Hoovers come in all shapes and sizes, with many different features that owners can take advantage of to keep their homes in good shape. The Hoover Direct range is full of such models, built to last and to effortlessly clean up your house – including a host of cordless options.
One thing that unites all vacuum cleaners is the filter. These handy components are what make it possible for your vacuum cleaner to catch all the little bits of dust, no matter how small, and prevent them from being pumped back into the air of your home.
These filters are essential, but if too much dust builds up, and they aren’t cleaned regularly, chances are you’ll start to see a significant degradation in the performance of your vacuum cleaner.
So it’s always a good thing to work out how to clean your vacuum cleaner’s filter and how regularly you should do so. That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this guide so read on to find out more.[H2] How often should you clean your vacuum filter?
Before we dive in, it’s best to first think about how often you need to clean the vacuum filter of your hoover.
To work this out, you’ll need to think about how often you vacuum your home and how much dust your hoover will be hoovering up. If you’re vacuuming often, and a lot of dirt is being collected into the hoover, the filter will fill up quicker and thus, will need to be cleaned more often. We’d recommend every month or so if this is the case.
If you’re just doing an average amount of hoovering in your home, we’d say you can get away with anything from three months to six months without having to clean your filter.
Having said that, if your vacuum isn’t performing as expected or you can smell strange smells coming from it, it’s probably time to take a look.
How do you clean a vacuum cleaner filter?
In this section, we’re going to focus on foam filters – these are a very common type of filter, and other varieties like paper filters, are disposable and less likely to need cleaning.
- Open up your hoover
Once you’ve decided to clean your filter, step one is to unplug it completely from the mains to make sure you don’t shock yourself.
Once it’s unplugged, open it up according to your user manual and empty out the hoover bag so that you’re starting from a clean slate. Also empty out any other collection components while you’re here to ensure the hoover works at its maximum capacity. - Remove the filter
Next, you’ll want to work out where the filter is and how you can remove it. Sometimes, there may be more than one.
Check the user manual that will have come with your vacuum – if you can’t find it, you should be able to locate a digital one online using a search engine. Take them out once you’ve found the filters and place them to one side. - Place the filters into a small sink
Fill up a small sink with a couple of squirts of washing up liquid and some hot water. Take the filters and submerge them in the soapy water – this should clear up some of the initial dirt from their surfaces.
Next you’ll want to roll and manipulate the filters in the water so that they get soapy water throughout and much of the dust gets pushed out. Gently squeeze the filter for the best results – but don’t squeeze too hard or you can rip the filter. - Clean your HEPA filter
If you have a HEPA filter, you’ll be able to skip many of the steps here. They don’t need soap or to be submerged – you just need to rinse them with cool water which will get the dust out of them effectively.
HEPA filters (or High-efficiency Particulate Air) is a specialised variety of filter that goes that extra length when it comes to capture dirt in the filter. Another effective way of cleaning these more regularly is to tap them on an outside surface to dislodge the dust. - Dry your filter
Whichever filter you use and however you clean it, the best way to dry it out once it’s been submerged is to first roll it gently in some paper towels to get rid of the initial moisture.
Secondly, you’ll want to put the rest on a drying rack as you would your clothes to ensure they can dry out as best they can.
Hoover’s vacuum cleaner range
At Hoover, we’re proud to have built up an extensive collection of vacuum cleaners that get the job done every time.
With a host of innovative and easy-to-use features like double battery capacity, pet brush accessories and Anti-Twist capabilities, these are adaptable machines that can work for any household.
Want to find out more? Discover the Hoover range today.
