Whats the dirtiest vacuums you've seen?

[kirbyman65]

I was wondering what were some of the dirtiest vacuums you've seen. Some of mine were a sanitronic 50 that was completely thrashed, it was moldy had water in it and a slug. Next would be a shark navigator that was so packed with dirt it smeared dust on a rug and overheated.

 

[dysonman1]

I have repaired vacuum cleaners for 42 years now. Want to talk about the 'worst' vacs, the dirtiest, I got ya beat. Everything you can imagine and some you can't have come in lodged inside sweepers. From dog and cat toys to human "toys", to napkins (of all descriptions, and I mean ALL), underwear, yards of strings and mostly nasty disgusting hair (from humans as well as "other").

People never empty their bagless sweepers before bringing them in for repair. I've often asked them "What is that string attached to?" while checking the machine in for service. It's MY hands that have to drag that crap out of the bin. Bagged cleaners are almost as bad when the bag is installed improperly or comes adrift or simply wasn't put in at all.

And then the worst is the poop. So much poop. And pee. They swear it's from the pets but in some cases it's not. And get this: They don't want it to smell like poop or pee when they get it back. Good luck getting baby poop smell out of a Bissell bagless. They pay me more than the replacement new machine costs just so I can clean the one they have. I'll never understand that one. Thank Gog I'm retiring in 4 months and I'll never have to fix another vacuum again.

 

[huskyvacs]

I have tons of vacuums that I need to restore that I get from every imaginable place. I do not spend more than $50-60 so often whatever I an get ahold of for that price is completely cooked from years of neglect.

Two of the worst ones I can think of off the top of my head are this Dirt Devil I got from the curb that sat outdoors for months and the dirt inside it festered. It stinks like rotten corn chips and mud, it has a stench within a foot in either direction of it. Another is a Kirby 500 series I have that possibly may or may not be contaminated with asbestos. I need to get it checked. It's loaded with a very thick, heavy, and cold fiberous powder that I was told could be drywall asbestos. Not 100% sure but the entire bag is full of it and it got covered with it when it arrived in the mail with what leaked out.

Oh! And I have had an Oreck Halo arrive with living cockroaches in it, that had to be quarantined in my garage and still is to this day after being roach bombed. I years later got a Bissel AirRam with cockroach "pieces" in it that I also had to quarantine as well. Never buy vacuums from Brooklyn or anywhere in midtown NYC!

 

[human]

That's kind of a tie between a Kirby G3 I got at Goodwill for $10 and a Filter Queen Majestic I got at a different Goodwill for $5. I really regret not walking away from both of them.

The Kirby's bag was stained and discolored, and there was a huge amount of black mold inside the motor housing. When I found that, I immediately took it outside, put on an N95 mask, and blew the hell out of it with my air compressor, then doused it with Lysol (probably should have lit a match at this point) and let it sit open for the rest of the day. The brush roll's bearings were also completely frozen, and the tech drive would only go in reverse. I had to go caveman on it with a hammer to knock the sliding mechanism loose where it would work properly.

The Filter Queen had enough dog fur in it to knit another pooch, and it reeked of that and dog piss so badly that I never could completely get the stench out, despite giving it the deepest deep cleaning I've ever given a vacuum. I even filled the barrel part with a solution of water and Pine-Sol and scrubbed it with a toilet brush. By the time I got it all back together, after spending $50 or $60 on parts, its performance was mediocre at best, so I gave up and relegated it to the barn for about five years before donating it to the church's rummage sale.

 

[panasonicvac]

Like Tom, I too worked at a vacuum shop and it's not uncommon to see alot of dirty vacuums come in for service like these for examples

 

[wstonehockertv]

Bagless machines are obvious examples, especially if it's not cyclonic. This also includes bagged machines that were poorly maintained.

 

[panasonicvac]

I just serviced a couple of NSS M1 PIG outer bags today. I highly doubt the blue bag has ever been cleaned before but the grey one, definitely either a paper bag ripped or someone didn't put the bag on correctly cause there's dust and dirt all over inside. I had to use a big commercial washer to throughly clean these outer bags out.

 

[tolivac]

I used to have some NSS bags like these-but the vacuums and those bags lost in the April 2024 total house fire I had.The NSS vacuums were the first vacuums I bought with settlement money along with Kirby Avalir 2 vacuums.Never heard or seen these bags washed in a washer.If the bag can be used with paper "liner" bags I go that route.Even bwetter filtration and longer outer bag life.The zipper "universal" bags only ones available according to the NSS dealer I use.You can use the universal bag without the inner paper bag if you want to.Too messy for me.Its like the dump bag for a central vacuum.The NSS bags can hold up to 6 gallons.Would LOVE to see a "Filtrete" bag for the NSS.How did you wash these bags in the washer without damage to the bag or washer?

 

[panasonicvac]

I washed both bags separately and put lots of dirty rags/towels in with it. I thought about rewashing them again cause they didn't smelled as fresh as the outer bag from the NSS PACER 30 I also had serviced, but then decided against it. Nonetheless, this turned out WAY better than washing them by hand I originally tried before and for now on this is how I'd wash these outer bags.