Thread Number: 41783
/ Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Cleanig and yes washing vacuum bags! |
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Post# 441628   5/9/2021 at 13:18 (1,054 days old) by Vacmadman (Pueblo Co.)   |   | |
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Despite popular belief it is possible to safely wash vacuum bags with no damage done to the bag or logo. I have successfully washed Kirby, Kenmore, Air-Way, and other bags with great results. If you start out with a bag that has old and flaking silkscreen logo you may indeed lose some of the logo in the washing process, but the overall appearance should improve.
The best way to achieve this is to gently hand wash the bags, never wash a bag in the washing machine this is the worst thing you can do. I have washed bags in the sink, but normally will wash them in the bath tub, where you can lay the bag flat submerged in the water. I will first rinse the dirt out of the bag using the shower head. Once I have seen that most of the dirt has rinsed out, I will then wash out the tub removing any leftover dirt. I will then fill the tub again just enough to submerge the bag with warm water adding laundry soap. Without soap the water can't penetrate the fabric and remove dirt and grime. I will gently go up and down the bag squeezing it as I go to help the soap penetrate the fabric. I will then drain the tub and rinse the bag and repeat the process again to ensure that I have removed as much dirt as possible. Then I will do the same thing again this time using fabric softener instead of soap. After I will thoroughly rinse the bag and hang to dry. I added some before and after Pictures of my Kenmore imperial bag witch was in very bad shape. It was so dirty and full of grime it was stiff in some spots like cardboard. Simply vacuuming out this bag would not do the job. I also added before and after pictures of my Apollo bag you can see when it was wet the color was better, and the logo just popped. Unfortunately after drying it was cleaner, but the color faded again as it dried. |
Post# 441629 , Reply# 1   5/9/2021 at 13:22 (1,054 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada)   |   | |
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I always wash my vacuum bags original or not. old or new. Vinyl and cloth. Never had an issue. |
Post# 441658 , Reply# 3   5/9/2021 at 22:21 (1,054 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)   |   | |
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I had the best success in washing outer bags in my old GE washer with a Mini Basket and on the gentle cycle, they came out great, I never damaged one. I miss that washer. |
Post# 441681 , Reply# 5   5/10/2021 at 20:22 (1,053 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)   |   | |
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Post# 441682 , Reply# 6   5/10/2021 at 21:03 (1,053 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)   |   | |
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The old vacuums used the bag as part of the filtration system as well as the air path. Commercial vacs still do. If you never wash them and leave them to get clogged up, they lose their ability to expel and exhaust air, and what you have is the "blowing into a bottle" effect. Air is going in, but none can escape. Vacuuming them out removes dirt, yes, but the fabric is still holding it within its weaves. Washing them loosens the fabric and lets it shed off all the decades and decades of filth accumulated.
Some people said spraying them with starch after washing them will help even more at making the bag stretch out and hold its shape, but I have not tried that. No fabric softener, correct, as it puts a layer of soap onto the fabric and the bag will become sticky when washed and after drying, which you don't want, it will clog the bag with dirt fast. Also hand wash only and gently knead them, a lot of bags are way too fragile to put in a washing machine. It also helps to make a spreader to insert into the bag to help keep it shaped and allow the bag to dry fully so it doesn't wad up, some bag fabrics like to revert back to their crumpled shape they got from storage. Lots of old topics on here from the mid -2000's on bag washing and a lot of good tips. |
Post# 441684 , Reply# 7   5/10/2021 at 21:36 (1,053 days old) by Vacmadman (Pueblo Co.)   |   | |
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Post# 441686 , Reply# 8   5/10/2021 at 21:50 (1,053 days old) by Vacmadman (Pueblo Co.)   |   | |
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