How to clean a Dyson vacuum

Improve your Dyson’s performance with a good clean.

With Dyson vacuum cleaners costing as much as £849, they are a real investment, so it makes sense to keep your Dyson in tip-top condition. This includes making sure you clean it.

Regular cleaning not only ensures that your vacuum works efficiently, but it also helps to extend its lifespan.

Dyson vacuum cleaner close up to illustrate how to clean a Dyson vacuum cleanerCredit: Shutterstock
Cleaning your Dyson vacuum cleaner regularly will improve its performance

SUMMARY

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Cleaning your Dyson vacuum cleaner is fairly straightforward and only needs a couple of things, including a microfibre cloth and water. A small paintbrush or toothbrush may also be useful for getting into little nooks and crannies.

Just remember to leave 24 hours for all parts of your Dyson to dry.

20 mins
Low
£1 – £4.00

Once unplugged, follow these simple steps to give your Dyson vacuum a thorough clean.

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1. Remove the bin

Don’t put it in the dishwasher

First up, you need to separate the bin from the cyclone part of your Dyson vacuum.

  • For cordless vacuums such as the Dyson V15 Detect ( £470 at Dyson ), pull the red lever back and lift upwards to release the cyclone. Continue until the bin base opens fully. Press the red bin release catch, located to the rear of the clear bin assembly, and remove the bin.
  • For upright vacuums such as the Dyson Ball Animal ( £279.99 at Dyson ), push the red button on the top of the carrying handle and pull the bin off.

If it’s full, empty it first and wipe the inside and outside with a damp cloth, then allow to dry for 24 hours. Dyson advise against putting the bin into a dishwasher or using any cleaning chemicals on it.

While the bin is removed, you can also give the cyclone part of the machine a little dust, using the brush on the combination tool if you have one. This is an attachment that has a wide nozzle and brush, allowing you to dust and hoover. Alternatively, use a duster or a paintbrush to get into the crevices.

Featured product

Combination tool

RRP: £25

Combination tool

Featured product

Dyson Ball Animal

RRP: £279.99

Dyson Ball Animal

Featured product

Dyson V15 Detect

RRP: £470

Dyson V15 Detect

2. Clean the attachments

A toothbrush can help with this task

The beauty of Dyson vacuums is that they come with a variety of additional attachments, from pet grooming brushes to mattress tools. As they’re at the coalface of all cleaning jobs, these will also need a good spruce-up.

Line-up of Dyson attachments to illustrate how to clean a Dyson vacuum cleanerCredit: Shutterstock
Dyson vacuums come with a variety of attachments, all of which need a regular clean

Use your fingers to release any hair or other debris stuck to the vacuum attachment. Check for any blockages inside the vacuum attachment and remove those with your fingers. For any stubborn dirt, use a toothbrush to remove.

Using a damp, lint-free cloth (add in new feature product link), wipe down the attachments, allowing them to dry for at least 24 hours until you use them again.

3. Wash the brush bar

Time to untangle

If your brush bar gets jammed or has some debris stuck in it, the performance of your Dyson vacuum cleaner will be affected. Not only does it mean it won’t be able to suck up dirt as easily, but it can also lead to your brush roll breaking. It may also have a negative impact on battery life if you’re using a cordless Dyson.

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Dyson fluffy brush bar to illustrate how to clean a Dyson vacuum cleanerCredit: Dyson
If your machine has a fluffy brush bar, it can be cleaned by rinsing with water

Cordless machines come with a fluffy brush bar, which can be rinsed under running water. Give it a good clean, rubbing away any lint or dirt, and finally squeezing out any excess water. Then stand it upright and leave it to dry for – you’ve guessed it – 24 hours.

If your Dyson has a brush bar, it’s very similar. Remove the roller from the floor head and untangle any hair – the Spares2go Vacuum Brush Roll Cleaning Tool can be really useful for doing this. Give the roller a quick rinse and then allow it to dry.

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Spares2go Vacuum Brush Roll Cleaning Tool

RRP: £8.10

Spares2go Vacuum Brush Roll Cleaning Tool

4. Clean the exterior

A quick wipe is all it takes

Using a damp cloth, give the exterior of the machine a good wipe over.

Even though Dyson doesn’t recommend using any additional cleaners on its machines, a squirt of antibacterial spray on the handle will help keep it germ free.

5. Check for blockages

Unclog to improve suction

Blockages will seriously affect the suction power, so while you’re cleaning your Dyson, it’s a good time to check for any.

Remove the cleaner head and first check to see if there is any debris blocking the opening to it. Do the same to the part of the vacuum cleaner that connects to the head. For cordless Dysons, this will be the stick. For upright Dyson vacuums, this will be the opening at the bottom of the ball.

It’s also good to check for any blockages in the hose and wand. Each machine will vary, so consult the Dyson support website or your instruction manual.

Some models will also tell you when an airway has been blocked. The LED display will show an alert and your machine will also pulse several times to alert you.

How to clean a Dyson vacuum filter

Extend the life of your Dyson

Will Jones, floor care expert at Currys, says cleaning the filter of your Dyson is important to help get the most out of your vacuum cleaner.

He says: “To make sure you are getting the most out of your tech, we would recommend Dyson vacuum owners regularly clean the filters within their device to ensure it is working to the best of its ability at all times. This can also extend the lifetime of the product.”

But how simple is it to clean Dyson vacuum filters? Luckily, it’s pretty simple, taking just four steps.

A close up view of Dyson cordless vacuum HEPA filter head on a wooden floorCredit: Shutterstock
The filter part on all Dyson vacuum cleaners is always purple to make it easy to identify

1. Remove the filter

To make it easy, the filter part of a Dyson vacuum is purple, and you just twist it and then pull it out to remove it.

  • Dyson’s cordless cleaners use cyclone filters, which can be found in the handle part of your vacuum.
  • Their upright vacuum cleaners come with two filters, one that goes in the bin handle (the pre-filter, which is a cone shape), and one that can be found in the ball part of the machine (the post-filter, which is circular).

2. Tap away any debris

Once removed, tap your filter on the side of the bin or sink to remove any extra dust.

3. Rinse under the tap

Then it’s a simple task of running warm tap water through it. You can also fill the filter with water, cover the open ends with your hands and give it a shake. Do this until the water runs clear.

4. Allow to air-dry

As with all vacuum filters, do not place the filters back into your machine until they are fully dry as this could damage the motor. Don’t dry in a tumble dryer, microwave or near a naked flame as this could damage the filter.

Dyson recommends you follow this cleaning procedure once a month to help keep suction power. Some models, such as their cordless V range, will tell you on the LCD display when your filter needs a clean.

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Jayne Cherrington-Cook

Written by Jayne Cherrington-Cook she/her

Updated:

Jayne is the Senior Editor at Saga Exceptional. She cut her online journalism teeth 24 years ago in an era when a dialling tone and slow page load were standard. During this time, she’s written about a variety of subjects and is just at home road-testing TVs as she is interviewing TV stars. A diverse career has seen Jayne launch websites for popular magazines, collaborate with top brands, write regularly for major publications including Woman&Home, Yahoo! and The Daily Telegraph, create a podcast, and also write a tech column for Women’s Own.

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