cleaning up your recent vac acquisitions

[rivstg1]

So I'm wondering how you all ( to what level) clean your new vacuums you get after your search for them. Do you clean them to different levels/degrees depending on your liking of that particular model? ( aka more extensive cleaning for more desireable ones and less detail/cleaning for lesser ones). I pretty much do a lot of cleaning AND detailing before I bring them into my house. Here are some pics of my recent Royal Deluxe Powerteam 4650 model getting detailed. I even clean out the bristles of the brush attachements!! Do you guys go that far? haha I will literally use a pick and pull thru the bristles until all deeply accumulated debris is out....using pressurized air as well.

Question 2 for you all: This is the first vac that once I went through it all...STILL has a funk smell that I don't care for and I"m amazed at this. I washed the motor filter ( this is a tank) and the surrounding bag, wiped down the walls of the tank compartment plus a new bag. I checked the exhaust w/o the bag in it and smells are still coming out the exhaust. Funk HAS to be accumulated within the motor compartment right? What else is there for stink to cling to?

 

[bikerray]

I take the fan housing apart and wash the fans and wipe the fan housing down with a Lysol disinfecting wipe.

On a canister I also wipe down the inside of the metal housing.

Brushes can be taken apart and the washed.

On some machines no matter what you do the smell is embedded in the metal or plastic.

 

[human]

A lot of it depends on the machine. At the very least, I give it a wipe-down with a Lysol disinfecting wipe, always replace the bag (I don't do bagless machines) and if necessary, replace the belt.

From there, it's a matter of assessing the machine's condition and what is necessary and feasible to clean, polish, repair or replace. The four machines I've acquired in the past year provide a good idea of the lengths I typically go to:

1) Electrolux Silverado—This one bordered on being a basket case when I got it. After a thorough cleaning, first with a Lysol wipe then with several Tub-O-Towels wipes, I replaced the missing power switch assembly with one from an Olympia One and the missing plug with one from the hardware store. The worn out front caster was also replaced with a generic one from the hardware store that just did fit, albeit a little catty-cornered.

2) Sanitaire SC686—This one came to me in very nice condition. All it really needed was a belt, a lower cord hook and a thorough rub down with the aforementioned Lysol and Tub-O-Towels wipes.

3) Kirby Legend II—This one was filthy when it came to me and needed a lot of parts replaced. I polished up the aluminum, replaced the brush roll assembly and foot switch, laundered the outer bag and replaced the cracked mini-emptor and leaky fill tube. I ended up spending more on parts than I did on the machine itself. Someone else might have simply turned it into a parts donor.

4) Kirby Heritage II Legend—This one came to me in pristine condition. I suspect it was a factory rebuild but have no proof. All it needed from me was a light polishing and to replace the missing cord.

 

[superocd]

Everything I've acquired has gotten stripped down and wa

...even if it looks like it's "clean".

I've always taken my acquisitions home in garbage bags even though I put them in the bed of my truck. I just tie it around the bottom part of the machine. I don't take them out of the garbage bag until I've disassembled the machine in my driveway (won't do it in my garage just in case there's an infestation of something). Everything that's not electrical gets washed in hot, soapy water and sanitized with Lysol cleaner before it touches my workbench and certainly before it goes into my house. I attack parts that are hard to clean (like fancases) with Simple Green before proceeding with my washing and sanitizing step.

I vacuum the motor and blow whatever the shop vac didn't get with my air compressor. The bag is hand-washed with Persil, OxiClean and some Lysol laundry sanitizer -- since I've never had a bag with silkscreen graphics on it (aside from my Royal 884 which faded long before I bought it), it shouldn't hurt the bag. I replace the brushroll with a brand new one since it is difficult to thoroughly clean and disinfect those without wrecking the bearings -- if I ever come across a machine with tons of NLA parts, like another Royal, I may have to keep the existing one and do my best to clean and sanitize.

I soak the cord in a solution of hot bleach water an Persil, keeping the ends out of the water, and rinse with hot water. Works wonders in getting any marks or crud off of it while disinfecting at the same time. Plastic parts and trim gets to soak as well. For Kirby Tech Drive transmissions, I blow them thoroughly with my air compressor before wiping it down with a solution of Lysol and hot water. I do take the wheels off Tech Drive trasnsmissions and soak them in the same bleach water/Persil solution that I do with all the other plastic/trim pieces -- makes the wheels look brand new.

After every part has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, I move on to the refurbishment process. My steps are assuming if it's a direct-air machine like Kirby, Hoover, Eureka/Sanitaire or Royal -- should be pretty straightforward no matter what you work on. I've never refurbished a clean-air machine and don't plan to.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Preliminary inspection/sniff test is done at the source/origin.
If passed:

Bags are removed/emptied out in the yard upon arrival home. A good inspection is done to find any possible bugs. Typically the units stay in the garage until they are restored. The units that sat in the Plano shop for decades are allowed to be in the house as long as they are not turned on.

Any unit that will be operated in my house must be broken down like the picture and everything washed/cleaned with water, cleaners, and solvents where needed, less electrical parts, that will get a good dusting/wipedown.
At the same time the unit gets overhauled as needed and metal polished.
They then look and run like new and are good for several more decades!

 

[fan-of-fans]

To me, it kind of depends on if the machine is clean or has an odor or not. If it was apparently taken care of and came out of a clean environment, I don't usually do much other than a quick wipe down. Any used bag gets replaced and filters washed, at the very least.

With my Eureka 1934A: threw away paper bag and old belt. Took entire machine apart down to motor. Washed all plastic parts in hot soapy water and scrubbed while wet to remove any scuffs. Turned bag inside out and put spring inside, zipped up and ran through washing machine. (Probably not the best idea but it worked just fine and no damage to the logo). Bag came out with no odor, hung outside to dry. Reassemble with new bag and belt, good to go.

Hoover Slimline: this had apparently been used without a bag it seemed, dust buildup inside with no bag. Scrubbed out entire unit inside and out to remove dust and minor rust. Disassembled exhaust/wiring chase to clean, scrubbed exhaust bellows to remove mildew. Cleaned floor tool and washed hose in bathtub. Polished paint with polishing compound and gave coat of wax. New bag and exhaust filter replaced with cut to fit electrostatic filter material.

Kenmore Progressive Direct Drive: this I admittedly brought into the house without cleaning up. It had a new bag in it and didn't appear to have anything nasty in it. I did give it a good wipe down, but I would like to go over it better to remove scuffs and the hose could use a good washing.

 

[briguy]

Any new acquisitions I get are left in the garage until I get to them. As soon as they come home I get rid of any bags and blow out the worst crud with air before storing them. Once I start the cleaning process typically every part gets taken off and washed in Odoban. I scrub them with various brushes, Magic erasers etc to get all the nooks and crannies. I don’t want anyone else’s dirt, bed bugs, fleas etc in my house. I’ve had some stinky machines that came out nice with Odoban. It kills even the worst smells and also disinfects. Of 2 machines that were the worst, one smelled like dog, the other smelled like mold from sitting in a basement. The Odoban took care of both nicely. My OCD doesn’t allow for dirty vacs in my collection. I also take a pick and remove all the hair, fuzz, etc from brush rolls, dusting brushes and bare floor tool brushes. I can’t stand the thought of having some other persons filth in a machine that’s cleaning my home.

 

[madman]

As a general rule, any new (to me) thing that I pick up, if I'm not absolutely certain of its cleanliness - and by that I mean germs and critters, not so much ordinary dust and dirt - it goes to my shop first and gets the compressed air treatment and removal of anything nasty.

Then it goes home and gets cleaned to whatever degree is required.

For your thing, what does it smell like? Rotten cheese? Cuz that's that old organic plastic degrading that smells like that.

 

[lesinutah]

Cleanup

If I get a vacuum example being a Kirby. I throw away disposable bag or empty shakeout bag. I wash it once maybe twice. My washer is a cylinder with no center agitator.
I wipe down handle quick one over the vacuum. I take out brush roll clean it make sure bearings are good. I kind of clean up inside the nozzle. I pop off back motor housing make sure the carbon brushes are good.
If I clean it is 20-30 minutes. Wipe down maybe steel wood or polish. Maybe fix bearings.
The weird thing is I don't turn vacuum in until done with 20-30 minute clean. The vacuum is usuable but not polished. It does have a clean bag and brush roll.
Les

 

[caligula]

Fine tuning the collection.

Most of my latest additions are Electrolux models on sled runners like models XII, XXX, and LX. And being a purist I make sure I have the complete set of standard and optional attachments.

For the LX, I make sure the ejector works, then polish all chrome. As these are strictly display items I don't run them in the house. For that I have an Electrolux LX in perfect condition, a Kirby Classis 111, and a Kirby G-4, the Kirby's are also in like new condition. The only non-Electrolux tank (on runners) that I acquired over the past year is the Modern Hygiene I bought on eBay. Never got around to polishing the chrome ends but the motor purrs like a kitten.

 

[vacuumdevil]

@rivstg1 did you hand wash it or put it in the dishwasher?
I have found the heat from a dishwasher usually does all the deodorization I need.

When I hand wash stuff I usually soak or rinse it in enzyme-based cleaner at the end.
Here's a link to the cleaner I use. It's even a colorado-based company.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7GA79P/?ref=exp_performancereviews_dp_vv_mw

 

[lesinutah]

Vacuum devil

Hey
I'm going to get that cleaner for litter box. It would be perfect for it.
Les

 

[rivstg1]

I did not machine wash anything on this Royal canister. I wiped down the bag compartment with vinegar, new bag and washed filter and outer bag, still had a old dog/animal type smell to it. So, I took the exhaust cap off ( since it was the exhaust that was stinking, not the intake part), and put it up to a running ozone machine for a long time, then reversed the side facing the ozone machine, then turned on the vacuum and let it run a while with the heavily concentrated ozone in the small room so that it would go through the motor. Still didn't eliminate the smell which shocked me! I use this machine to kill all kinds of odors historically ( tobacco, fish smell from cooking, stinking glove/shoes, cigar smell on jackets etc. It HAS to be coating on the motor area from execessive use while filthy???