There are a few things which are unexplainable and mysterious; one such thing is why even after being vacuumed, your carpets still manage to look dirty. As frustrating as this can be, regular (at least weekly) vacuuming of your house is a must to rid your home of any pet hair, garden debris or other dirt which has built up.

Unfortunately, as with all electrical appliances, over time wear and tear can take its toll on your vacuum cleaner, leading to it lacking in performance or stop working altogether; whilst constant use, especially in homes with pets, can often lead to the vacuum gaining an unpleasant odour which spreads throughout the home whenever the vacuum is used.

Some of the common faults you’re likely to find with your vacuum (other than smelling) include:

• Brush rollers not working
• Poor / No Suction

But we have faith in you, dear reader, that you can repair such faults on your vacuum with relative ease, saving yourself money and returning your once trusted appliance back to its former glory – and to offer you that helpful hand all sidekicks play, we’ve provided step-by-step guides for each fault.

Brush Rollers:

The brush rollers on a vacuum are often the common part of a vacuum which gains a fault due to various debris getting tangled around the rollers which if left, will not only prevent the rollers from moving, but can also lead to further damage to the vacuum.

To repair a broken or damaged brush roller on your vacuum requires little time to do nor does it need a massive toolkit, as you should only require a toolkit to remove the brush rollers on your vacuum.

Step 1: With the vacuum unplugged, flip it over so that you can see the rollers before unscrewing the screws holding the housing which retains the brush rollers.

Step 2: Once the housing holding the brush roller has been unscrewed, undo the retaining screws before lifting out the brush roller by pulling it out of the slots in the vacuum belt. During this stage it’s likely that you’ll also need to unhook the drive belt.

Step 3: With the brush roller removed, fix into place your new roller, before reversing steps one and two, to get your vacuum back into one piece, enabling you to pick up the dirt as you vacuum.

Poor / No Suction:

If your vacuum has lost its suction, or is failing to suck up the dirt at all, it isn’t much use; but a lack of suction isn’t the end of your vacuum cleaner. Instead a quick fix can get it back into full working order and ready to tackle whatever dirt your house has to throw at it.

Three of the four most likely causes for your vacuum to have little or no suction are that there has been a blockage somewhere such as in the airflow path, dirt clogging up the vacuum cleaner filters or due to the dust bag / container being full.

The fourth common reason for a vacuum losing suction is damage being caused to a component of your vacuum – and we’d hazard a guess that the vacuum cleaner hose is the culprit.

A way to test whether your hose is at fault for the loss of suction (after checking for any blockages) is to remove the hose from the vacuum, before turning the vacuum on and holding your hand to where the hose was previously attached. If there’s enough suction, there’s an issue with the hose, and it’ll need to be replaced using a spare part from eSpares.

Smelly Vacuum:

If you begin to think about what your vacuum sucks up as you whizz it around your home, and how long the bag or dust container remains un-emptied, it’s not surprising that your vacuum will emit an unpleasant odour from time-to-time.

Thankfully, removing such an odour from your vacuum is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1) Empty your dust container / dust bag

2) Give your vacuum a clean, particularly the filters and other areas where dirt may build up

3) Order eSpares Eucalyptus Air Freshener empty a sachet into your dust container / bag and then enjoy the fresh smell of eucalyptus every time you vacuum. But remember, a fresh sachet should be added to your vacuum whenever you empty it!

Although we’ve only covered a few faults you may face with your vacuum above, our advice centre vacuum cleaner section is packed with further advice and guidance, so next time you begin experiencing problems with your vacuum instead of condemning the appliance to the back of the cupboard or the rubbish bin, why not see if you can have a go at fixing it yourself, following our guidance?!

Tags: Vacuum Cleaner, Vacuum Spares