8 Easy Steps to Clean Your Vacuum Brush Roller

The vacuum brush roller rotates and vibrates against the floors and carpets you are cleaning. To keep it working well you should clean it regularly.

Step 1 – Switch off Your Machine

Never perform any maintenance work with the vacuum cleaner plugged in and switched on.

Step 2 – Remove the Base Plate

Remove or open the base plate of the machine. This plate will be held by twist catches or screws and will either be removed altogether or be hinged so that it can swing out of the way.

Step 3 – Remove the Brush Roller

The brush roller will be held in place by two levers that will swing through 90-degrees or more. The brush roller will simply slide out of its housing bringing with it the drive belt. Slide the drive belt off the roller brush and check it for wear and tear.

Step 4 – Clean the Brushes

The brushes that are angled around the brush roller need to be cleaned. This is best done by using the pointed end of a pair of scissors or a knitting needle to remove as much of the dirt and fibers as possible.

Step 5 – Replace the Brushes

The brushes on the brush roller can wear out and may need replacing. The brushes fit into specially shaped slots in the roller and can be simply slid out when the bearings have been removed.

Step 6 – Clean the Bearings

The bearings of the roller can be unscrewed by holding the bearing at one end and turning the bearing at the other. Often an accumulation of long hairs get caught around the axle through the bearings and makes it a little stiffer to operate. A drop of light machine oil will help lubricate the bearings.

Step 7 – Reassemble the Brush Roller

The bearings are replaced in the same way you removed them.

Hold one and turn the other. The bearings will fit in only one position with guides to set them in the right position.

The drive belt has to be positioned on the drive spindle which you will be able see behind the brush roller. It is easier to do this before you fit the brush roller into place.

Slide the brush roller under the drive belt.

You will know it is the right way around because a groove in the roller for the drive belt will be in line with the belt.

Replace the brush roller into the slots it came out of.

Step 8 – Clean the Base Plate

Often the spinning brush roller will fling material at the base plate where it can stick. This can build up into a sizeable deposit so it should be scraped away before you replace the base plate.