doing domestic goddess duties in the house :D

Let me guess, left eye purple, right one turquoise? :D

My mum and dad are both like that..... they both harvest all the spare bits off anything dead, plugs, wires etc.....i fink its genetic!

Em

could be genetic but its good aswell, wouldnt dream of spending £200 on a thing that picks up dirt .. a new set of alloys sounds like a lot better investment

hehe, roswell, id have to disagree with you on the alloys there......id need a car to stick them on!

I think my 'fix-it' attitude is partly genetic (and i have a FIT when ppl do things like call out an electrician to fit a light fitting!!!, etc) and partly from necessity......pretty much everything i have is second hand, free, off a skip, or dirt cheap, and that includes one of the dogs (free!) and the cat!

£200 here would be buying me a tattoo or a new guitar amp!

Em

My dad was like me, but he was an electrician / Lighting engneer when to old to get up the ladders. I learnt a lot from him but only started on the diy side fo life in the last year when i bought a house i self taught myself everything i could due to the amount of work needed and lack of funds (why pay a builder to remove a plasterboard wall when you have you have your own hammer :-)  

its fun finding cheap safe fixes, and more tot he fact if you break it you will only end up buying a new one anyway so its worth a shot.

"pretty much everything i have is second hand, free, off a skip, or dirt cheap"

Em, have you been taking lessons from my husband? :D He's a milkman so can peruse skips unseen in the early hours. :)  I get sick of the grot he brings home, but he does bring some amazingly useful stuff, and some of it's brand new!

Kath.