Last year Dyson debuted the V15 Detect cordless vacuum cleaner ($1549) with advanced detangling and laser heads. This year the brand has taken that detangling technology across the whole range of machines, as well as releasing some new cleaning accessories. So, Lifehacker Australia has let me, their resident germaphobe, take all the new Dyson attachments for a test drive.
Dyson wants you to vacuum glass now
How often do you vacuum your windows? Never? Me neither, but Dyson would like to change that. The new Dyson Detail Cleaning Kit includes a ‘Delicate Surface Tool’ that is designed to softly and gently, yet powerfully, suck up all the dust from picture frames, windows, computers and TVs.
“But Alice, why wouldn’t I just use a damp cloth?” I hear you, I had the same question. The answer is that you should vacuum and then use a damp cloth. Sure, this does add an extra step, but it gets more of the dust off more cleanly without caking dirt, mould and dust mites into the corners, and that seems like good enough motivation. It’s like sweeping before you mop on a smaller scale.
Because I’m not brave enough to let any object touch my TV, I vacuumed a grimy picture frame and the screen of my electric drum kit.
The picture frame used to be quite close to our kitchen, so it’s got a bit of that gross oily film that envelops everything that stays too close to a kitchen, but it’s also dusty because the universe is cruel. Vacuuming it made an instant difference. It still needed the damp cloth treatment afterwards, but it worked great.
What was more impressive was vacuuming the dust off my Roland TD-17 module. I live in the city, and my kit is near a window that gets opened a lot, so dust is a constant issue, much to my chagrin. I generally avoid wiping the module with a damp cloth because it leaves streaky marks and instead usually use compressed air and then vacuum the floor with an air purifier on. Vacuuming the module itself was super quick and easy, and the soft bristles didn’t scratch the screen at all, which was my main concern.
Cleaning the bristles of the delicate tool itself was easy, too. You just pull up on the red bit and rotate it a little to shake the dust out of the bristles.
I will be using this to vacuum monitors and other glass things, given the lack of scratches and the smoother clean without streaks you get from cloths from now on.
Dyson has a solution for your awkward gaps (but not too deep)
Cleaning awkward gaps is always hard. The old Dyson Awkward Gap Tool shares the same thin body of the new tool, but the old one relied on a flexible hose for angling, which can be imprecise. The new tool can be locked at different angles, as well as coming with a flexible hose. That means you can be more precise, which is always welcome.
When used on short awkward gaps, it’s very effective. It’s perfect for cleaning the tops of skirting boards, and the little brush can agitate surfaces to release extra dust.
That said, the Awkward Gap Tool has always been too short. It’s fine to vacuum down the side of a couch, or the thin side of a table, but it’s useless if you’re trying to clean the floor behind a bedhead, or, in my case, the weird gap between a waist-heigh window and a double door to nowhere where I accidentally dropped a plant once. That last one may be a more unusual problem, but it’s one I would like a solution to. I’m hoping that the next awkward gap tool is telescopic, and thus able to cope with larger, more awkward gaps and crevasses.
How good are the new Dyson attachments for detangling hair?
Quite good, but not perfect. I’ve been using the V15 Detect for the past year, and just got an Outsize ($1499) with the new super-sized version of the attachment and it’s good. But within 10 minutes of using the Outsize, I’d already gotten some hair caught in it. Not in a way that impacted the normal working of the machine, but just enough to be funny as it partially blocked the words “hair removal vanes”.
I’ve been losing a lot of hair lately (three cheers for iron deficiency) and it’s gotten very tangled on the hard floor cleaning tool (the one that detects with a laser, which is now also included with the Outsize for the first time), as well as the old-style Direct Drive Cleaner Head on my dad’s V10. Aside from that objectively hilarious hairball getting stuck in the new head, I haven’t had a tangle yet, which is a huge step forwards.
The smaller Hair Screw Tool has also been included across the range of cordless vacuum cleaners from next week, which will replace the mattress and upholstery tools for most people. It’s a step up from the old mattress tool, particularly for pet owners. It’s much more powerful, the little hair removal vanes also agitate the fabric more to kick up dust, and the screw stops hair from getting caught. Massive for anyone who’s ever suddenly realised their couch has more cat hair than stuffing.
Do you need these tools?
As for the Detail Cleaning Kit ($99), which includes both the Delicate and Awkward Gap tools, it’s an ideal set of smaller tools and if you have fiddly stuff to clean, you should totally get it.
All these vacuum cleaners and attachments are available from dyson.com.au from next week.
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