I keep most of my vacs in a very small basement (6ft by 12ft) space and the air is kinda moist down there but nothing is wet.. some of my older kirbys have like a alcali stuff on them and I don't know how to get it off or if it can be polished again... any suggestions.... also I notice the cords on all the vacs have a film on them that I keep wiping off.....Kirbykid

It's probably mildew

Chlorine bleach will kill and remove it. Use carefully in a spray bottle and thoroughly wipe off afterward. DO NOT use bleach on cloth bags, obviously. It's okay for plastic and rubber but not for any kind of cloth.

Keeping vacuum cleaners in damp spaces such as basements for long periods of time is not good for them and they will eventually be ruined. Motors will rust up and freeze; unpainted trim will tarnish and oxidize and eventually rust up; cloth bags will mildew and dry rot. I do not know how to remove mildew and mildew stains from cloth bags.

It would be better to find a drier location for your collection. You could send them to sunny Southern California haha!

Get yourself a dehumidifier to avoid the problem in the first place. First thing I did when I moved the collection down to the basement in St. Charles from dry and sunny Southern California. If you mention a dehumidifier to a Angeleno, they will give you a puzzled look. They don't have basements and definitely not damp basements.

Your machines need help fast to prevent further damage-try to move them to a conditioned area of the house-(heated and cooled)If that isn't possible-go the dehumidifier route and put some kind of vapor barror on the walls and floor.If you do use bleach or bleach solution-use it VERY carefully-it WILL harm plastics if left on them too long.The Chlorine content of the bleach will leach out plasticizers in the plastics causing them to crack or become brittle.Many times other spray cleaners that don't have bleach in them will clean the plastics just fine without any fear of harm.Some "Orange" cleanerrs can harm plastics-and petroleum solvents can too.I have found glass cleaner works,and Isopropyl Alcohol work(rubbing alcohol)-that you can get at the supermarket or drugstore.Also the Isopropyl alcohol will get paint scuff marks off bumpers without harming them.Methonal alcohol can cause harm if left on too long.

Thanks for the info guys, but moving them upstairs into the house( very small house) is not an option for me, however I have a really large two car garage with a nice long workbench.. could I possibly keep them out there.. But it does get down below zero out there in the winter... HELP ! ! ! I guess the only other option I would have would be to get rid of them all together... Thank God I don't have the 350 machines here i Left in California

And also some sort of heating to stop the temp going below approx 40f- a lot of dehumidifiers wont work properly below that :(.

Seamus

On how dehumidifiers work etc- why you need one etc :)

The only thing that will effectively remove mildew is chlorine beach. Wear rubber gloves to protect your pinkies, then liberally dampen an old cloth with the bleach. Rub the bleach onto the plastic that is affected and the mildew will instantly disappear. Then IMMEDIATELY rinse or wipe the plastic very thoroughly. If you remove the bleach immediately, it will not harm the plastic.

Any of you who have G.E. Roll Easys are well aware of the "skin disease" these machines develop. Something about whatever kind of plastic they used to make the trim and attachments is an absolute mildew magnet. I had a nice Roll Easy that had ugly blemishes for years, figuring the white spots were a permanent disfigurement. Then Roll Easy expert Tania Voigt told me about the bleach deal and now my Roll Easy looks as good as new.