How To Clean Vacuum Filter: Bissell, Hoover, Dyson, Dirt Devil, Eureka, Sponge...

Since having a dirty vacuum can result in loss of suction and reduced air quality, it's important to clean your vacuum regularly.

In this post, we'll show you exactly how to clean vacuum filters on all models you'll find on the market today. Learn all you need to know about vacuum filters and how to properly take care of them with our complete guides.

It is always advised to clean your vacuum's filters

What You Should Know Before Cleaning Your Vacuum Filter

Not all vacuum filters are built the same, and knowing the difference helps you choose the right cleaning method from the start.

Different Types of Vacuum Filters

To make the vacuum filter cleaning process easier and less challenging, it's important for you to learn about the design and features of your vacuum filters. This helps you visualize the different filtration elements on your machines, and better understand what the guide is referring to. This will make the cleaning of parts a lot less challenging.

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Designs

Here are some of the most common designs that you'll find on most filters these days:

Bag filters – This is one of the standard designs that you would find on your regular canister vacuum cleaners. The bag filters serve as both the dust container and the filter thanks to their design. The bags are usually made of cloth or paper, which allows air to pass through them while dust particles remain inside. This optimizes suction power since the air doesn't have to travel through many layers of filter. Plus, whenever you need to empty your dustbin, just take out the bag and throw it away.

Foam filter – To prevent large dust particles, hairs, and other pieces of debris from getting into the inner parts of your vacuum cleaner, most vacuum machines feature one of these. Most of the time, you'll find your foam filter used as the secondary filtration system, positioned in front of the main filters. These are mostly washable vacuum filters and can be cleaned quite easily.

Disk filter – These are shaped like the common coffee filter and are often made of cloth or paper. They're a slight variation of the classic bag filter and operate in the same way. Due to their small sizes, you'll often find these types of vacuum cleaner filters on your cordless or robotic vacs.

Cartridge filter – The cartridge filters are common on most vacuum cleaner models. They come with folded paper or synthetic material plates that increase the surface area of air contact. This enhances filtration performance, especially on cyclonic vacuum models.

There are various designs and constructions for vacuum filters

Technology

Cyclonic action – While it's not a type of filter, the cyclonic action is a common technology on most vacuum cleaners as it helps to reduce the amount of dust that could escape from your vacuum cleaners thanks to the clever air movements. The circular air motions on your dust container force the dust particles into the sides of your container before it enters your filters, reducing the overall load on them.

HEPA filter – Most of the time, your regular filters cannot deal with micro dust particles, as their small sizes allow them to easily pass through the fibers or sponges. The high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters use ultra-fine fibers and an electrostatic charge — which attracts and locks particles in place — to prevent up to 99.97% of dust particles from escaping your vacuum. Worth noting: these are mostly non-washable filters that require special care when cleaning. Never rinse a HEPA filter with water — it damages the internal fiber structure and significantly reduces filtration performance. This rule applies across all vacuum models, so we'll reference it throughout the guide.

Activated Charcoal – For those of you who're suffering from odors, having the activated charcoal layers of filters on your machines will certainly help you keep the air fresh and sanitized. They're great if you have pets or are just sensitive to odors. However, they'll need regular replacements to maintain their features.

The purpose of HEPA filters is to stop microdust particles

Why and How You Should Clean Them?

Your vacuum filters work in a relatively simple way — the motor inside the machine draws air from the hose into the dust container and pushes it out through the filters. Your filters then prevent dust and debris from re-entering the air. If your filter is not functioning well, it beats the purpose of vacuuming in the first place.

With time, your vacuum filter will get dirty, making it less effective. So you'll need to do some regular maintenance on your vacuum filters to make sure that they stay clean. Sometimes it's also recommended that you replace your filters if cleaning isn't doing any good.

As a general rule of thumb, here's how often you should clean your filters:

• Standard household: Once a month
• Homes with pets or allergies: Every two weeks — pet hair and dander clog filters significantly faster than everyday household dust
• Heavy daily use: Once a week or whenever you notice a drop in suction

The articles below will show you how to perform the complete filter maintenance on your different vacuum models.

The most common reason for suction losses is a filthy filtration system

How to Clean a Vacuum Filter

There are many vacuum models on the market today, and the right cleaning approach depends on which type you own. Find the section that matches your machine and follow the steps from there.

On Canister Models

For your traditional canister vacuum cleaners, maintaining a clean filtration system comes down to three key areas: the dust bag, the motor filter, and the exhaust filter. Here is how you should do the maintenance on your filtration system.

Take out and change the dust bag

To start with, you should take out the dust bag on your canister vacuum by simply opening it up by releasing the hood. Some models will require you to remove the hose first, but they should still work the same way.

Once the dust bag is exposed, you can then slide up the connected board from the assembly unit and take out the bag. Here, some users might be tempted to just empty the bag and put it back into your vacuum for reuse.

Don't. Reusing the bag reduces suction and risks pushing dust back into the air during refilling. Replace it with a new one — keeping the old bag would prevent your vacuum from operating properly, and the new bag won't cost you too much either. Not to mention that you risk redepositing the dust inside while you're emptying the bags.

Take off the hood to reveal the dust bag

Clean or replace the motor filter

If you look at your exposed vacuum cleaner, you will notice that behind the dust bag there is also a filter for the motor. Depending on the design, it could have various shapes and sizes, but most typically, you can find it as a small piece of sponge, foam, or cloth. Simply slide up or pick up the piece of filter as you ready it for cleaning.

For those wondering how to clean a foam vacuum filter, there are two common ways to do this: you can either wash it with water and soap then let it dry completely before putting it back, or use compressed air to blow out the dust inside. You can also tap the filter against the side of a trash can to shake the dust loose. Just make sure that you do this outdoors to prevent dust from polluting the air again.

It's not recommended to reuse your foam or cloth filter indefinitely. After a certain amount of use, the structure breaks down and allows more dust to pass through, making your filter less and less effective. If that's the case, toss the old filter and pick up a replacement Bissell filter — the swap takes just a few minutes.

After removing the dust bag, clean or replace the motor filter

Clean or replace the exhaust filter

For certain models that feature HEPA filters, you can often find the filters in the exhaust part of the machine. These are the last line of defense in your filtration system, responsible for trapping fine dust particles that slip through the earlier filter layers — which is especially important if you suffer from allergies or asthma.

You can easily locate the exhaust filter unit on the back of your vacuum cleaner. It often comes with a lid that can be opened up, and inside, you can see your HEPA filter. To clean, simply take out the filter and tap it firmly to dislodge the remaining dust. If possible, use compressed air to blow through the filter for a more thorough clean. As noted above, do not rinse it with water — it's not recommended to wash your HEPA filter since water can easily damage the fibers inside.

It's always a good idea to replace your HEPA filter every once in a while to keep your filtration system functional. Remove the old filter and snap in a replacement Eureka HEPA filter. Make sure that the arrow on the side points toward where the air escapes.

Find your canister's HEPA filter and replace it

On Upright Models

For carpet lovers, the upright vacuums are undoubtedly one of the best machines for cleaning up dust and hairs on your rugs. Like most other types of vacuum cleaners, you also need to maintain a clean filtration system.

While there may be many different designs for your upright vacuums and their filtration systems, the general build should stay the same. Check your instruction manual to confirm how to remove the canister and access the filter on your specific model. Once you're able to successfully disassemble the filter parts, it's time to understand how to clean vacuum filter the right way.

Clean the dust tank

As your vacuum operates, it pulls dust and debris into the dust tank. Over time, you'll find a significant amount of dust and hair built up inside. If you don't clean it regularly, both the suction power and the air quality will be affected. You can do this simply by emptying the tank once you finish vacuuming.

Most of the time, your cyclone will also consist of a cartridge filter that prevents most dust and debris from entering your vacuum's interiors. This makes it easily the dirtiest component in the filtration system and the one that deserves the most attention.

Start by taking out the cartridge filter and tapping it against the inside of your garbage can, or take it outside if you don't want dust and hair flying everywhere. Use a can of compressed air to force out the remaining dust and dirt before you move on to the next steps.

Ensure that the dust tank is consistently clean

Clean the pre motor filter

While it's not a universal design, on most systems you'll also find a layer of premotor foam or cloth filter underneath the dust tank. This protects the inner motor and helps prevent dust particles from reaching the interior components. These are typically small pieces of foam or cloth, and most of the time they're washable.

Just run your filter under cold water until the water runs clear. Squeeze out the water and repeat a few times to ensure the best final results. Place your filter on top of some paper towels and let it dry completely — at least 24 hours — before reinstalling.

Remember to keep your cartridge filter clean

Clean the post-motor filter

On the exhaust side, some models also feature a post-motor filter to ensure that even the smallest dust particles can't get out. You'll find a layer of HEPA filter on your upright vacuum, which traps up to 99.97% of dust particles inside. This means the air coming out is noticeably cleaner — a real difference if you or anyone in your home deals with allergies or asthma.

To clean this, simply take out the cover and remove the filter. While it's tempting to run the filter under water, you shouldn't do this. Water damages the inner fiber structure and makes the filter significantly less effective. Instead, tap it out and use compressed air. Replace it on schedule — every 6 to 12 months depending on usage — to keep your vacuum's filtration performing at its best.

On Robot Vacuums

While it's convenient to have your robot vacuum running around and helping you clean the floor, it's necessary to do some maintenance on the filter and dust tank to keep it running well.

Take out the dust tank

Start by turning off your robotic vacuum. Your instruction manual will show you how to safely remove the dust tank, which is fairly straightforward on most models. Inside the dust tank, you'll also find the filter system.

To clean the filter, remove the dust tank

Empty the dust and clean the filters

Make sure all the dust and hair are carefully removed from the tank before moving to the filter unit. Read the instructions carefully so you can safely remove the vacuum filter unit without breaking it.

Inside the unit, depending on the product, there should be a mesh filter for eliminating hairs, a foam filter for dust protection, and a HEPA filter for extra dust filtration. Tap the foam and mesh filters clean to get rid of the remaining dust. If possible, use compressed air to blow away the rest, or wash the foam filters with water.

As for the HEPA filter, if it doesn't get too dirty, there's no need to change it unless you find the back of your filter is getting dusty. Other than that, a few bursts of compressed air to blow away the remaining dust should be enough.

Clean the filters and empty the dust tank

Wrapping Up

Now that you know how to clean a vacuum filter across every major model — canister, upright, and robot — there's no reason to let a dirty filter rob your vacuum of its suction. Stick to a regular maintenance schedule and your filters will do their job for a long time to come.