NOW CLOSED: Dyson Digital Slim DC44 Tester feedback review thread – Non testers – you could win a Dyson

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the testers currently putting the Dyson Digital Slim DC44 through its paces this Christmas.

Once you've received the Dyson and have had a play please let us know your first impressions.

Then let us know - across the next couple of weeks - how you're getting on with the challenges (do also let us know if you've invented or discovered any other ways the Dyson helped out!).

Here's what Dyson say about their challenges:

The balance challenge - "We know that often busy parents need to multi task. So can you still vacuum with the Dyson digital slim whilst the other hand is doing something else - carrying the baby, the dog, the phone, cooking, putting things away (you name it)".

The versatility challenge - "how useful are the different attachments in cleaning those hard to reach places?"

The cobweb challenge - "can you reach those high up cobwebs that have been sat there lurking for a while?"

The family mess challenge - "pets, children, mud, crisps, crumbs? what family mess can the Dyson digital slim pick up?"

The 20 minute dash challenge - Guests turning up announced? How much of the house can you clean in 20 minutes with the Dyson digital slim?

You will need to add feedback at least twice - once everyone has added their feedback on the challenges we'll add some questions to find out your overall views.

If you're not a tester, we've persuaded Dyson to give one lucky MNer the Dyson machine of their choice - all you need to do is, on this thread, share your cleaning tips and/or the hardest place you've had to reach when cleaning and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a Dyson (could be vacuum, an Air Multiplier fan or a Dyson Hot).

Thanks, MNHQ

Not a tester.

My tip is to fish out the attachments that come with your vacuum cleaner. I used the edger, and was so impressed I zapped round the house. The other benefit was that my toddler happily used the unattached part of the vacuum, whilst I edged away.

My other cleaning tip is get a feather duster. Much lighter than a vacuum for the cobwebs. And bic of soda for the fridge.

Hardest place to clean is behind the king sized bed, that's for if/when we move. Hardest part I clean is the stairs, what a faff, even with the amazing edger.

I've discovered that the spiders keep the woodlice in check so I only have to vacuum up their dessicated corpses periodically. The spiders get three weeks warning when my Mum is coming to visit then any large enough to be spotted by her are either evicted or vacuumed. This leaves a young population and those able to squeeze back under the door to resume their work when Mum has left. This all has a nice balance and saves me being overrun by either spiders or woodlice. However, does anybody know of a similar way of managing slugs? I fetch hedgehogs from the sanctuary for release in our garden and they take care of the outside slugs and snails but they can't seem to squeeze under the door or negotiate the catflap.

Hardest places I've had to clean is the middle of the radiators, underneath my kitchen cupboards and the top of my doorframes as they're Victorian original frames and have little nooks that are difficult to get into!

My tip is get a load of microfibre cloths (E-cloths or similar). They get most things off without having to use any cleaning products, which makes them less hassle as well as better for the environment.

Hardest place to clean... well I recently found out that there was a ton of (wet, smelly) fluff inside the back of our tumble dryer, at the back of the hole where the condenser goes in, which probably had something to do with it not drying very well any more (and getting stinky). That was interesting to clean out, I could only reach it with one arm at full stretch through the gap and couldn't see what I was doing properly.

bicarbonate and vinegar to clean out your glass / crystal vases, I refuse to use the cleaning balls available as I don't want my Royal Doulton vases scratched, just sprinkle the bicarb on, and watch it fizz into action when you add the vinegar, it removes limescale / watermarks. Sparkling clean when rinsed off.

My cleaning tip would be about the microwave, before tackling it I always microwave a bowl of water which makes cleaning the inside of the over much more straightforward as it has already been steamed! The hardest to reach place would have to be under my sons desk as its always full of rubbish, before I can clean I have to find all the rubbish and clothes from under there!

I am a non-tester but would love to win a Dyson Digital Slim.

The hardest place to clean is inside my wicker lampshade in the passage (spiders LOVE it). I hate lifting it off in case a spider falls on me so I use the brush attachment to try to suck through the gaps in the wicker work. I does look better afterwards.

My best cleaning tip is to use the crevice tool for the edges of stairs as this is where (in my house anyway) dust and hair really accumulates.

Also, before you put a bath towel for wash, use it to wipe over your tiles, sink and bath. Doing this every or alternate days reduces the need for products and a big clean

Non tester - but go past the Dyson place on a regular basis so could pick it up direct .

Top tip - don't pay the DS' pocket money - make them work for it and record what they do in a little notebook and then pay up as needed.

Getting behind radiators and doing blinds are main problems - radiator covers are great at storing heaps of dust as I jsut found out this week when we removed one!!

Another tip nicked from Flylady, bless her heart: fill your bog brush holders with shampoo or shower gel and give the loo a quick flick the first time you use it each day. Works for me.

I'm a non-tester but would love to win a Dyson Digital Slim.
My tip for animal hairs (we have a dog and three cats) I use a stiff hand brush on carpets where the animals sit most - in front of the log burner and next to the setee, this loosens the hairs, then I use the vaccuum to pick them up. I also use old toothbrushes to clean around taps, pipes and corners where nothing else will reach!
My most difficult place to clean is under and behind our bath which is an old Victorian one on low legs. It is mostly a collector of dry dust so I tie a duster on a flat besom type broom and slide it under from side to side. My back is hurting just writing this.

Want to get rid of those pesky tea stains in coffee or teacups, just leave a little lemon juice to sit in it for a while with some bicarbonate of soda and it will fizz itself clean. A very effective yet not as toxin free way to achieve same result is to add a bit of vanish or other stain remover powder to cup with a little water and let it sit there a while.

A non tester here but my tip is to use cola in the toilet to get rid of limescale. Full fat and cheapo cola is fine. I am sure others have mentioned it but white vinegar is great for descaling kettles and cleaning showers.

Have just added my review. Still need to rope someone in to film for the videos. Did try and get DS to do it, but he just kept pulling faces at the camera

The hardest place I have cleaning is under a heavy sideboard, with only 3-4 cms of clearance under it.

I'm a non tester and like others the hardest place I have to clean is my stairs. They are really tricky because they are quite tight and have a funny dog leg at the top. My current Dyson is really heavy so doing the stairs is really hard going. Also the carpet on the stairs is a bit cheap and nasty so it looks horrible really quickly. However, the first thing you see when you walk through my front door is the stairs so I do tend to have to do them quite a lot or they make our entrance hall look really tatty.

Another non-tester on the blag here The hardest place for me to clean is the light- fitting that hangs at the top of the stairs. It's high and fairly delicate and if you use too much force bits pop off it along with the cobwebs. I hate the ruddy thing. I also have trouble getting the dust out from underneath our bedside cabinets as they're too heavy to move. I can see the dust taunting me!

BustyBetty, if you chuck half a lemon in the water to steam the microwave it smells good as well as loosening all the gunk.

My top tip is e-cloths, e-cloths, e-cloths.They're brilliant at cleaning and damp dusting in every room and cut down on the amount of cleaning products you need to buy and use and they come up brilliantly after a wash. I would like to smooch the clever person who thought them up. I have a stack of the blighters.

The best and cheapest way to clean a plastic bath is with washing up liquid. The hardest place to clean are between appliencesattatchments could do with being even narrower.

I've been training my almost 3 year old son to help me with housework since he was less than a year old. Ok, so sometimes he's a bit too hel

I've been training my almost 3 year old son to help me with housework since he was steady enough on his feet to follow me around the house. Ok, so sometimes he's a bit too helpful & things take longer to do - but he enjoys helping me & I'm always right in his eyes so can't be bad!
Will be getting my 14 month old daughter started once she's a bit more mobile.

Tip- Use bicarbonate of soda & water mixed into a paste to clean grime off cookers/work surfaces & the grout on tiles. It's cheap, effective & not harmful for my little ones who have eczema.

Not a tester but I did gaze longingly at a DC44 in Currys today. The hardest bit I find is the stairs, I can only reach so far from the bottom and then have to thread the hose around the railing at the tops of the stairs so I don't pull the whole thing down on me. I need a solution or a bungalow!

can i try one

Not a tester, but would love to win a Dyson!!!
I clean my halogen hob by squirting normal "value" washing up liquid on it, leaving it a couple of minutes, wipe it all off with a wet sponge until it's clean, and then dry with kitchen roll - works much better for me than buying specialist hob cleaner! Worst place to vacuum is behind the TV and computer because of wires and the dust it attracts!

My tip - if you come to our house don't look up or down - just keep your eyes fixed straight ahead.

cleaning tip- train the kids from an early age to pick up after themselves...and hardest place ever cleaned under the bed...decided to buy the worlds heaviest bed and cant actually push it or move it without a football team of helpers