I just got my Hoover 35 Convertible Special

[appliguy]

and know I have a question. When Steven Neal (Eurekaboy) and I put it together and tried it ran fine but the outer bag was so stiff (it is the original yellow bag) that it did not want to inflate (there is a dispossable bag inside the outer bag). The more we played with the bag the more it started to inflate. My question is if I washed the outer bag in the laundry tub in luke warm water with Tide might that help make the vinyl a little more supple????? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated and stand by for photos this week end. PAT COFFEY

 

[louvac]

Pat...

I would suggest taking a blow dryer and inserting it into the bag opening once you remove the bag assembly from the machine. Use the lowest heat setting and the gentler blowing speed, too. The heated air will soften nicely the vinyl. Or you can also take a soft hat hair dryer like the Sunbeam models and use the bonnet end without the bonnet attached. Insert the hose into the opening of the bag assembly in the same manner. Then, once the vinyl is supple, try cleaning it lightly using a gentle cleaner like Simple Green and a warm sponge. Applying something like Armour All (for cars) may help to impart that suppleness permanently once again. Whatever you do or try, just don't over do it. A leather cleaner may also work since it is rich in natural oils (supposedly).

Louis

 

[myhooverco]

Pat...

Congrats on the 35. I know how badly you wanted one of those. The vinyl bags do get stiff with age. I would only use some hot water and some gentle detergent on it. It will make it pliable and then you can shape it the way you want. So that it will inflate better for instance. Hang it up by the spring and let it dry in that position. It will never become soft again. I would not use anything with an oil in it as this will only make a mess. The dirt will stick to the bag with the oil residue making for a future cleaning. The oils in the products may even break down the material. It really is best to leave it as is. Once dry and on the machine, let the machine run for awhile and warm up the bag and "shape the bag" while the machine is running and the bag is inflated. Jeff Parker showed me this trick. Maybe he can explain it better than me. Think of it as molding the bag to the desired shape the way an artist would shape clay??? Let us know how it turns out.

--Tom