How to Empty a Dyson Vacuum: The Quickest & Easiest Ways
Knowing how to empty your Dyson vacuum will also help you avoid making a mess on the floor. Bagless vacuums are notorious for their messy emptying process. If you are not careful, you may spill a lot of dust, dirt, and other nasty stuff on your floor.
You can learn everything about it in this guide!
How to Empty a Dyson Vacuum
Dyson has dozens of models in their portfolio, each with a unique design. As expected, with each new design, the position of the buttons and the dust cup are different.
We will try our best to cover as many models as we can. However, in case you don’t find yours, it’s still possible for you to follow along. The design may be different, but the process should be the same!
What You Will Need to Follow This Tutorial
You don’t need a lot of things to follow along with this tutorial. Here’s the full list.
- A dry towel
- A small toothbrush or similar implement
- Dyson’s combination tool (if available)
How to Empty a Dyson Ball Vacuum
The Dyson Ball vacuum series has a detachable dust cup.
You can remove the cup from the rest of the vacuum by pressing the button at the top of the cup. Once pressed, the entire cup should pop right out.
Grab onto the handle at the top of the cup and bring it over to a trash can.
Hover the bottom of the cup over the can. Get the bottom of the cup as low as possible into the trash can to avoid spilling or kicked-up dust.
Press the release button on top of the handle again and the bottom of the cup will open up, releasing its contents.
When most of the dirt and debris inside of the cup is out, gently shake or tap the cup to shake loose any remaining dirt.
Close the bottom door of the cup. There should be an audible click when the door is properly locked.
Return the cup back to the vacuum and seat it into place. There should be a click and the cup shouldn’t budge or come loose when you shake or pull on it again.
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How to Empty a Dyson V-series Vacuum
Nowadays, Dyson’s reputation as a vacuum maker revolves primarily around the V-series stick vacuums. There’s a good chance that if you have a Dyson at home right now, it’s probably a V-series.
Dyson vacuum cleaner Via: Amazon
One more thing before we continue: There was a drastic design change from the Dyson V8 onward. Specifically, the dust cup design was changed from L-shaped to in-line. You will notice the difference if you were to look at the picture of a Dyson V8 and a Dyson vacuum V10 side by side.
Obviously, with the change of the dust cup’s design, the way to empty it is going to be different, too. As a result, we have separated our guide on how to empty Dyson V-series vacuums into two separate sections to make it easier for you to read.
How to Empty Dyson V6 to V8
From Dyson V6 to V8, they will come with an L-shaped dust cup. For most people, this is the more familiar design, but for those who are new to Dyson, here’s what to do when the cup becomes full.
A Dyson V8 Animal. Note the L-shape dust cup design Via: Amazon
First, make sure that the vacuum is completely off. The power switch should be in the OFF position and the cord removed from the wall outlet.
Behind the dust cup, near the handle of the vacuum, is a red button. When pressed, it will open up the bottom of the cup. Before you do this, make sure that you are holding the vacuum above a trash can.
If you want to remove the dust cup entirely for cleaning, after the door is opened, press the same button again and the cup will come off.
You can wash or wipe the cup clean as you wish. Put the vacuum back to its place and click the bottom door closed.
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How to Empty Dyson V10 to V15
Right now, there are only three models with the new, in-line dust cup design: the Dyson V10, V11, and the newest V15. Because the dust cup is connected with the wand (and the motor), emptying it is a bit more complicated.
A Dyson V10. Note the in-line dust cup design Via: Amazon
After shutting down the vacuum, take off the front suction wand. Do this by pressing the Wand Release button (can be found on the wand itself) and pull it away from the vacuum.
With the wand off, you will now see the release door of the cup.
Hold the vacuum by the handle and point the cup towards the trash can. Alternatively, you can hold the vacuum upside down with the front portion pointing downwards at the trash can. This will limit the amount of dirt kicked up.
Underneath the dust cup is a red latch. Push the latch and the cup’s door will open, releasing the content inside. Compared to the old design, this is significantly more hygienic because you won’t have to make direct contact with the dirt!
If you want to remove the cup for cleaning, there is a smaller button at the front with a small, white arrow. Press on the button and you will be able to slide the cup off for cleaning.
Reverse the process above for reinstallation.
What Are the Differences Between the L-shaped and In-line Dust Cup?
You may be wondering about the differences between the two cup designs, aside from the obvious physical change and the different ways to empty them.
The old L-shaped dust cup is great, but it has one big limitation: air movement.
When air flows into the vacuum from the cleaning head and reaches the dust cup, it first has to move downward. It’s then redirected upward from the bottom of the cup. The air would continue to move through the cyclone shroud, changing direction for the third time at the top of the cyclone to move to the exhaust vent.
After three redirections, the airflow will have weakened in power considerably.
That’s where the newer inline dust cup comes in. Because the cleaning head, the dust cup, the motor, and the exhaust are on an uninterrupted straight line, the airflow can remain consistent throughout.
This makes the newer V-series more efficient than the older ones by a wide margin.
However, better efficiency isn’t all that it can offer. Despite the emptying process being more complicated, the newer in-line models (V10, V11, and V15) are more hygienic overall.
You can lower the dust cup down to the very bottom of the trash can before releasing the debris. This limits the amount of kicked-up dust and dirt significantly. Most reviewers who are allergic or sensitive to dust highly praised these vacuums for their “point-and-shoot” dust release system.
How to Clean Dyson Vacuum’s Dust Cup
After a while, your dust cup will become very dirty. There may also be hidden pieces of dirt, debris, or pet hair lodged inside of the inner details. So, once in a while, you should remove it and wash it to ensure that it’s 100% clean.
The process is very simple and is an essential part of learning how to clean Dyson vacuum cleaners.
Clean the dust cup Via: Amazon
First, remove the dust cup like we instructed earlier. Next, run the dust cup under cold running water. Use a small toothbrush to clean up the small details inside of the cup. Dislodge and remove any clogged debris inside of the cup.
Wipe the cup off with a dry towel after you rinse it. Leave the cup on the countertop or anywhere with plenty of cool airflow for a few hours to dry.
Do not reinstall the cup back into the vacuum while it’s still wet. You may damage your Dyson.
Additionally, do not wash the cup with detergent, dish soap, or any kind of chemical. Just use clean water.
How to Clean Dyson Vacuum’s Cyclone Shroud
The cyclone shroud is the funny-looking component that looks like an artichoke bulb on your vacuum. This is the bread-and-butter of the vacuum, allowing it to generate the strong suction that it needs to lift dirt and debris.
The bottom of it will be within the dust cup, so it’s going to be one of the dirtiest spots on the vacuum. Over time, this component can get very filthy and will require regular cleaning.
In order to clean it best, you will need a brush. Fortunately, most Dyson vacuums will come with a combination tool, which also contains a brush.
Use this tool to brush off all of the dirt, lint, or debris stuck on the external of this component. You cannot clean the internal parts of the cyclone.
You should never immerse the cyclone in water or use detergent on it. Treat it like an electrical component.
The Reason Why You Should Empty Your Dyson Vacuum Daily
Many people have a habit of waiting until the dust cup of their vacuum is chock-full before emptying. This isn’t exactly the best habit to keep.
Even though your Dyson was designed and built to be as durable as possible, it’s a pretty sensitive machine deep inside. A small piece of debris lodged within its inner system can cause it to malfunction down the line.
When you let the dust cup become too full, dirt and debris can make their way deep into the vacuum and settle there. There’s a slight chance that they could damage something vital inside of the vacuum.
Secondly, if you let dirt and debris sit in the dust cup for too long, your vacuum could become stinky due to mold, not to mention all of the germs and bacteria that, if given the time, could begin to settle inside your machine.
We know how tedious house chores are and once you have vacuumed the house for the day, you don’t want to do anything else. But still, it’s better to expend a little bit more effort to empty the cup before you put away the vacuum rather than risking your health.
Why You Should Never Overfill Your Vacuum
Your Dyson upright vacuum’s dust cup has a fill-up line (or a MAX line). It is typically ¾ of the actual maximum volume of the dust cup.
When the content of the cup exceeds this line, your vacuum’s suction performance will drop. The effect will be especially notable with large debris. At the beginning of the session, your best Dyson vacuum would have zero trouble sucking them up. After that, when it’s overfull, it may barely be able to pick them up.
This is a universal issue that plagues just about every vacuum cleaner on the market, not just Dyson vacuums alone.
But you don’t have to worry!
All Dyson vacuums have a clear marking on the cup to let you know when is the best time for emptying. Make sure to pay attention and empty it when the dirt reaches that level and you will be fine!
You might also be wondering: “What if the vacuum reaches the fill-up line before I finish my vacuuming?”
Well, the answer is simple enough! All you have to do is empty the vacuum, then resume the job.
My Vacuum Feels Hot When the Dust Cup Is Full: What’s Wrong?
Your Dyson is most likely suffering from overheating.
Besides sucking in dirt and debris, your Dyson also uses its own vacuum flow to cool itself. If the dust cup is too full, there simply isn’t enough airflow passing through the vacuum.
When this happens, your vacuum’s motor can quickly heat up. When it passes a certain limit, the motor automatically shuts itself down to protect the entire vacuum from burning up.
All you have to do is let it cool down for around 30 minutes, empty the dust cup, and you can use it as normal again.
There’s a second reason, too.
Like we mentioned earlier, dirt and debris can make their way into the vacuum’s inner system when the dust cup is too full. Some of this dirt can reach the filters and clog them up, blocking airflow. This will also cause your vacuum to overheat when it happens.
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Conclusion
This is everything you need to know about how to empty a Dyson vacuum! It’s not very difficult, as you can see. Emptying and cleaning the vacuum will become the second instinct in only a week or two.
Take good care of your Dyson vacuum and we’re certain that it will take care of you for years in return!
