Stinky vacuum cleaner. - Page 2

Another new name Sue · ‎03-11-2010

My shark has 3 filters, and maybe yours does too. Check your manual and clean the filters.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

@Ainhisg wrote:
@SilleeMee if you find something that works, please post! I have the same brand and type of vacuum, and even though I clean it just like you do, it still stinks when I turn it on.

@Ainhisg

Glad you mentioned that. I have had three Shark uprights in the past fifteen years, all work btw, and all three of them eventually started smelling like a dog. The oldest of the three had to have a new hose replaced and after I replaced the hose with a new one the odor almost went away....just a hint of stink after that. So I really think my problem is inside the hose. Just need to figure out how to deodorize inside the hose w/o having to take it off and actually wash it out with soap and water....I don't want to do it. There's got to be an easier solution and when I find it I will post it here.

GenXmuse · ‎05-15-2016

I have a Shark bagless upright as well. This is my second one since I think they work great at an affordable price but I do notice after awhile it does smell like dog. Of course, I have two dogs and a cat so I'm using it all the time. I had the first one for seven years and even after regular cleaning, taking the pieces apart that I could, I finally got a new one. I might look on YouTube and see if anyone posted about cleaning the hose. I bet if vacuum repair shops offered cleaning, people would use it. I'm just worried about breaking it if I try to take too many parts off.

avid shopper · ‎04-18-2010

I know it is a pain to do these maintenance jobs. I wait until I am in the mood and that is not always the instant something needs doing. I have a Shark, the original light purple, and love it. Twice a year I do take the hose off, spray cleaner inside the hose until I am sure there is enough cleaner inside to reach all the spirals. Then I let it set for a while, in the tub, and I turn it a few times so I am sure the cleaner gets all around. Then I use an extension pole and microfiber cloth and run it thru the hose to get it as clean as I can. Then rinse, rinse, rinse. I also clean all the filters or replace with new. I pick a dry sunny day and then everthing goes outside on the deck to dry in the sun. The key is that everything must be dry, dry dry before putting it all back together. I vacuum the house throughly before this and that way I can give the hose and filters 2 days of drying if needed.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

@avid shopper

How did you get the ext pole to get through the part of the curved handle?? I thought about doing just as you mentioned except I would think the curved handle wouldn't allow for something straight, like a pole, to go through it.

ETA - I just tried to put a pole through the hose and it won't go in b/c of the curved ends. So I just took the hose to my tub and ran hot water though it and the water coming out of it was very dark, disgusting and stinky. I filled my tub with enough water to cover the hose, added some Lysol to it and submerged my hose into it for a soaking. I'll leave it there for a while then rinse it out. Hopefully the stink will go but I'm not expecting any miracles.

Stay tuned.

faeriemoon · ‎03-14-2010

I don't care for bagless vacuum cleaners, but I use those Downey Unstoppable beads in my vacuum cleaner at my Cape house. Since we're not there a lot, the vacuums don't get used a lot and they can get kind of stale smelling. I sprinkle some of them on the floor and suck them up. They really keep the vacuum smelling good.

~What a terrible era in which idiots govern the blind.~ William Shakespeare

Patriot3 · ‎06-07-2010

Once I helped a friend who had surgery. I was vacuuming. She had a dog. That vac smelled so bad it made me sick to my stomach. I don't mind if other people have them, but nope, no animals for me. I'll clean up after kids, but not animals.

goldensrbest · ‎03-10-2010

Have tried baking soda? I think there is aproduct on amazon called angry orange.

When you lose some one you L~O~V~E, that Memory of them, becomes a TREASURE.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

Next time I vacuum I'm going to put down some baking soda on my carpet the night before I clean. But I don't plan on doing that each time I vacuum. I think I will just have to wash out the hose on regular basis to keep it from getting stinky. Cleaning the hose, as I'm doing right now, is actually the first time I've ever cleaned a vacuum hose. It just has to be done and lesson learned if that will get rid of the stink or at least most of it.

Plastic holds odors like nothing else. That hose and the waste cup (and most of the rest of the vacuum) are make of plastic. That makes it an uphill battle when it comes to keeping the vacuum from getting smelly.

x Hedge · ‎08-18-2016

@SilleeMee re: that hose you described

Sounds like you've found the source.

@SilleeMee wrote:
@avid shopper
How did you get the ext pole to get through the part of the curved handle?? I thought about doing just as you mentioned except I would think the curved handle wouldn't allow for something straight, like a pole, to go through it.

ETA - I just tried to put a pole through the hose and it won't go in b/c of the curved ends. So I just took the hose to my tub and ran hot water though it and the water coming out of it was very dark, disgusting and stinky. I filled my tub with enough water to cover the hose, added some Lysol to it and submerged my hose into it for a soaking. I'll leave it there for a while then rinse it out. Hopefully the stink will go but I'm not expecting any miracles.

Stay tuned.