So I got a new to me vacuum today.

[dressur]

I went to the thrift store and came upon a weird vacuum cleaner. It looks like a quality made unit. It is a patriot and I paid 35.00 bucks for it. has a round cloth bag and made out of a weird textured plastic. metal cover. it is white. It does work. stinks but works and has a lot of power. I am going to throw the cloth bag into the washing machine hoping to rid that stink. Is this a decent vacuum?? never seen one like this before. How do you get stink out of a vacuum cleaner?? it smells like bad breath with wet dog,, Oh it stinks.

 

[ncovert]

I'd like to see...

...a picture of this rare (I assume) machine!


 


As for getting rid of the stale dog smell, saturate a cotton ball with vanilla extract and put it in the bag.


 


You can also tape a dryer sheet over any exhaust ports.

 

[dressur]

I don't have my camera at the ready but I will take one of mine. I will try your trick, with the stink. it is awful. makes me gag.

 

[dressur]

Here is a picture of what mine is,, I got this picture from patriot filter store's website.

 

[electromatik]

Stale dog smell is one of the worst odors in a vacuum cleaner. Once the dog hair, dander, and oils have been sucked into a vacuum it is filled with these particles because it coats the hose, wands, nozzles, motor, bag, and filters. The one true fix is to wash out all of this. You probably can't wash the electric hose and wands so you might want to buy new ones. If it has a cloth bag you should wash it for sure. You should wipe out the bag compartment also and let it thoroughly dry for several days with the door open before you install a bag. I would also change all the filters and wipe out the areas where they are and again let dry. If at all possible I would try to have the motor fan area cleaned out with a high powered blower and wipe the fans off. I would also take the cover off the power nozzle and clean out anything that might be in there and also clean or change the brushroll. Some may not go to the extremes I would but stale dog stink is something I can't live with. Hope you get rid of it soon.

 

[dressur]

Yeah I am going to do what I can. looks like it is held by three screws, I may take it all apart. and put the halves in the bathtub let them soak and then dry out. motor I will disassemble and see if I can clean out that smell. I love the vacuum it looks COOL!!!!!!!!! but that smell can gag a maggot. I am not an Adrian Monk, but I have my limits and that is beyond all things human.

 

[dressur]

I cleaned out the vacuum washed the cloth bag and I also cleaned the motor out with contact cleaner. I reassembled the vacuum . the smell is much less present but still there. I was reading that organic matter like dog smells and all that takes 90 days to disappear. Let's hope.

 

[jade_angel]

If that doesn't de-funktify it, you might try tying a knot in a rag, putting that on a string or small chain, and using it, wet with Windex or something else ammonia-containing, to snake out the hose and wands. And maybe try again with vinegar - what the alkaline ammonia doesn't neutralize, the acidic vinegar just might. Also, if you can find one, you might be able to add a charcoal filter, either on the motor intake or on the exhaust. IIRC Patriots use the same filters as TriStar/Compact.

It's amazing how easy it is for a cleaner to get stuck with a case of "stink bomb disease", though - I once vacuumed up some burnt popcorn with a Kenmore Progressive, and it reeked of it for the next year despite changes of bags, filters and a thorough washing of the bag compartment. Turned out to be something stuck in the fans that finally came unstuck when I vacuumed out the motor. (With a Dirt Devil that was on its last legs - now *it* stunk too, but I didn't care.)