Today, we will teach you how to remove hair from vacuum rollers to make sure your vacuum works properly all the time.
Vacuum cleaners are an essential household item to keep the floor clean. Whether you’re cleaning a rug, carpet, or hardwood floor, you will rely on a working vacuum cleaner to keep your floors free from dust and debris.
However, when a vacuum cleaner doesn’t work, this is often a result of a hair-clogged vacuum roller.
As anyone with long hair or a pet will know, trying to untangle hair from the vacuum roller is easier said than done. Still, it’s an essential task that needs to be completed, otherwise your vacuum won’t be able to suck up dust and debris.
So, if you’re struggling to remove hair from the vacuum roller, you’ve come to the right place.
Be it Dyson, Bissell, Shark or other vacuums, Here’s our guide on how to remove hair from vacuum rollers!
Step-By-Step Guide To Remove Hair From Vacuum Rollers
You will need:
- Scissors
- Seam ripper or needle
- Damp cloth
- Dry cloth
Unplug The Vacuum
This goes without saying, but make sure that your vacuum is unplugged at the socket. You will eventually be using a damp cloth on the roller, so you don’t want to cause any damage to yourself or the vacuum cleaner.
Remove The Roller
If possible, remove the whole roller from the vacuum. Depending on the model of vacuum cleaner, this might be easier said than done. Still, most modern vacuum cleaners offer a simple roller removal process.
In most cases, the roller can be removed by loosening the screws either side of the roller brush. If your vacuum doesn’t have this option, then you can still remove hair from the roller without removing the whole roller.
Removing the roller just makes the removal process far easier.
Also, make sure to keep the screws in one place until the process is over. The last thing you want is to lose the screws and not be able to put the roller back in place!
Prepare A Surface
Once the roller is removed, you’ll want to prepare a surface to clean it on. The cleaning process is pretty dirty, so to prevent causing more of a mess, try to clean the roller on a table covered with newspaper or tissue paper. This will help the clean-up process at the end.
Cut And Pull
Now’s the time to see how much hair you can remove with your hands and scissors alone. Firstly, try to pull as much hair as possible with your hands. This isn’t the most efficient method of removing hair from a roller, but it’s certainly the easiest.
If the hair is too tightly wrapped around the roller, then it’s time to bring out the scissors. Simply open the scissors and slide them under some of the hair, and make a cut.
Then, you can pull this hair out with your fingers. This method is also useful for removing string, excessive dust, and debris from the vacuum roller.
Continue to do this until there is no hair left around the roller.
The best type of scissors to use for this method are small ones designed for clipping hair, but if you only have regular kitchen scissors, then you might need something smaller to cut off tightly-wrapped pieces of hair.
We recommend using a seam ripper, which can be found in regular sewing kits, or a needle. These are small, sharp objects that can tear away hair that is tightly wrapped around a roller.
Clean The Roller
Once the hair and dust has been removed from the brush area, you can now clean the whole of the roller.
The best way to do this is by wiping it down with a damp cloth to ensure nothing is sticking to the roller or between the bristles. You can even use an old toothbrush to get in between the bristles of the brush.
If it doesn’t look like anything is stuck to the roller itself, you can just use a dry cloth, tissue, or even a dry brush to get rid of any lingering dust or hair.
Make sure that the roller is completely dry before you put it back in the vacuum cleaner. It might be worth allowing it to dry outside if you can’t dry between the bristles.
Clean The Bearings
Something people often forget is that every part of the roller needs to be cleaned, including the bearings. The bearings can be found on either end of the roller, and they can be removed by either pulling on them or twisting them off.
Make sure to remove any dust or debris with a dry brush from the bearings. The bearings are responsible for moving the roller, so if they’re clogged up, then the roller won’t pick up any hair at all. Once cleaned, pop them back into place.
Clean The Vacuum
Now that the roller is clean, you’ve got to make sure that the insides of the vacuum are clean, too. To do this, simply use a dry cloth and wipe away any dust or debris from the area where the roller is meant to go.
It might be easier to use a damp cloth to get rid of all the dust – just make sure that the vacuum is still unplugged at the socket.
Put The Roller Back
Last but not least, it’s time to put the roller back into the vacuum! Depending on the model, this should be as easy as removing the roller, but it might be worth looking at the manufacturer’s instructions just to make sure you’ve done it correctly.
Then, turn the vacuum cleaner on and give it a spin to check that the roller is in place.
How Often To Clean Vacuum Roller
There isn’t a general timeframe to clean your vacuum roller, as it mostly depends on how much hair it’s got wrapped around it. You should aim to complete this process at least once every 1-2 months depending on if you have long hair or pets.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! If you clean your vacuum roller every month or so, you will dramatically extend your vacuum’s service life. Happy cleaning!