Here is a really good idea...?

[oliveoiltinfoil]

I, like a lot of other people who know about vacuums, massively prefer bagged vacuums over bagless ones, because of the greater performance, hygiene and efficiency.

However, one bug bear that I have always had is the smell bagged vacuums emit. It has been most noticeable on my miele s7 when I had it, and my sebo felix. Now I have installed the sebo felix charcoal filter, which has helped quite a bit, but the smell is still there, and most noticeable on start up when the vacuum is cold ? Sounds odd, but the smell does go away after 3 or 4 minutes. Probably because it's getting rid of the stale air inside and around the bag. The miele was even worse. This made me think, not why do these cleaners smell for a while when in use, as we have already discussed, its probably general dust and debris decomposing as such in the bag over time, but how this can be avoided.

Other than fitting charcoal odour reducing filters, another obvious way of getting rid of the bags is to bin then and replace with new one. Trouble is, they start to smell when they are not even a third full (or at least my ones) meaning your throwing away bags which have a lot of use left in them.

One thing that is apparent is that these bags are quite large. 4 litre I believe (correct me if im wrong ) for the felix. So why don't vacuum manufacturers just make bags half the size? I mean, what is stopping them from doing that? That would mean more regular replacing of the bags, getting fuller quicker, not wasting them, the bags wouldn't have time to start smelling, if this makes sense.

Just a thought, but something that could be easily done I reckon.

 

[jmurray01]

Although I have heard of it, I have never had a "stale bag" smell, probably because I use vacuum freshener tabs, but come to think of it even when I don't I still don't smell anything. Maybe it is just me.

 

[tomvacuum10]

My Henry's

Bag (which was paper at the time) was being used to clean my church after harvest, but someone must of sucked up or water from a damp carpet or something like that. I took it out of the cupboard about 5 days later and I turned it on, a terrible smell filled the room. I opened it up and there was mould all over the bag...

 

[DesertTortoise]

The attraction of a larger bag is not having to change it as often (meaning it goes more months before the vacuum stops sucking and the absent minded owner says "oh, gee, what's wrong with my blankety-blank vacuum", followed by a stressed-out call to the vacuum repair shop who's patient proprietor calmly asks the ding bat owner when was the last time they changed the bag). You know how that story goes. Same reason people want cars with "extended oil change intervals".

Sarcasm off.

Aside from changing the bag, the only other course of action would be changing the filter(s) or freshener tablets. Maybe occasionally clean out the bag and motor compartments? Depends on how hard the vacuum is to take apart.

 

[gsheen]

While I can understand why people like bags I still prefer a cyclone. i like to get the dirt out of the house and don't like the thought of it sitting their decomposing.My s7 was also the worst with the felix following close by.


 


The one vacuum that never seems to smell though is my Royal. 


 


I think making the bag smaller would turn customers away. 


As it is most  customers don't want a bag, They hate them, They hate paying for them, trying to find the right ones, having to go out and buy them, changing them.


They want the bagless vacuums 

 

[dysonman1]

I love my Dysons. They never have an odor, because you never store dirt in them or on them. Same with a Rainbow or Sirena. You can easily wash the dirt collector on a cyclonic vacuum, but cannot wash the bag compartment on a bagged vacuum. My Rainbow is the most preferable machine in that respect, since it can be put away as clean as you put away your dishes.

I love the 75th Anniversary model Rainbow.

 

[hi-loswitch98]

I wish we had water filtration vacs in the uk, we probably do though.

 

[turbo500]

we probably do though.

We did.

My Dad had a Neptune Aquafilter that was sold door to door for a while. These were made by Rainbow, IIRC.

 

[baglessball]

We also get..

The Thomas Genius Aquafillter, amongst a few others.

On another note, fleece vacuum bags do stink! To kill the odour, vacuum a little bit of bicarbonate of soda every few uses. It works really well.

What makes the smell worse is when the vacuum is left unused for long periods. I think using them often and having air circulating through them helps.

If Dysons used and emptied regularly they don't stink.

 

[vintagerepairer]

If you think the smell of a dustbag is disagreeable, I'd hate you to smell the inside of some of the water filter vacs. It's ok so long as rotten potato odour is what excites you.

 

[stricklybojack]

i used a Felix...

.
it was a friends who kept a very tidy small house with one old cat.The Félix had an odor. The bag needed to be changed but even then it emitted a smell. My experience has been every outer bag I've ever washed showed copious amounts of dirt in the wash water. We're talking muddy coffee like nasty that remained after a through vacuuming with another vac previous to the bag having been washed. Also most every older vac has old hidden filth that needs to be thoroughly exercised for a new vac like smell. A Complete tear down is usually necessary especially for a vacuum used in a house with pets.

 

[sebo_fan]

I agree with Shaun - a heaped tablespoon of baking powder or Bicarbonate will neutralize the bag and keep neutralising the bag when the dust keeps filling up. Not only the bag, but also give your vac cleaner hose a right good wash out. I use baby wipes but in the past I have laid the entire Felix hose in the bath with washing powder, water and a bit of clear vinegar.

Funnily enough, my SEBO Felix was emitting a strange smell earlier and was running far too hot when the suction slide was set at the lowest. For an 8 year old vac, I was beginning to panic that it was going wrong since I've had problems with my K3, itself nearly just as old.

I wondered what it was, having washed the wrap around exhaust filter only a few weeks ago. I took out the bag and realised that the bottom grid filter hadn't been pushed in properly, thus in use forces the grid filter upwards and the thrust of hot air isn't as contained as it usually is in the lower levels of suction. I also noticed a faint smell that I hadn't noticed before - but now it has subsided as the filter has properly click locked.

 

[gsheen]

I agree with you Benny , Those cheap copy water vacs can stink out our entire workshop. That said if you maintain it properly a rainbow should never smell at all.


The same with a dyson, The problem is that the Miele S7 smelt bad no matte what I did to it. with in a few days it stank. The same with my Felix ( which I prefer to the s7 ) I will say the felix never smelt as bad as the miele did, even with out the charcoal filter it. 

 

[hi-loswitch98]

Air Fresheners or Baking Soda work nicely when you have a smelly vacuum.

 

[sebo_fan]

Hi-LO have you read some of the responses beforehand? Baking powder has already been mentioned. Air fresheners on the other hand don't do very much IMHO apart from give a very temporary short lived scent. Unless of course it has baking soda in it, which would neutralise the odours in the bag or through the vacuum if it is sucked through the hose on the way to the bag.