Dyson V6 Mattress Handheld Vacuum
- Details
Avg. consumer rating = 92/100
The Dyson V6 Mattress is much more than a handheld vacuum for mattresses. This powerful unit is really an all-round handheld which happens to include, amongst its tools, a mattress tool as well as a HEPA filter and whole machine filtration. In addition, it’s powerful motor makes it capable of pulling up all manner of debris from sofas, mats, pillows, blankets, car seats, and yes, mattresses. The V6 mattress gets very good reviews and ratings from owners and it has a solid, durable feel to it. It is a little on the expensive side however, and it also doesn’t come with a wall mounting unit.
Quick Specs | |
Type | Handheld |
Bagged/Bagless | Bagless |
Best for... | Mattresses & other typical handheld cleaning |
Pet Hair Features | No |
Approx. Weight | 3.6 lbs |
HEPA Filter | Yes |
Power Cord Length | Cordless |
Motor Driven Brushbar | Yes |
Warranty | 2 Years |
We’ve recently read that the average bed contains between ten thousand and two million dust mites, and that these feed on our skin cells and produce up to 20 dropping each per day. Not a pretty picture. Mite droppings contain a protein that can cause asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis. The Dyson V6 Mattress motor is capable of generating 100 air watts of suction (on Max mode) and this – according to Dyson – is sufficient to remove more allergens from your mattress than any other mattress cleaner. Dyson also go on to say that the V6 produces more suction than any other cordless handheld vacuum.
The video below (from Dyson) explains the idea and science behind this vacuum. It is only about 2 minutes long.
Consumer Ratings
We’ve gathered information from retailers across the Internet and found the following list of owner ratings for the V6 Mattress:
Source | Consumer Rating | #Ratings |
Amazon | 4.5 stars out of 5 | 42 |
Best Buy | 4.7 stars out of 5 | 23 |
HSN | 3.9 stars out of 5 | 10 |
Walmart | 4.8 stars out of 5 | 15 |
Bed, Bath & Beyond | 4.8 stars out of 5 | 13 |
QVC | 4.7 stars out of 5 | 12 |
Macy's | 4.7 stars out of 5 | 11 |
Target | 4.5 stars out of 5 | 11 |
Abt | 5 stars out of 5 | 2 |
Kmart | 5 stars out of 5 | 1 |
Sylvane | 5 stars out of 5 | 1 |
The above table includes over 140 owner ratings and when averaged these generate a score of 91.9 out of 100 (or about 4.6 stars out of 5). This is a very good score and you can compare it to the scores for other handheld vacuums in our handheld vacuum ratings table.
In addition, consumer comments along with our experience with the vacuum provide the following likes, dislikes and insights:
PROS
- Very strong suction
- Whole machine HEPA filtration
- Good fit and finish
- Lightweight
- Comfortable to hold and operate
- Comes with several attachments
- Washable filters (don’t have to buy new ones)
- The rotary brush is powered (not suction driven)
CONS
- No charge cradle/docking station
- Expensive for a handheld vacuum
- No storage bag for attachments
Probably the most common comment about the V6 Mattress is that, besides being capable on mattresses, it really is a general purpose handheld vacuum and can be used for cleaning anything you would typically use a handheld for. The second-most common comment regards the machine’s suction. It is very powerful. Many owners report that it generates the most power that they have ever felt in a handheld unit.
Most folks also feel that the vacuum is solid and well-built, and they highlight that they think it is money well spent and generally a good investment.
Some of the less favorable comments include disappointment in the run-time, inability to swap the battery out, and no docking station. The run-time on this unit is 16-17 minutes with the powered mattress tool attached (20 minutes without the power tool). It also runs for about 6 minutes on Max mode. The jury is really out on whether the run-time is sufficient. About half the comments indicate that the run-time is adequate while the other half indicate the run time is too short.
A number of owners would also like the ability to swap out a depleted battery and replace it with a freshly charged one. This kind of versatility is offered on some of the stick vacs we have reviewed but it cannot be done with the Dyson V6 machines, including this one.
The vacuum does not come with a cradle or docking station or anything in which it can be stored. Essentially it must sit on the floor or a shelf. This is something of a disappointment for some people, many of whom would like to store it on some kind of wall mount.
You can read more owner comments on Amazon if you like.
In addition, Dyson tout the V6 mattress as having been “engineered for reduced sound levels”. However some owners report that they feel the vacuum is fairly noisy, and some who have multiple V6 machines say that cannot tell the difference in the level of noise from one V6 machine to another. We are fortunate to have several V6 machines here and we did a quick noise level test between the V6 Absolute (handheld unit only) and the V6 Mattress – see the two machines below. Both were tested on Max mode which is the loudest.
We measured the noise of each vacuum from 12 inches away with a digital sound level meter. Oddly we found that the V6 Mattress was actually slightly louder than the V6 Absolute (81.6dBA vs 80.5 dBA as shown in the image above). However they were fairly close. But this does tell us that if the V6 Mattress has been “engineered for reduced sound levels”, that it hasn’t been particularly effective.
Details & Specifications
The Dyson V6 Mattress is cordless and bagless. It also has 2 filters both of which can be rinsed. There is a filter that sits on top of the cyclones (called cyclone filter in image below) and there is also a rear-mounted HEPA filter. Both are easy to remove and should be cleaned about once a month.
The filtration system on the vacuum is exceptional and it is one of the few uprights we have reviewed that has HEPA filtration. It may also be the ONLY handheld we have reviewed that has a sealed system. The HEPA filter will remove the likes of pollen, mold, bacteria, etc from the air, and the sealed system will ensure that unfiltered air doesn’t leak out of the vacuum. If you want to read more about HEPA filtration and sealed systems you can do so in our HEPA filter article.
The V6 Mattress has 2 power modes. Standard and Max. You can enable Max mode by pressing the Max button on the back of the vacuum. As mentioned previously Max mode kicks the machine up to 100 air watts of suction, while Standard mode generates 28 air watts of suction.
The run time of the vacuum has always been an area of some contention, as it is for many cordless vacuums. Some people feel it is too short while others feel it is sufficient. According to the vacuum manual the run-time of the Dyson V6 Mattress is as follows:
Run time with motorized tool = 17 minutes on Standard
Run time with motorized tool = 6 minutes on Boost
Run time with non-motorized tools = 20 minutes on Standard
Run time with non-motorized tools = 6 minutes on Boost
We’re fairly used to the Dyson V6 machines and frankly we don’t find the 16-20 minute run time to be an issue. However we also have an upright which does the lengthy grunt work of large area cleaning. We use our V6 machines for quick cleanups, stairs and smaller areas. We find them very handy, and being nimble and lightweight they definitely beat having to bring out the larger vacuum all the time.
Also, run time with the V6 machines is “fade free”. This means that the unit will generate strong suction right up to the point that the battery is drained – the suction does not slowly fade while the battery is drawn down.
Recharge time is about 3.5 hours, and the battery is Energy Star rated due to its efficient design. Energy Star is a joint program between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. If a product is Energy Star rated then it has met strict energy efficiency guidelines set by both the EPA and US Department of Energy. The battery charger comes with the vacuum – see image below.
The V6 Mattress comes with several tools:
- Motorized Mattress Tool
- Soft Dusting Brush
- Combo Tool
- Crevice Tool
The motorized mattress tool is somewhat specialized and it has fine nylon bristles that agitate the mattress fibers to help release and remove allergens, dust, pet hair, dirt, etc. In addition, the brushbar opening on the tool pivots up and down to ensure the best possible contact with the mattress surface. It should be noted that the tool works best on a taut surface and it will struggle (or possibly jam up) on loose fabric.
When we used it we found that the mattress tool glided easily across the surface of the mattress and, like so many owner comments describe, we saw a very, very fine gray dust material gather inside the dust canister. Perhaps this is the dust mites, droppings, dead skin, and other debris? Whatever it is, it is certainly something we were happy to get out of our mattress.
It only took us about 4-5 minutes to do a mattress. We’re not sure if one should vacuum the mattress surface slower but Dyson doesn’t provide any guidelines about just “how” one should use the V6 Mattress vacuum. There is nothing in their literature or instruction manual that we could find, but perhaps it is straightforward and one just vacuums the surface of the mattress over a few minutes time as we did. This approach seemed to work.
The other 3 tools that come with the mattress are fairly generic but they feel solid and they click into place. The soft dusting brush and combo tool have small felt strips that help protect delicate surfaces when cleaning.
The dust canister on this unit has a volume of 0.12 gallons. It is also bottom empty and the bottom of the dust canister swings open at the touch of a button. Like most bagless machines we’ve worked with, the V6 Mattress will occasionally require you to dig into the dust canister to get “hung up” dust and debris out. You can see the red slider in the image below. This is spring loaded and when pushed down it releases the bottom hinged door on the dust canister.
The vacuum weighs in at a lightweight 3.6 lbs and carries a 2-year limited manufacturer’s parts and labor warranty.
Following is our video review of the vacuum. We provide a lengthy, detailed review that lets you know how the machine performs and highlights both the positives and the negatives:
The Dyson V6 Mattress box will include:
- The Dyson V6 Mattress vacuum
- The AC adapter
- Motorized Mattress Tool
- Soft Dusting Brush
- Combo Tool
- Crevice Tool
- Instruction Manual
- 2-Year Warranty
Chekc out Dyson V6 Mattress pricing on Amazon
Vacuum Cleaner Manual
If you are looking for the instruction manual you can find it here: Dyson V6 Mattress Manual. The manual is very easy to read but it is perhaps too short on details. More information would be helpful in our opinion.