ToolBeltTerri

The underneath side of most vacuums is basically the same. There is a plate over the beater bar. It is important to clean the bar on occasion. Hair, thread and other things that your children are too lazy to pick up before they vacuum can get wrapped around the bar and cause it to be less effective.

I have a cat Spunky who can shed his entire body weight in hair in one week. My beater bar can get pretty covered in a short amount of time.

First thing you do is remove the screws from the plate covering the beater bar. (Don’t misplace the screws.) Once the plate is off, you can slide out the bar. On one side, there is a belt around the bar. Slide the belt off the bar. Take a pair of scissors or your box cutter and remove any debris from the bar. While the bar is off inspect the belt to make sure that it is not cracked or starting to tear. If it is starting to tear, then you need to find a replacement for it. Usually any store that sells your brand of vacuum will have a replacement belt.

Now look to where the belt attaches to the vacuum and make sure that it is also free of debris. If hair and debris get wound around that bar, it can overheat your motor and you run the risk of ruining the motor.

It is also a good idea to run something flexible through the hoses to make sure that they are clean. Don’t use anything that is sharp so you don’t poke a hole in your tubes.

Now just attach the belt onto the vacuum, and slide the beater bar back on it. Slide the beater bar into the vacuum. (There are usually slots that it will slide into, so you may have to turn it to slide it back in.) Place the plate back over the bar and replace the screws.

Happy Fixing!