Yes, today I picked up a free Dyson. Me, a Dyson! I know...
Anyway, this is where it all started:
Yesterday night I saw an advert in Gumtree for "lots of stuff free". The listing didn't say what was free, so I phoned the number and spoke to the man. I asked the obvious question - do you have any Vacuum Cleaners ?
The answer was initially "no", then he said "oh, wait, there is a Dyson". My heart sank to be honest, I was hoping he'd say an "old Hoover" but hey ho, it was free so why not.
I picked it up at noon today and was led into an out house where he showed me it. A Silver & Lime Dyson DC04 upright in reasonable condition. No brainer, I accepted and then mentioned I collect vacuums. After that he said he had another one too if I wanted it and showed me a half buried bagless Vax cylinder which had a hose but no tubes or tools (not a problem for me) so I accepted that too.
When I got the Dyson and Vax home I started about cleaning the bins and filters out.
If I were a typical teenager, this is where I'd insert "OMG" I believe.
They were CLOGGED with... Wait for it - Garden soil!
Who vacuums up soil ? Christ knows, but he did, in both the Dyson and Vax.
It took literally an hour to clean out the Dysons pre-motor filters but I got there in the end and put them out on the washing line to dry.
Same with the poor Vax, clogged with soil.
As for the exhaust filters, the Vax's went in the bin as it was just electrostatic and BLACK, while the Dysons was cleaned as it was also black but until I can buy another one I'll just make do with it. After cleaning in warm water it came up half decent actually. I'll still buy a whole filter set sometime though.
I replaced the Vax's exhaust filter with new cut to size electrostatic, but when I turned it on after re-assembly it went black again as I didn't realise the motor was full of soil which was blown out when turned on. Oh well, it hasn't clogged it, just blackened it, so I'm not going to throw it out for that. In future I'll know to run it without the filter first to clear out any dirt.
After doing that filthy task, I got to work cleaning the Dyson's body up. Still not very easy as it really was filthy.
I took the base plate off to find a belt fitted and it appears to have good tension so although I'll order a pack of new belts, I won't have to change it immediately. I cleaned the brush roll and the cavity it sits in, replaced the base plate (after cleaning it) and cleaned the rest of it with soapy water. No further description required I presume!
After that I gave it a going over with a yellow duster and furniture polish to reveal near flawless bodywork. It actually looks great... For a Dyson...
I did the same with the Vax and it came up like new as well.
Since the Vax's filters dried in no time I turned it on as aforementioned and it has GREAT suction. Haven't tested it out yet because the hose is still drying on the line, but I'm looking forward to doing so.
I turned the Dyson on very briefly before doing anything to it and it runs fine, but had no suction due to the clogged filters. Once the filters have dried (should be by tonight or tomorrow) I'll test it out and expect half decent performance. Though, it is a Dyson...
Umm... What else to say... Don't know really. I'll post some pictures I suppose.
A before picture of the Dyson, an after picture of it and an after picture of the Vax (didn't get a before picture, sorry).
Anyway, this is where it all started:
Yesterday night I saw an advert in Gumtree for "lots of stuff free". The listing didn't say what was free, so I phoned the number and spoke to the man. I asked the obvious question - do you have any Vacuum Cleaners ?
The answer was initially "no", then he said "oh, wait, there is a Dyson". My heart sank to be honest, I was hoping he'd say an "old Hoover" but hey ho, it was free so why not.
I picked it up at noon today and was led into an out house where he showed me it. A Silver & Lime Dyson DC04 upright in reasonable condition. No brainer, I accepted and then mentioned I collect vacuums. After that he said he had another one too if I wanted it and showed me a half buried bagless Vax cylinder which had a hose but no tubes or tools (not a problem for me) so I accepted that too.
When I got the Dyson and Vax home I started about cleaning the bins and filters out.
If I were a typical teenager, this is where I'd insert "OMG" I believe.
They were CLOGGED with... Wait for it - Garden soil!
Who vacuums up soil ? Christ knows, but he did, in both the Dyson and Vax.
It took literally an hour to clean out the Dysons pre-motor filters but I got there in the end and put them out on the washing line to dry.
Same with the poor Vax, clogged with soil.
As for the exhaust filters, the Vax's went in the bin as it was just electrostatic and BLACK, while the Dysons was cleaned as it was also black but until I can buy another one I'll just make do with it. After cleaning in warm water it came up half decent actually. I'll still buy a whole filter set sometime though.
I replaced the Vax's exhaust filter with new cut to size electrostatic, but when I turned it on after re-assembly it went black again as I didn't realise the motor was full of soil which was blown out when turned on. Oh well, it hasn't clogged it, just blackened it, so I'm not going to throw it out for that. In future I'll know to run it without the filter first to clear out any dirt.
After doing that filthy task, I got to work cleaning the Dyson's body up. Still not very easy as it really was filthy.
I took the base plate off to find a belt fitted and it appears to have good tension so although I'll order a pack of new belts, I won't have to change it immediately. I cleaned the brush roll and the cavity it sits in, replaced the base plate (after cleaning it) and cleaned the rest of it with soapy water. No further description required I presume!
After that I gave it a going over with a yellow duster and furniture polish to reveal near flawless bodywork. It actually looks great... For a Dyson...
I did the same with the Vax and it came up like new as well.
Since the Vax's filters dried in no time I turned it on as aforementioned and it has GREAT suction. Haven't tested it out yet because the hose is still drying on the line, but I'm looking forward to doing so.
I turned the Dyson on very briefly before doing anything to it and it runs fine, but had no suction due to the clogged filters. Once the filters have dried (should be by tonight or tomorrow) I'll test it out and expect half decent performance. Though, it is a Dyson...
Umm... What else to say... Don't know really. I'll post some pictures I suppose.
A before picture of the Dyson, an after picture of it and an after picture of the Vax (didn't get a before picture, sorry).
