Cats Create Vacuum Cleaner Needs - Trying To Find Fairfax Manual

[lanesharon]

I was doing TNR (trap, neuter, return) volunteer work in my immediate community and did this for over 110 cats. I would trap them, keep them until they were old enough to get their first shots and spay/neuter and then find them homes. I had a few older vacuum cleaners when I first 'rescued' them. And, I found out that cleaning up litter can create a whole lot of problems for cleaners. I went through a number including Kirby, Shop Vac, Shark, and now I am using a very old Fairfax and a new Stanley shop vac. Cleaning up kitty litter from the floor can destroy some, regardless of how often you change bags and clean them out. I got the Fairfax at a garage sale, decades ago, and always just stored it because I had a number of others working during those years. That was before my cat volunteer rescue actions. Once I started doing that, my other machines broke and I would fix when I could, I have cleaned up my neighborhood and all cats have homes, now. But, somehow during that work, 3 wound up living with me (smile). The latest was just 2 days old and by the time I bottle fed him and rocked him to sleep, I got really attached to him, so, I got 'an extra'. I got down to the Fairfax and just now put it into action as a last resort and found out that the suction on it is fantastic. Even better than my older Kirby's. I want to care for the Fairfax properly, so I am looking for a manual that tells me what filters need to be replaced from time to time. It seems to have several, from what I have seen while looking for parts.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I don't have a Fairfax manual. However I would say that foam filters need to be washed when dusty and replaced when they don't hold their shape. Cloth filter can usually be washed and reused. Bags should be replaced when about 3/4 full. If you do end up burning through the Fairfax I would say to replace it with a canister that has easy to clean and replace filters/bags. Maybe a filter queen.

 

[Alan]

Good luck with the cats. And welcome to the forum.

 

[centralsweeper63]

Sorry, I had forgot to say welcome to the forum. I so far have not been able to find a Fairfax manual. Here is a link to some Fairfax filters and bags. https://www.ecovacuum.com/m7/FFR-13...-stock-until-the-middle-of-november-2025.html

 

[human]

I have zero experience with Fairfax vacuum cleaners, but in general, I would say a shop vac would be the best candidate for cleaning up cat litter or dry cat food, although I've done it plenty with other machines, including my Electrolux 1205.

And bless you for doing what you do to help your community's feral felines.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I will be curious to see how long a fairfax lasts.

 

[kirbylux77]

Centralsweeper63 - Fairfax actually uses a bypass central vac motor in these canisters, since the 80's. I would suspect one could get 30 to 40 years lifespan from one of these canisters. They are definitely overbuilt!

Lanesharon - I would check the Archives here on Vacuumland. I do remember someone uploaded pics of the owner's manual here, so that should help you out. All these machines were the same, with minor differences between the hose and powerhead they used over the years.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I remember seeing that, however if a bag gets TOO clogged and is left for TOO long the airflow can be restricted which results in the fans overheating. Tough little things it would appear though.

 

[electroluxor]

I am fairly new to the forum. I just found a place to repair my beloved Electrolux Regency, and do not want to ruin it, but I do use it to pick up bits of kitty litter that have scattered on the floor. What am I missing? I do not want to ruin the vacuum. How does kitty litter ruin it? my vacuum has a bag.

 

[centralsweeper63]

I would say it is the sharpness and size/weight that does the damage.

 

[huskyvacs]

I am fairly new to the forum. I just found a place to repair my beloved Electrolux Regency, and do not want to ruin it, but I do use it to pick up bits of kitty litter that have scattered on the floor. What am I missing? I do not want to ruin the vacuum. How does kitty litter ruin it? my vacuum has a bag.

The granules get pulverized into dust that then cakes the filters and the motor (if it passes though) in clay dust. It also gets between the motor shaft and the belt and into the brushroll bearings, clogs them up, and ruins them through friction. If it's used litter, then you have all of the above plus the ammonia and feces smell on top of that getting into the vacuum and into the motor windings which will cause it to reek every time you turn it on. It will just flat-out ruin a nice or collectible vacuum.

If its over a generally wide area and lightly scattered it might be negligible, but every cat I have had made a horrendous mess everywhere all over around the box and floor tracking and spilling it everywhere, and trying to get all that with a basic upright vacuum would be awful. I got one of those Shop Vac Hang Up Minis and put it on the wall near the litterbox and use that for cleanup around a radius of the box. It works good enough to knock out the major mess.

You just generally want a straight suction wand type vacuum with a hepa filter and a hepa bag which will keep the mess and smell at bay. You can always go over the area with your normal vacuum after getting up the bulk of it with the shop vac or whatever. Make sure to put activated charcoal in the bag (or plain, no fluid, ground up BBQ charcoal) before first use and maybe every 3 or 4 uses. A vacuum made for fireplace and BBQ ash cleanup might give better filtration as well for this type of mess but I never owned one yet.

If you must insist on doing this with an upright you could always get a cheap Oreck from the thrift store, ebay, yard sale, w/e and use that as your cat box slave, and just let whatever happens happen to it. My basement vac in the 2000s as a kid was a Eureka ESP and then the motor went kablooey on that one, then got a 1970s JC Penney upright of the same type at Goodwill and then that lasted another few years before the motor went up in smoke as well. I'd love to get those back but they are so rare now.

 

[centralsweeper63]

That is what I would do too.

 

[paul]

Welcome to VL and thank you for taking care of your neighborhood's cats. Cat and dog lover here.

Check out this archived thread for some Fairfax information. Fantomfan57 mentioned having a users manual, so if you pm him, you might be able to get a scan of it if he still owns it.

https://vacuumland.org/threads/okay-now-i-am-done-fairfax-vac.34715/