The Dyson DC-31 Animal Handheld Vacuum: It’s TRUE LOVE, Folks! {A Mom’s Review}

Oh NO!!!!

If you were a fly on the wall at my house, youd hear me wail these words at least twice a week maybe three times. You see, I have a toddler. And she makes messes. A LOT of messes, and usually involving massive amounts of cheerio/cracker/bread crumbs. On my rug. And since chips and dip is a favorite for both Emma and my husband, there tend to be chip fragments in various places on the rug. Oh, AND Emma is a mobile eater, meaning that she likes to eat while running around and climbing on the furniture.

A recipe for a constant mess, wouldnt you agree?

Now if we had an actual dining room with a linoleum or wood floor, this wouldnt be a problem. But our house is small and our dining room table is on a rug. So whether we eat at the table or not there will be crumbs on the rug. Its just my lot in life I suppose.

Or it was

THEN I found out I was going to be reviewing a Dyson DC-31 Animal handheld vacuum. I was thrilled!(Im a mom strange things like cleaning products thrill me.) Emmas perpetual trail of crumbs was the cause for my dragging (panting and mumbling) my big, heavy upright vacuum cleaner out of the closet at least twice a day and my being huge and pregnant wasnt making this task any easier.

When I received the Dyson handheld, it was like an angel had dropped it on my doorstep and said, Here, I bless you with an easier life! And it truly IS the best cleaning tool EVER. And my favorite tool. Bringing my upright out is a hassle for a small mess of crumbs, and time-consuming to boot. The Dyson, which resides in my living room in an honorary space on my bookshelf, makes clean-up easier than its ever been!

The Dyson DC-31 Animal: Why I love it.

First of all, its small and super light lighter than most handheld vacuum cleaners at only 3.4 pounds. It also comes with three attachments so that whatever the type of mess and wherever it might be trying to hide (in my couch or between the oven and counter for instance) it is easy to get to and clean up.

Attachment #1 is a debris nozzle that converts to a brush tool for easy dusting of things like keyboards and your computer. This is the one I use the most right now and I demonstrate how it converts in my video review below. Attachment #2 makes deep cleaning of rugs a cinch (great for pet hair, small crumbs, etc). Attachment #3 allows you to reach into deep crevices (like between your oven and refrigerator) to pick up dirt and debris.

The next thing I love: This vacuum is battery-operated! Yay for no cord hassle! The battery is powerful and easily charged with the AC/DC power adapter. It has two power modes, giving you 10 minutes of constant high suction or 6 minutes with 70% higher suction. A powerful little vacuum cleaner!

The DC-31 Animal picks up an insane amount of dirt and even powder (like cheerio powder) from my rug! I was pleasantly surprised and took a picture so you could see how thoroughly it did the job. Gotta love bag-free cleaning!

Bye bye, dirt! (in the words of my 2-year-old)

Another reason to love this vacuum: It is sooo easy to take apart! I can get to everything easily, I love it! Heres the filter (still looks very clean despite all the cleaning Ive done). And guess what? You can wash it! They recommend you wash it once a month. It filters particles as small as cigarette smoke which I think is amazing.

More awesomeness? Yes, this motor is quiet! Even my toddler doesnt mind helping out and she runs and hides when I vacuum with the upright (not sure why no, I havent ever chased her with the vacuum cleaner). The motor is digital (no carbon dust), super-efficient, and powerful. It uses their patented Root Cyclone Technology, meaning it dont lose suction power as you clean.

Dyson DC-31 Animal Video Review/Demo

Final Thoughts:

This vacuum has honestly made my life SO much easier. Its great for super fast mess clean-up! I can quickly vacuum out the car, and go over all of the corners and edges of furniture and walls without having to drag my upright vacuum and hose with me everywhere. I LOVE IT!

As far as cons go, I havent come across anything I dont like. The 10-minute battery life might be considered a con, but its just too easy to plug in and charge after using it, and since it takes much less than 10 minutes to clean up quick messes I dont generally run out of battery before Im finished (unless Im having way too much fun and running around the house looking for things to vacuum up). But since the vacuum is cordless this is also one of its biggest pros.

There is nothing I dont like about this little machine. Im very happy with this vacuum cleaner and recommend it without hesitation!

Buy it!

You can purchase the Dyson DC-31 Animal (especially for homes with animals) for $269.99 at the Dyson website with free shipping and a 2-year parts & labor warranty. You can also purchase it at Amazon.com (one of my favorite websites to shop at!) for $250.99.

This is a great Christmas gift idea trust me, I would LOVE to receive it or any Dyson as a gift!

I would like to thank Dyson for sending me the DC-31 Animal free of charge so that I could share my thoughts and experiences with my readers. This post is 100% my own opinion and experience with the product, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review Ill always share my honest thoughts on products.