Clean your vacuum filter!

**monkeywrangler71** · 04-08-2010, 09:50 PM

Holy smokes, what a difference that made!

I've been annoyed for quite awhile at my vacuum cleaner's inability to actually pick up anything. Tonight while I was changing the bag, I scraped a ball of lint and crud about the size of a small animal off of the filter. I wore disposable gloves, it was really disgusting.

It's like a brand new machine now.

I'm thinking this is probably something I should have been doing more often

**frugalfranny** · 04-09-2010, 12:55 AM

I am lucky with my vac., MW---the way I have to empty it shows the filter right then. So.........when it looks pretty 'cruddy' I wash it. I try to remember to do it every month or at the most every other month..........but who remembers? I don't!

When I see dust on the edges of the filter I am quickly reminded!

**mndtrp** · 05-03-2010, 11:09 PM

Check the tension in your belt, too.

**TigerGirl1226** · 05-03-2010, 11:24 PM

DH did ours just tonight. I had overheated it, so he took it apart to check it. While we was at it he gave it a good cleaning.

**Libby** · 05-03-2010, 11:49 PM

My dad did this to ours as well...we have the bagless type of vac but there are 3 filers...2 are visible and I pick out the scuzz - mainly my hair - but the 3rd one was hidden. I thought I needed to go buy a new vac and then my dad decided to take a look at it, tore it apart and turns out all it needed was a new HEPA filter - $8 fix

Our vac is over 10 yrs old now too, I thought it kicked the bucket.

The only thing I wish I could get is a scented bag...I know HD sells them but what do I do...I have a bagless vac?

**monkeywrangler71** · 05-04-2010, 08:02 AM

I've never heard of a scented bag. When I was a kid I remember my mother used to have deodorizer drops that she would put on the filter. Whenever she vacuumed the house would smell like wintergreen.

**happymomof4** · 05-04-2010, 01:41 PM

When I bought my bagless vaccum cleaner a few years ago. The sales lady suggest I get an extra filter so I will always have a clean one. I did buy an extra one. I am so glad I did. When you wash the filters they take while to dry. I have a dog and cat so my filters need cleaned once a month.

Yes the vaccum cleaners work so much better when they have a nice clean filters.

**McD** · 05-04-2010, 01:49 PM

I just tossed both of our vaccuum cleaners out during our city-wide clean up. Neither were working well. Now I am kicking myself and wondering if this is the problem.

Urgh.

**Libby** · 05-04-2010, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

I've never heard of a scented bag. When I was a kid I remember my mother used to have deodorizer drops that she would put on the filter. Whenever she vacuumed the house would smell like wintergreen.

Sorry MW maybe its vacuum scented filters, not bags. I can't find it on the HD site but I don't have patience for their Canadian website either.

I did manage to find this - I'm sure there are similar things out there for other brands other then Dirt Devil.

Dirt Devil Filters | Dirt Devil Filter | Cheap Dirt Devil Filters

http://www.dirtdevil.com/parts/category.aspx?id=134

**Libby** · 05-04-2010, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

I've never heard of a scented bag. When I was a kid I remember my mother used to have deodorizer drops that she would put on the filter. Whenever she vacuumed the house would smell like wintergreen.

Sorry MW maybe its vacuum scented filters, not bags. I can't find it on the HD site but I don't have patience for their Canadian website either.

I did manage to find this - I'm sure there are similar things out there for other brands other then Dirt Devil.

Dirt Devil Filters | Dirt Devil Filter | Cheap Dirt Devil Filters

Scented Dirt Devil Filters

**Saule** · 05-04-2010, 10:56 PM

This reminds me of something that happened to me. When I graduated college, I had about two weeks before my summer job started. So I visited my bachelor uncle, who was in his mid-50s at the time. He had a cleaning lady for his apartment, but I think she mainly hit the liquor cabinet. I cleaned the tea kettle, for example, and found out that not only was it white, but it had a border of flowers along the bottom edge. Anyway, I decided to vacuum and I could not understand why the vacuum cleaner was not picking anything up. Just then one of his neighbors, a lady I also knew, came by, since she knew that I was there by myself while uncle was at work. She took a look at it, opened the bag part, and we found that the vacuum filter bag was as hard as a rock! It was stuffed and overstuffed with whatever the vacuum had picked up over the several years uncle had the vacuum cleaner. The neighbor had bought it for him when she was helping him after an emergency appendectomy. Fortunately, she had the same model, so could provide me with a replacement filter bag.

**ahmom** · 05-05-2010, 08:46 AM

also flip it over and clip out the strings and hairs on the beaterbar.

**beks37** · 05-05-2010, 09:29 AM

Other than washing the vacuum filter, for a quick cleaning, take it outside and take a can of air to it! I find that works very well for the short term. Which reminds me I need to clean out my filters...the dust buster is starting to smell which means the filter is dirty!!

**Thevail** · 05-07-2010, 04:13 AM

also check toe "built in" parts of the tubing that carries the stuff to the bag or container. I thought my vacuum was nearly dead, and looked at all the regular stuff, but found pine needles and dog hair had formed a near perfect blockage in the short sections of tube where the by pass for the hose attachment goes.

Cleaned it out, and she's back to sucking the tacks out of the carpet!