Revealed
A BUG'S LIFE
Inside Dyson’s top secret UK HQ where the world’s best vacuum cleaners are created – and dust mites are BRED for testing
DYSON has offered a special glimpse inside their UK base where some of the world's leading products are invented.
The Sun went behind-the-scenes to see every little detail that goes into making the best vacuum cleaners, including a multimillion pound lab were dust mites are bred for tests.
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Some 3,500 people work at the facility, which is nestled in Malmesbury, a leafy Wiltshire town.
Owner Sir James Dyson, 75, still comes into the office himself and apparently goes around visiting engineers from time to time.
We got a brief glimpse of the man himself as he dashed off on a helicopter in the afternoon.
The engine enthusiast even has old fighter jets dotted around the 75 acre site.
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A Lightning jet hangs in the staff cafe, while another, Harrier, sits outside in the car park.
There are even fancy Scandi-esque pods for student engineers to live in during their studies.
A bunch are taken on every year to work and study there without tuition fees - and are even guaranteed a job on completion.
We're told they're not forced to stay with Dyson at the end, but apparently no-one has turned down the chance so far.
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Behind closed doors we got to see everything from prototypes being crafted with 3D printers, to vacuuming experts who carefully decide the angle of every single fibre in vacuum cleaner.
One area of focus is vacuum noise, so scientists test products endlessly in a sound proof room which uses spike-like triangular foam to block echos.
Another testing chamber puts Dyson's products up against all sorts of surfaces.
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Who knew carpet in the UK and the US could be so different, so much so they need rugs from different regions.
And that's not forgetting the other surface types used in different parts of the world where carpet is less common.
A storage cupboard keeps a load of everyday bits we tend to suck up, from pet biscuits to cereal.
An expert reveals how they use Cheerios from the UK, as well as a box from the US, because the size of American Cheerios are larger.
It gives you an idea of just how detailed this business is.
Seeing dust mites up close was also an eye-opening experience - though we've been much closer to them every night in our own beds without realising it.
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Your mattress in particular is a magnet for the microscopic bugs, where millions can fester if it's not kept in the right conditions.
Poo from these tiny critters build up into the thousands, triggering allergies and affecting people with conditions like asthma, so Dyson's lab attempts to understand how they work.
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