Fight the Smears

Archive for July, 2010

All cleaning heads of vacuum cleaners run on rubber drive belts whether you have canister, handheld, upright, or stick vacuums. These belts are durable however depending on how much you use your vacuum, regular maintenance requires that you replace these belts even before they snap. You would not want to stop in the middle of cleaning just because your vacuum cleaner broke down.

Check out your user or owner’s manual for the model number of your vacuum. With this information at hand, you can then purchase the correct drive belt of your vacuum. Most drive belts come in packs of 2 or 3, so be sure you know where you store it so you will know when you’ll find it when you need it. When you use your last belt, be sure to purchase another set. You can never be too ready.

To replace the belt, unplug the vacuum first from any electrical outlet for safety. Turn the machine over so that the turning head faces you. You can then access and unscrew the plate that covers the beater bars. Remove the broken drive belt from the drive bars. They may have debris scattered, so be sure to clean this up. This helps your vacuum perform at optimum power.

After that, you can then slip the new drive belt on the beater bars and have it connected to the drive shaft. You may need pliers or a screwdriver to stretch the drive belt in able to get it through the two shafts. This procedure takes only a couple of minutes, so you’ll be back to your chores in no time.