How to care for your dyson vacuum cleaner
When it comes to caring for your Dyson vacuum cleaner, some overarching tips apply regardless of whether you have a cordless, hard floor vacuum cleaner, or upright & barrel. Whilst every Dyson model comes with its own instructions (which you should certainly follow), the basic methods of care apply to all models.
In this article, we’ll guide you on Dyson vacuum care, including vacuum filter care, cleaning your Dyson, and ensuring good battery life for cordless models.
So first things first, let’s look at why caring well for your Dyson is so important.
Why Dyson vacuum cleaner care matters
Vacuum cleaners are a fixture amongst household appliances, so it’s easy to take them for granted and neglect their care. But if your vacuum cleaner fails to work for some reason, or you need to buy a new one, you’ll certainly regret that you didn’t put in that little bit of effort to maintain it. After all, replacing a vacuum cleaner isn’t a low-cost exercise (decent vacuum cleaners don't come cheap). And having no vacuum cleaner at all is not ideal either—especially when the dirt and dust piles up.
So, it really helps if you care for your vacuum cleaner lovingly. The gentler you are when you use your Dyson, and the more often you take the time to maintain it, the better it will perform and the longer it will last.
Another reason to care for your vacuum cleaner is that you may need to take advantage of the Dyson Guarantee.
The Dyson Guarantee
Dyson offers a 2 year Dyson Guarantee on its new consumer vacuum cleaners, and a 1 year Guarantee for refurbished vacuums.
If you care well for your vacuum cleaner within this time period, and use it as it’s meant to be used, you can send your vacuum cleaner back to Dyson to be repaired or potentially replaced if something goes wrong. (You’ll need proof of purchase.)
If you use the vacuum for a purpose other than ‘the use it is designed for’, or if your Dyson is damaged due to negligent care or misuse, your warranty may be void. (Note, there may be other reasons why your Dyson Guarantee may be voided, so consult with your model’s User Manual for more information.)
So now we know why you should care for your Dyson, here are some tips for Dyson vacuum care.
Be careful with that cord
If you have a corded Dyson vacuum cleaner, it’s important to take care when it comes to the cord. If your cord stretches to its maximum length (6.6 metres for most models), take the time to switch off the machine and gently unplug it from the wall before you move it to a wall socket closer to the area you need to vacuum.
Don’t yank the cord, or pull your vacuum beyond its cord’s capacity. Both these actions can damage the vacuum’s cord mechanism, and/or damage your power socket.
Take care for your battery
A Dyson vacuum battery can last up to four years if used correctly. Here are some tips for prolonging its life.
Fully charge your vacuum cleaner the first time you use it
According to Dyson, fully charging your stick vacuum cleaner helps to improve its algorithm’s accuracy.
Always leave the vacuum cleaner on charge when you’re not using it
It’s recommended you replace your vacuum to its charging station each time you finish vacuuming, and allow it to fully charge before next use.
The battery won’t suffer if it’s always on charge—it’s designed to be permanently left that way.
It’s also worth noting that once your battery fully charges, it stops drawing electricity, so you aren’t wasting power by leaving it at the charging station.
Be gentle when placing your vacuum cleaning on the charging station
It’s all too easy to be overly vigorous with your vacuum cleaner, but a Dyson won’t forgive you. So be gentle when slotting your stick vacuum into its charging station. Also, if you don’t take care to ensure it’s slotted into the charger correctly, your vacuum cleaner may not charge at all, leaving you disappointed when you go to use it. So ensure you slide it in gently and check the charging lights appear.
Buy genuine Dyson replacement batteries
Some people like to have a second battery handy, in case the first one runs out during use. This is unlikely to be an issue if you live in a small house, but if you have a really large area to clean in and need to clean for more than an hour, it’s possible you could run out of battery charge.
It’s important to avoid any batteries that are non-Dyson branded, even if they claim to work with a Dyson. There’s no way to be sure they are safe for use, and if something goes wrong when using a replica, your warranty may be void.
For genuine Dyson batteries, see our range of Dyson batteries at VacuumSPOT.
Be wary of what you suction up
Like any vacuum cleaner, there are certain materials that do your Dyson vacuum cleaner no favours if you suck them up. Materials to be avoided are:
- Larger pieces of paper, tissue, string etc. These items are likely to clog your vacuum cleaner, so it’s best to sweep up before vacuuming.
- Woodchips and gravel. They are likely to get stuck in the vacuum cleaner's head.
- Sharp objects like glass, pins, staples etc. They may scratch and damage your vacuum cleaner, or become lodged in the filters.
- Excessive amounts of dust, like plaster or cement dust, or cooking flour. Whilst Dyson vacuum cleaners are designed to collect dust, large amounts of it will just clog your vacuum and filters. It can also become sticky if it comes into contact with any moisture, and if this occurs inside your vacuum cleaner, it can be a real problem, as cement or plastic is not easily removed. It’s always best to sweep the area first.
- Damp or wet materials. Unless your vacuum cleaner is designed to suck up wet matter, it’s best avoided. When moisture enters the vacuum cleaner, it can make any dust within the vacuum and on the rubber seals sticky, and it will be more difficult to clean.
Be gentle
Whilst your Dyson vacuum cleaner is made of durable materials, many of the parts are still plastic and may break if mishandled.
It’s wise to be gentle with any vacuum cleaner. Try your best not to push the vacuum cleaner head into hard furniture or drop your vacuum cleaner when you’ve finished using it. Also, be gentle when separating vacuum cleaner parts during the emptying or cleaning process.
Vacuuming can be a frustrating task, and it’s easy to let frustrations get the better of you, but it’s never a good idea to take it out on your Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Remove debris
If you do happen to suck up material that becomes lodged in the vacuum cleaner, it’s a good idea to remove the item as soon as possible, rather than let it stay put while you continue to vacuum. The debris might hinder the vacuum cleaner’s performance, if it is able to work at all.
When removing material from the vacuum cleaner, be gentle with the vacuum cleaner’s components, and ensure you know how to empty it (according to instructions) before you proceed. You don’t want to break your vacuum cleaner by pushing a part in the wrong direction.
Clean the filters
Dyson vacuum cleaners contain extremely effective filters—so effective that they can quickly clog up. This is especially likely if you live in a particularly dusty location, or if you have left it a long time between vacuums.
If you have a clogged filter, you simply need to wash it out. To do this, it’s always a good idea to read the instructions that came with your Dyson, however in general, here are the steps for washing a Dyson filter.
- Ensure your vacuum cleaner is switched off. If it’s corded, ensure it’s unplugged from the wall.
- Remove the filter, according to your vacuum cleaner’s instructions. (For a stick vac model, this is usually a simple twist of the top of your machine.)
- After the filter’s removed from your machine, rinse it out using cold water.
You can use your fingers to gently dislodge particles from the filter, but don’t press hard as this may cause damage.
There’s no need to use soaps or detergents to clean the filter. - Allow the filter to air dry for 24 hours. Don’t use a heater or hairdryer to speed up the process, as you may damage the filter or the filter case.
When air drying, it’s a good idea to flip the filter’s drying position midway through the drying period, in case water is caught in areas. - When the filter is completely dry, return it to the machine.
Note, many people buy a second filter to use while the original filter is being cleaned/dried. This is a great way to ensure your vacuuming doesn’t get held up because of a clogged filter. VacuumSPOT supplies a range of Dyson filter parts.
For more information on vacuum filter care, read our article How to clean a Dyson filter.
Clean the vacuum heads and dust bins
Whilst your Dyson will probably continue to work if you skip this step, it may not work to its best capacity. So occasionally cleaning the internal parts of your Dyson is well worth it.
Cleaning the vacuum heads
Cleaning the vacuum heads is relatively easy. It involves unlocking the brush head (this is usually done using a coin), pulling out the brush head, and using a stiff brush to brush it off. If there are stubborn hairs wrapped around the brush, you may need to gently snip them with scissors. Wipe the whole surface with a damp cloth before reassembling.
Cleaning the dust bin
After emptying the dustbin, separate it from the machine, and give the bin a rinse under cold water. Wipe over any rubber seals within the dust bin, and leave it to air dry.
Ensure it’s really a Dyson
Whilst this article is about caring for your Dyson vacuum cleaner, it’s important to note that with counterfeit Dysons on the market, all bets are off if you have a fake model. There’s no way to know the counterfeit will perform over time, it could be unsafe, and there’s no Dyson guarantee if anything goes wrong.
If planning to purchase a Dyson vacuum cleaner, purchase directly from Dyson or from an authorised retail partner. VacuumSPOT is authorised to sell genuine Dyson parts for your vacuum cleaner.
In summary…
If you treat your Dyson vacuum cleaner well by being gentle with it and cleaning it, and if you use it for its designed purpose, you can prolong the life of this high-quality vacuum cleaner.
For any Dyson vacuum cleaner parts, make VacuumSPOT your first port of call.
