Vacuum Not Sucking? Here Are Three Things to Try Before You Call the Pros

Vacuums are a valuable part of keeping a home clean and allergy-free. You can solve lots of air quality issues in your house simply by vacuuming the floors and furniture. Vacuuming can even help control bug and pest problems by getting rid of cobwebs, nesting, and other critter home materials. Pet owners rely on their vacuums to dispose of fur and dander, especially when allergic guests come to call. One of the best uses for a vacuum cleaner is when there is a mess to clean up that is mostly made of small, dry particles, like glitter, rice, or cereal. With all of these uses, it’s understandable that it’s very distressing when your vacuum cleaner loses suction.

We pride ourselves on being the best vacuum repair in Cooper City, but we understand that taking your vacuum in for repair can be more time-consuming and costly than you’d like when you have a house to clean. Luckily, taking your unit it doesn’t have to be your first line of action. There are plenty of things you can do yourself to try to fix suction issues.

The most obvious first places to check are the height settings—many vacuums have different height settings for wood or bare floors than you would use on a carpet—and whether the bag or canister is full. These are the first things most vacuum owners look for. But what happens when it’s a less immediately obvious problem? Most suction problems in vacuums, even beyond these obvious issues, can usually be fixed by the owner. With that, here are three solutions you can try on your own when your vacuum has lost its suction before you call us.

Cooper City Vacuum Repair

  • Check to See If the Hose Is Clogged

If the vacuum’s height setting is appropriate for the floor is vacuumed and the bag or canister is freshly empty, the next step is to check that the hose itself is unobstructed. If you try to use your detached hose (where you would place attachments for hard-to-reach places) and there’s still no suction, a clogged hose is probably your issue.

First, remove the bag or canister from the rest of the vacuum. You will see the whole through which dirt, dust, and small objects enter the bag from the hose. Look inside the hole, and you might see a clump of dust bunnies or a tumbleweed’s worth of hair hanging right there near the hole. That’s an easy fix—just grab some tweezers and start working pieces out of the clogging clump until it’s all clear. If this is a bit too hard to do (hey, we know all about bad backs!), you can detach the hose and work on it more comfortably.

Sometimes, a hose’s clog might be a little further down the hose, out of easy reach. In this case, you can remove the hose, step outside, and hold one end of the hose, and give the hose a good shake. You might also try swinging the hose around as hard as you can, using the force of the motion to force the clog out. You can also try a long object like a broom handle to push the obstruction out. Reattach the hose and you should have no more clog!

  • Make Sure the Vacuum is Air Tight

The very function of a vacuum is in its name. A vacuum requires air-tightness to supply the force of the suction. Therefore, if there’s a hole anywhere in the vacuum, the suction won’t be able to occur. The first step is to simply check that you completely reattached the hose when you last used the attachments. If the hose is snugly in its place, check that your bag or canister is securely attached. You can also check for holes in the hose or other holes that might make a leak, and securely seal them with duct tape.

  • Check to See That the Roller Isn’t Clogged

The last step is to flip your vacuum over and make sure there’s nothing stuck in the roller. Sometimes, hair, fur, or carpet fibers can accumulate and slow down or stop the roller, gumming up the whole system. Take a pair of scissors and start snipping away at the tangled mess, pulling out pieces as you go. Eventually, the obstruction will be totally clear, and your roller will spin free again!

As always, if these tips and tricks don’t work, we are happy to take a look at your unit and see what we can do for you. We are proud to call ourselves the best in-house vacuum repair in Cooper City, and we’ll show you why!