I have an old bissell vacuum with the bags. It runs great and I still have plenty of extra bags to use yet. But…every time I use it – it reeks! If I use it for more than one minute – the vacuum emits a sour smell reminicent of cat urine.
I’ve tried changing the bag, I’ve tried using baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg, carpet deodorizers… but nothing gets the smell out of my vacuum. Is there a way to rid the thing of the smell without having to chuck it in the garbage dumpster and getting a new one? Any suggestions or helpful household hints?
Nope, not a burning smell…I know what that smells like (I have owned other vacuums). I have cleaned the roller brushes and suchlike but still smell the sour odor.
If you have vacuumed up cat urine you will have to toss the vacum….nothing will really ever get that smell out. If your sure no cat urine was ever vacuumed, then damp-ness may be the problem. Try removing the bag and flipping the bag holder inside-out and cleaning everything with a weak bleach solution. allow to air dry in the sun. If that doesn’t work….trash it.
I read this in a magazine, try putting a flavored tea bag such as Camille or orange zest in it. I have bought the sachet bags and put in mine to get rid of dog odor also wash the bag in white vinegar
The smell is coming from the working parts and tubing which could only be cleaned properly by disassembly. However one thing you can do is get some carpet deodorizer, put a small pile (about one cup) in one spot on the floor and then vacuum it up first thing with each new bag. Everytime you turn on the vacuum it should smell better until the bag is full then do it again for the new bag. If you have to, just add some more carpet deodorizer in between new bags.
sell the vacuum and use the money to buy a new one
To purge those nasty odors, first place a handful of moth balls in the bag, and leave the vacuum unused for a few days. Then use it just a few minutes, but NOT on your carpet, a bare floor or even out on your patio for a few minutes. Change the bag. In the new bag, add a large handful of potpourri crystals or beads, Use as usual. Every time you change the bag, add in a fresh handful of beads or crystals and this should keep it odor free. And be sure to check to see if your vacuum has a filter. Some of the older ones do, and that will need to be changed BEFORE the moth balls are added to the bag. Good luck.
Ah, the old vacuum smell. I’ve always thought it was more like burnt rubber or hair myself. The heat of the moving parts tends to cause this.
Flip it over, and get all the hair and anything else you can find off of the rollers on the vacuum, and take apart anything you can take apart to do the same on that.
Carefully scrub clean any moving parts, let it dry, and lubricate all the parts with WD-40.
Potpourri and such might also help, but so long as there’s gunk in the machine parts it will still reek.
Try putting a dryer sheet in the vacuum bag.