Dear Home Ec 101,
I admit, I was one of those – a bagless vacuum cleaner! What an amazing idea! No thought was given to what I was going to do with the container full of dust and debris. I’ve figured out that one – dumping out the junk is fairly easy although many people including myself dislike the cloud of who-knows-what that comes from dumping days’ worth of stuff sitting in the canister. What I can’t figure out, nor find online, is how the heck to clean the filter. Everything says, “clean the filter,” but then i see, “don’t touch the filter.” How does one clean the filter of a bagless vac? I’m pretty confident I’m getting lower performance because the filter is, um, gross. (The same can be said for my handvac but I’ll be satisfied today with knowing how to clean the filter on my less-than-a-year-old hoover.)
So i turn to the experts – how do I clean the filter on a bagless vac?
Signed,
Could Be Cleaner
Heather says:After emptying the canister, pull the cartridge filter out. Bang it carefully on the inside of your trashbin. (This will help contain some of the dust that is going to fly out). Be sure to only tap the rubber gasket portion of your filter. If you hit the paper portion it may be damaged by the impact. This should loosen most of the debris. If you have access to an air compressor, once the loose debris has been removed, blow any stubborn dust away. Using a rag or paper towel wipe out any lingering dirt and debris from your dust cup before replacing the filter.
With care these filters can last for quite a while, but they must be replaced on occasion. Before ordering a new filter inspect your vacuum carefully, occasionally small toys, change, or string can lodge in a tube or hose and reduce the suction. Don’t forget to examine the agitator and belt while you are down there. A beater bar full of hair will certainly reduce your machine’s capability. Use a box cutter or scissors to carefully cut away tangled hair and string. Hopefully you’ll be back to Hoovering the floor in no time.
On a side noteI suckered talked Mr. Heather into a refurbished Dyson four* years ago. It’s still going strong, and I still love it. There, yet another shameless plug for a company not currently sponsoring us.
*Hey refurbished was half the price of new.
Submit your household questions to helpme@home-ec101.com
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You are so much braver that I am. I must have a bag, which proved a challenge with my last vacuum purchase.
I stopped buying warranties on vacuums when they replaced them so fast that they’d hijack my vacuum, at service, for months, waiting for parts. (When you have a high filter allergen, multiple filter bag vacuum, the loaner’s are of no comparison!)
Now I buy somewhat cheaper vacuums with the idea that I’ll replace it more often.
My current love: Maytag canister.
(I replaced my “old” (not really that old) vacuum when my carpet cleaner showed me, first hand, that it wasn’t worth the effort to use it.)
I did so much research before buying my last vacuum cleaner and am still not very happy with it – grr! Now I’ve heard so many good things about Dyson, I want one, but really, after spending several hundred dollars on a vacuum just a couple of years ago, it seems hard to justify. *sigh*
Something that works really well on cleaning hair out of the beater brush is a stitch ripper. I keep one in a vase in the living room so that I can tear up all those long hairs of mine that inevitably get entwined in the bar.
Also, using spraying static guard on the rug before vacuuming really helps the vacuum to pick up all those pesky pet hairs that want to stay stuck to the carpet. I don’t do this every time because I’m a bit worried about what the chemicals might do to the colour of the rug over time… but when I do, it looks so much cleaner!
I use an air compressor to clean off the filter in my baggless hoover. The filters are really strong, I’ve never had one rip or tear on me and I bang it around quite a bit — usually in the outdoor trash cans – never in the house. Also I’ve used a stiff cleaning brush to clean it off when I’ve been too lazy to get out the air compressor. I’ve found that I have to clean out the container as well with the compressor or the brush – it can collect quite a bit of dust that sticks to the sides and in the corners.
My apologies to Hoover, I use hoover generically, I hoover my carpet i don’t vacuum
When I empty my Dyson (with three dogs in the house, I usually end up doing this at least 3 times before I’m done), I just grab a trash bag, head outside and empty the bin into the bag. I stick the lower part of the bin into the bag and kind of wrap it around the bin to minimize the amount of dust that flies around
Some vacuum filters are washable (the ones in my Dyson and shop-vac are) so after banging some of the dust off (outside of course), I hose it down until the water comes out clean. Then give it a few flings to get the excess water out and leave it out in the sun to dry. Around here that doesn’t take too long.
I have a bagless vacuum. I loate and detest it. But I HAD to have it and I’m using it. Basically because I’m too cheap and I can think of better ways to spend $50.
This was very helpful though, thanks!
Gotta love those Dysons. Not only are they awesome pieces of design, but the founder of the company is awesome– I interviewed him once and he was SO COOL.
My sister has one and HATES IT!!!She says it didn’t pick up very well and was horrible to try to clean.
I hate mine too. It just pushes the dirt to the corner of the room. I love my little hoover vacuum. I will never buy another name brand again. Hoover vacs have always worked best for me. Mine is a little bitty thing and I actually own two, one for upstairs one for down. It can do carpet or hardwood and it really cleans, plus the filter is washable. I have had this thing for two years and am on the first filter. I just wash it, but a drier sheet in front of it so I get the smell, and vacuum away.
I, too, purchased a new Hoover WindTunnel bagless upgright in Jul2007. I am very disappointed with how difficult it is to clean the canister and the HEPA filter (which is a completely clogged mess now) and very much wish I had bought the same vacuum in the “bagged” version. When you think about it, it is far easier to change a bag on a bagged vacuum than it is to clean all the nasty dirt out of a bagless vacuum. We don’t have any pets, and yet the mess in the HEPA filter is simply ridiculous. I end up using my shop vac to try to clean the HEPA filter since it is quite inaccessible without doing a complete vacuum cleaner disassembly. (I have also done the complete disassembly to remove the HEPA filter and really clean it and that is quite some job.) I cannot recommend strongly enough to NOT buy a bagless vacuum. It is just far, far more work than changing a simple bag.
Hoover made my vacuum in both the bagged and bagless version—I certainly bought the wrong choice.
I bought a bagless and was very dissapointed. I didn’t spend the money on a fancy one like the DYSON, so maybe that was my problem, but it doesn’t appear that DYSONs are universally loved anyway. Guess I stick with the $50 old school special.
Hello, I am new to your site. I just wanted to add that most things that have been refurbished end up working/lasting longer. This is because any of the kinks were worked out of the machines, which are usually totally rebuilt.
great site! thanks for putting the knowledge out there 
A little while ago, the brush bar on my Dyson got shredded when a safety pin got sucked in and stuck. Comparing the bristles on the replacement brush to the old brush, it appears that the past several years worth of use wore down the bristles by at least a couple of millimeters.
If your vacuum just doesn't seem to be picking stuff out of the carpet as well as you remember it used to, the bristles on the brush bar may be worn down and might need replacing.
A friend bought a Dyson and encouraged me to take it home for a day. I vacuumed my couch and once I got over the shock (I thought I vacuumed it regularly) I bought one. I took to to my father's house and vacuumed his black oriental rug and the difference was unbelievable. People would ask if he had shampooed the rug and he got such a kick out of telling them about the Dyson. I do what the imabug does, I put it in a bag and shake the dust out and wash the filter. I know some people aren't impressed but I sure like it.
Alright ladies, I see that the last entry was 11 weeks ago… but I am responding anyhow with the vague idea that somebody may stumble through here later on. I will swallow my pride and say that *although I use a bagless at home, I have worked cleaning houses in the past and have experience with a series of "cutting edge" Dyson's.*
I agree with earlier posts that those paper filters are VERY strong. I used to put them through my dishwasher (top rack,short cycle) to knock any stubborn dirt out. This seemed to really REALLY improve the suction of my canister vacuum cleaner. But about 6 weeks ago I got very frustrated with the idea of driving 25 miles to the nearest store that carries my filters and took a closer look at the filter itself.
**** It is just a simple loose-weave cloth sewn into a pocket! it isn't even sewn with any regard to looks or fit! All you need to do is take any worn-out tee shirt or gauzy piece of cotton and cut a piece as tall as you filter and long enough to make a circle around it. Then fold it in half, stitch along the bottom and up the side, and secure with to the plastic filter base with a hair tie or rubber band!!! I was shocked at how much my home-made filter improved my vacuum's performance… even compared to a brand-new filter! The manufacturer's just aren't all that likely to tell us about *FREE* alternatives to their replacements.
I own a Dyson DC17 Animal Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum it does the trick pretty well. My girlfriend's two long-hair cats do a good job of filling up the canister, so I usually have to empty it out at least once before I can clean the whole house, but I've found that it works remarkably well.
Also Katie – I agree that the filters are remarkably strong. I occasionally have "let" my small nephews take care of cleaning it out and they've yet to damage it in any way. That's the real test!
I own a Dyson DC17 Animal Bagless Upright Cyclonic Vacuum it does the trick pretty well. My girlfriend's two long-hair cats do a good job of filling up the canister, so I usually have to empty it out at least once before I can clean the whole house, but I've found that it works remarkably well.
Also Katie – I agree that the filters are remarkably strong. I occasionally have "let" my small nephews take care of cleaning it out and they've yet to damage it in any way. That's the real test!
Thanks for the tip!!
Wow. And here I am with several useless vacuums that are bagless. I can't afford the Dyson but gotta admit I am ready to invest in the cling spray. I have 3 very hairy cats and the amount of fur that clings is amazing.
Thanks for this website. It is awesome