Clean The Filters Of A Vacuum Cleaner: What You Need To Know

There is a common issue many people have run into: after vacuuming, the room actually ends up with a worse smell than it had before. The culprit is right in front of your eyes - your vacuum cleaner.

Cleaning tools like it need maintenance on a regular basis too. Otherwise, vacuums can become a source of unpleasant odors themselves, just like how your toothbrush or broom can make your teeth or your room dirtier if you don't take good care of them.

When your vacuum becomes smelly, its filters are where you should have a look first. Proper maintenance and cleaning can't just make sure your house is no longer subject to weird smells left behind on your vacuum but also make it last longer. This article is focused on the most common types of filters in a regular vacuum cleaner.

Some Considerations

Filters play a huge role in the effectiveness and longevity of these cleaning appliances. They stop dust and dirt from going into the air of your room.

But while doing their job, the filters can accumulate plenty of debris and get clogged as a result. This can severely impact your vacuum's performance, and cleaning its filters can free the buildup, restoring the suction power and allowing it to pick up debris and dirt effectively again.

Cleaning filters can contribute to the overall lifespan of your vacuum as dirty components and congested filters can put more stress into their motor.

Check and clean the filters often, ideally whenever you empty your vacuum's dustbin. Having the filters replaced every few months depending on your vacuuming frequency is also important. But most importantly, make sure that the airway of your vacuum is free from obstruction in the first place.

Manufacturers often recommend you to buy new filters for replacement. But it's not absolutely necessary unless your filters can't work any longer. Cleaning them regularly can certainly extend their life, at least for a bit longer.

Filters In Different Vacuums

There are several types of household vacuum cleaners, and they come with different filtration designs for a variety of flooring. (If rugs are your main concern, follow the advice in How to clean shag rugs - The plain and simple truth.

A vacuum may come with a bag or a foam filter if it's a bagless model. Most higher-end models have HEPA filters for better filtering results.

This kind of filter is made of tightly woven fibers, making HEPA filters not suitable for cleaning. Doing so can damage their construction and make them less effective at stopping tiny particles and microscopic allergens. You should always replace them with a new authentic filter instead of cleaning them.

Small handheld units are often bagless and equipped with small cartridge filters, while workshop vacuums usually have larger foam sleeves, disc filters, filter bags, or cartridge filters.

Clean Foam Filters

A foam filter usually accompanies a canister vacuum, which you can easily notice when removing the canister. Its job is to catch dust beneath the canister.

When you empty your vacuum, dirty air will pass through the foam filter, where debris and dust get captured. Otherwise, it would go into our room.

Submerge your vacuum's filter in water and squeeze it gently to remove dirt. Let the foam filter air-dry completely before you put it back into the machine.

A common trick you can try to make your room even smell better after vacuuming is to add some drops of essential oil into the filter. Oils like eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, and tea tree can also provide the same antibacterial capabilities.

The same cleaning routine should be applied to reusable disc filters, too, if your vacuum has them. Attached to vacuum cleaners via hardware mounting, they work like reusable coffee filters. Wash them regularly so the machine can have better airflow.

Clean Vacuum Bags

If your upright vacuum comes with a dirtbag, it's usually either reusable or disposable. Cleaning or replacing it is critical to keeping the motor in good condition. When the bag is overfilled, the motor will be subject to a larger load - a situation that can reduce the lifespan of your motor if it happens constantly.

Replace a disposable bag if it's full. This design may cost you some money in the long run, but it's fairly maintenance-free. On the other hand, empty a reusable bag into a trash bin by tapping the edges and making sure that all of the collected dirt is removed. If you have a second vacuum, use it to clean both the inner and outer surfaces of this bag before attaching it to the vacuum again.

Pet and human hair is a common issue for vacuum bags. If this is the case for you too, consider buying the Best Shark vacuum for pet hair.

Clean Cartridge Filters

Some handheld and heavy-duty shop vacuum cleaners use cartridge filters, which usually are cylinders of synthetic materials or pleated paper. They can last for a very long time if you can keep a regular maintenance schedule, even though technically they're disposable.

Like other filters, air will have an easier time moving through cartridge filters once you've removed dirt buildup on them. You will notice a huge difference in performance if you can set aside some time to get rid of common debris like soil and sawdust.

First, read the manual of your vacuum and learn how to take the cartridge off the vacuum. Then tap it against a trash bin to loosen the dirt caught between the pleats. Do it gently to not damage it.

If you've not cleaned them for a long time, keep doing this until you no longer see dirt fall out of the filter, then put it back into your vacuum.

HEPA Filters

As we've mentioned, you should never take a HEPA filter off for a clean. Made of mostly woven fibers, these filters can get damaged when scrubbing and washing, making them less effective at blocking dust and tiny particles. If the HEPA filter of your vacuum is too dirty, just buy a replacement instead.

Conclusion

Filters in vacuum cleaners are a part many users overlook when they think about maintenance. But in reality, they have a huge impact on the performance of your vacuum. With some occasional proper cleaning and washing tasks, you can remove dirt buildup that can block airways and improve the filtering and cleaning performance of your vacuum.

When this doesn’t solve your issue, consider advice in this guide: Shark vacuum troubleshooting - Tips to repair common Shark problems.