How I service my machines

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

panasonicvac

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 25, 2015
Messages
2,399
Location
Northern Utah
Someone once asked me of how I professionally clean my own vacuums up, thought I'd share on here of how I serviced this Sebo that I picked up earlier this year.

This is what it looked like before I tore everything apart.

panasonicvac-2022072723534807054_1.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072723534807054_2.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072723534807054_3.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072723534807054_4.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072723534807054_5.jpg
 
Sometimes I would sanitize parts in the dishwasher if I must. In this case, it felt necessary to do so cause it looked as if the vacuum had been used commercially despite the fact that these are professional commercial grade machines but for residential usage.

panasonicvac-2022072800023206763_1.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800023206763_2.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800023206763_3.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800023206763_4.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800023206763_5.jpg
 
If anything else doesn't completely come off like I wanted to, I would bring out the pressure washer and clean everything else off. Like the brushroll for example, despite the fact that they can be rinsed off by hand and put into the dishwasher, I overall find that the pressure washer does the best job of getting it almost 100% perfect.

panasonicvac-2022072800102508159_1.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800102508159_2.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800102508159_3.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800102508159_4.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800102508159_5.jpg
 
And finally I replaced the parts that it necessary needed. Like the bag, the filters, the squeegee, and the brushroll as well since the new one has much longer bristles than the other one.

panasonicvac-2022072800150800921_1.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800150800921_2.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800150800921_3.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800150800921_4.jpg

panasonicvac-2022072800150800921_5.jpg
 
Here's a close up video of this vacuum all cleaned up and serviced. Now of course I did some things off camera like blowing the parts out with an air compressor. But that is how I would service my machines up. Enjoy!

 
when I see sellers selling refurbished/serviced machines on Ebay...this is what I HOPE they do to them before they sell them. This was perfect..Every nook and cranny cleaned..
 
You will have more success soaking the parts with an enzymatic biological washing solution (people say the Amazon brand stuff works very well) and leaving the parts soak for a time, that will kill off all the bacteria and stuff on vacuums that make them have "that smell". For pet vacuums that is a must as it wil eat up the keratin and skin oils that are in pet fur sheddings. I would never use my main kitchen dishwasher that washes the dishes you eat from to ever clean old vacuums and other junk. Set up an old thrift store dishwasher in a utility room to do that with. No telling what is on the parts that can come off and clog up your washer or get into places inside the machine that will then get on your dishes.

I wouldn't use a pressure washer to clean parts either because it is too easy to chew up the parts and score the plastic. It is too abrasive. Same with smashing the tool on the cement and scratching it up. For getting hair from the brushrolls, use the combs that come with Roomba vacs. They work great for cutting threads and getting the hairs out. Mixing up a solution that softens old paintbrushes will help restore the threads of the brushroll and release dirt and grit. If the bristles end up being too frayed you would need to replace it obviously.
 
huskyvacs

Yeah as I said before earlier, Simple Green isn't the stuff that I prefer using to soak and/or to scrub parts with. But even with my best stuff, they can't always get rid of everything on some parts which is why I would put them in my dishwasher. Unfortunately my house doesn't have any space to hook up another dishwasher unless if the entire basement got renovated. Otherwise I would've wanted to use that instead of the kitchen one. I don't use it on all of the vacuums that I would service, just on the ones like the Sebo where they are the most filthy which is not very often. However not to worry because I always self clean the dishwasher every time that I would use it to wash the parts afterwards, and of course I would always wash the parts by hand before putting them in the dishwasher like how you would do the dishes so I wouldn't clog it up. Never had any problems.

I've been pressure washing some parts for years now and I also never had any problems. Like the dishwasher, I don't use it a whole lot but just whenever stuff would be really hard to come off and the pressure washer mostly does the job. For the brushroll, I did removed some hair and strings off with a knife. However, I would NEVER soak the brushroll to remove everything else off. That will rust the metal shaft which is a mistake I'll never do again because I did it once before with another Sebo. Spraying off the bristles with the pressure washer is what's guaranteed to have it cleaned completely. I did wanted to keep the original brushroll but it didn't stick that far into my carpet after the refurbishment so I had no choice but to order a new brushroll for it.
 
Yeah especially when you have someone else do the work for you. I have a vintage Kirby 512 that I'm planning to send over to Kirby for a full factory rebuilt.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top