My New York City apartment is similar to most of them. Dust is hard to spot, but it is easy to spot. I used a Swiffer Sweeper before I got a Dyson vacuum. My roommates and I shared a dirt devil vac. I can be obsessive about keeping my house clean, but I would fly through boxes of Swiffer cleaning cloths on a weekly basis. It was expensive and annoying.

Dyson has always been an appliance that I look forward to buying, even though I am an adult. I felt like such an expensive item was too much for a small apartment and that I wouldn't use it to its full potential. The cheaper models didn't feel cheap. I didn't want to pay a lot for a Dyson. It had to be slim, with an array of tools that I could reach for.

The Dyson V12 detect Slim is available. The vacuum is quite literally the vacuum of my dreams. You can see the dust before you suck it up by using the laser detection. It is more compact and slimmer than other stick vacs, and it is great for reaching those hard to reach crevices in my apartment. I can justify a Dyson if I can't afford a house as a young person.

It is compact and comfortable.

The photograph is of Dyson.

The V12 Detect Slim is similar to most Dyson stick vacs in that it has a screen that lets you switch between three cleaning modes.

The data that shows the size and kinds of particles it is potentially sucking up in real time is displayed. The yellow bar is mostly pulling in particles of the same size. The pink and purple bars mean particles as small as dust mites and sand. You can turn this off if you don't want to know.

The V12 Detect has a single power button, so you don't have to hold down atrigger the whole time when vacuuming. Press the button to begin and stop. It makes it easier to keep vacuuming while moving furniture out of the way, and it keeps me from accidentally power it on while I carry it in between rooms. It is great for people with carpal tunnel or arthritis who suffer from vacuuming for a long period of time.

There are two cleaner heads in the box, a Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head for hard surfaces and a Motorbar cleaner head for all surfaces. For the same price, you can get the V12 Detect Slim Extra or V12 Detect Absolute, which include an extension hose, mattress tool, or mini dusting brush.