The HENRY Company

Depending on your Vacuum Cleaner use, a Vacuum Belt should be Replaced every 6 months to 1 Year. Nothing works harder in your Vacuum Cleaner than your Vacuum Belt. It is the link that drives your spinning Vacuum Brushroll through the pile of your carpet. That's a Tough Job - ever try to handbrush your carpet? Exactly. Vacuum Belts are considered a Wear Item in your Vacuum Cleaner. They are meant to wear out, and better to Replace a $2 Vacuum Belt than a $100 Vacuum Motor. When it wears, it loses it's tension on the Vacuum Brushroll and the Vacuum Motor pulley. So... you might think your Vacuum Brushroll is spinning but in reality it stopped when it hit the carpet. One thing that wears Vacuum Belts out faster than anything, is setting your Vacuum Brushroll too Low (more on that later), which puts a greater stress on your Vacuum Belt and almost ensures it's premature demise.

Bagless Vacuums

First OFF Vacuum Manufacturers tell you to clean your Vacuum Filter after every use of your Vacuum Cleaner and Replace your Vacuum Filter every 6 months (read your manual) to Achieve Maximum Performance. So if you haven't cleaned your Vacuum Filter in the couple months or more that you have had your Vacuum Cleaner, it's Probably already time to Replace it. Vacuum Filters in general, have a very small surface area. In fact, most Vacuum Filters have under 40 sq. in. of surface area as opposed to a Vacuum Cleaner Bag which has 10 TIMES that area, so they tend to pack full of finer dust quickly, thus requiring constant cleaning. Unchecked, the Vacuum Filter will pack to the point that your Vacuum Motor will struggle for airflow, run hot and fry like a sizzling piece of bacon.

Bagged Vacuums

By design, Vacuum Filters in a Bagged Vacuum Cleaner are more of a Secondary Filter. If a Vacuum Bag were to break per se, the Vacuum Filter is the Vacuum Motor's protection against larger debris that could seriously damage it. They don't regularly come in contact with a lot of debris, so unlike Bagless Vacuum Cleaner Filters, they don't usually require cleaning after every use. They should however be replaced every 6 months to a Year for the best Vacuuming results.

Both Types of Vacuum Cleaners also may have a Post Motor or Exhaust Filter. These are to stop Carbon Dust and other debris that may have gotten into your Vacuum Motor from blowing out into the air you breathe. Regular 6 Month to a Year Replacement is usually good enough with these.

Your Vacuum Bag when full, was never intended to weigh more than your Vacuum Cleaner. It should be changed Regularly! Vacuum Bags generally have a line or mark imprinted on them that indicates when they are full, we say somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 full and it's time for a new Vacuum Bag. Some situations call for more frequent Replacement. If you just Vacuumed up some drywall dust, chances are your Vacuum Bag is packed on the surface inside, time to change it. Larger or matting debris, such as animal hair, also calls for more frequent changing. At roughly $2 a piece and under, it's probably a good practice to change your bag every month to ensure maximum airflow for a better Vacuuming.

Is your Vacuum Brushroll packed with string, thread, long hair or other wrapped debris? Then most likely, it isn't doing a very good job. Not only does this create less carpet agitation, but it blocks the airflow required to lift debris from your carpet. Often times the debris on the Vacuum Brushroll ends up getting into the Vacuum Brushroll ball bearings at the end, destroying them. Cleaning a Vacuum Brushroll can be accomplished in varying ways depending on the Vacuum Cleaner but normally involves cutting the debris from the Vacuum Brushroll by knife or scissors. In any case, a clean Vacuum Brushroll is necessary for a thorough Vacuuming.

I know it's a dirty job, but that's the nature of the Bagless Vacuum Cleaner. Dirt Containers come in MANY shapes and sizes, and for maximum performance, they need to be cleaned. Many Dirt Containers house additional parts such as Cyclonic Diverters (which create the cyclonic wind effect), upper Pre Motor Debris Cages (I made that name up, there are many types and names for these parts) that stop larger particles before getting into your Vacuum Motor, Dirt Container Debris Doors with seals that need to be kept clean for a good air seal and even the parts of the Dirt Container itself. Every thing in there needs to be cleaned regularly of debris to maintain maximum airflow. Sorry, that's why we own and sell Bagged Vacuum Cleaners.

I know it's easy to just run over that piece of popcorn, but it may not be easy for your Vacuum Cleaner. Vacuum Nozzles weren't really made for picking up large particles, though some will. Many of the Clogs we clean out of Vacuum Cleaners are in the Vacuum Nozzle Hose, they are usually smaller than a Vacuum Attachment Hose in diameter and larger particles can't always fit through there, which begins a clog. Other debris then builds up on the initial clog. This causes your motor to struggle for air, run hotter and possibly burn up! So BEFORE you Vacuum, walk around and pick up the larger debris by hand and save your Vacuum Cleaner from the struggle of it's life.

Many Vacuum Cleaners come with a Nozzle Height Adjustment feature. This allows you to set the Nozzle Height higher from or lower to your carpet. The Nozzle Height should be set so your Vacuum Brushroll is just touching the tips of your carpet. It should lightly brush the carpet, not grind into it. The Nozzle Height should Rarely be set at the lowest setting inside the average house. At Least 3 Things happen when you set your Vacuum Nozzle Too Low, and None of them are good. Your Vacuum Belt fails more quickly, your Vacuum Brushroll wears out and your Vacuum Motor overheats which lessens it's lifespan. In addition, it's not very good for your carpet. You might have to play with it a little to find which setting is best for your carpet. A "Middle" setting is generally safe.

The biggest reason Vacuum Cords end up failing is improper winding. The proper way to wind a Vacuum Cord is from the Vacuum Cleaner end onto the Vacuum Cord Hooks provided. It also helps to lay the Vacuum Cord outstretched on the floor. Wind your Vacuum Cord "snugly" (if you wind it too tight you may break wires). Hold the Vacuum Cord loosely in your hand as you wind, allowing the plug end to spin and turn as it needs. Voila! You should Never wind your Vacuum Cord holding the plug end. Winding from the plug end twists the Vacuum Cord and damages the wires, often breaking them inside the plastic of the cord. Not only could that throw a breaker, but it could damage your Vacuum Cleaner, or worse, start a house fire. So it's best to wind your Vacuum Cord the proper way, and just avoid all that.

I know that sounds like common sense, but if you saw all the rusted Vacuum Motors we have pulled out of Vacuum Cleaners, you'd understand why it's here. It's simple, if it doesn't say Wet / Dry Vacuum on it, it wasn't meant to pick up moisture. Moisture from a spill on the carpet... from a wet mat by the front door... from vacuuming up your dog's... wellll, you get the picture. None of it, not a bit of moisture is good for your Vacuum Cleaner. If you decide instead to just go ahead and Vacuum up moisture anyway, you better decide which Vacuum Cleaner your buying next too.

So you ask, how is that a maintenance tip? Because... if you bought a $30 Mini Vacuum Cleaner to Vacuum your 3000 sq. ft. home: (A) You bought the wrong Vacuum Cleaner, and (B) You should plan on breaking up your vacuuming into 3 days and Vacuum slowly so you don't overwork your $30 investment. So what we're trying to say, is make sure you have the right Vacuum Cleaner in the FIRST Place. Then the Maintenance you'll have to perform on it will be lessened, and better yet, your cost will be lessened.