Looking for a lightweight vacuum especially designed for pet households? The Dyson DC24 Animal just might be the answer.
Several years ago, we bought a used Dyson at a thrift store, and it has been one of our best thrift store buys ever. Although it came to us very used, it hasn’t had a single glitch since we put it in action here (and, with four cats and two dogs in the house, when we say put it in action, you know it’s getting a workout!)
Because of this, when the opportunity came up to review a Dyson DC24 Animal, we jumped at the chance.
Like the other Dyson vacuums, this vacuum uses Root Cyclone™ technology so you never lose suction as you vacuum.
Unlike our older Dyson vacuum, the Dyson DC24 Animal, a small, super lightweight vacuum, uses the new Ball™ technology so you can turn this vacuum on a dime with just the flick of your wrist.
We opened the Dyson box to find a small, compact unit:
At just 2/3rds the size of most vacuums, the DC24 Animal is the lightest of the upright Dyson vacuums, weighing in at just over 11 pounds.
The vacuum has a convenient carrying handle, too; between the handle and the machine’s light weight, we soon found that it was very easy to vacuum downstairs then carry the vacuum to our upstairs offices.
Special Dyson Features
This vacuum has several features common to the Dyson Animal line of vacuums:
The motorized brush bar is driven by an independent motor.
Since pet hair doesn’t fall only on the floor (don’t we know it!), the vacuum also has a mini turbine head with rotating bristles to pick up hair on curtains, upholstery, stairs, and other hard to reach locations.
It also comes with a brush tool for dusting.
The attachment on the right side of the above photo worked great cleaning our chairs (which get covered in pet hair):
There are also other attachments you can purchase for the Dyson DC24 Animal such as the Dyson Groom, which we recently reviewed. It attaches to the hose and allows you to brush your dog, vacuuming up loose hair and dander all at once.
Besides the ability to pick up pet hair, two other features of the Dyson DC24 Animal were really attractive to us: its “no extra cost” feature and its asthma and allergy certification.
Unlike other vacuums that can require replacement belts and filters (and sometimes bags), this vacuum is one tidy package that’s ready to go, needing no additional supplies over the years in those areas. (The vacuum also has a five-year warranty.)
The lifetime HEPA filter just needs a quick wash in cold water every month and it’s ready to trap more allergens again.
The trapping of those allergens is so complete that the vacuum is certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (a huge bonus for Paris because she has asthma).
Testing the Dyson DC24 Animal in Our Office
But how would it do when we put it to the test?
We took the vacuum up to Paris’ office (which is carpeted) for a test. The dogs and cats stay in the office most of the day so there’s plenty of test material here…
The vacuum did an incredible job, picking a huge amount of dirt and pet hair and also fluffing up the old and worn carpet.
It was quiet enough that the dogs and cats stayed in the office during the vacuuming, and the machine was light enough that next we took it downstairs for a test on non-carpeted floors.
The vacuum has a special switch to move from carpeting to hard floors; the switch turns off the beater bar to protect the hard surfaces.
It did an excellent job on the wood floors!
Downstairs, we often have dust and dirt that seems to float up and stick in the strangest places; we used the Dyson24 Animal to clean that as well.
The wand can be reversed and connected to the vacuum hose to get up in the corners of the ceiling (just how does that hair get up there?!)
We loved that the reversible feature is right there on the vacuum with no extension hoses or anything to keep up with (or find that they’re downstairs when you need them upstairs!)
We give the Dyson DC24 Animal a huge paws up! It’s a must-have for households with pets!
2023 Update: Well, it has been 13 years since I initially reviewed the Dyson DC24 Animal–and I am STILL using it in my office! It still does a great job vacuuming the carpet (and chair mats). The Dyson DC24 Animal is no longer produced–but you’ll find the new Dyson Animal Vacuums (with Ball technology) below.
More Dyson Animal Vacuums
Disclosure: Dyson sent us a Dyson DC24 Animal for review. We were not compensated for this review and all opinions are strictly our own.
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