'I didn't clean my vacuum for a year - the dirtiest part was completely unexpected'

I have a confession to make.

As a cleaning editor I know full well that vacuums should be cleaned regularly, especially if the filter looks full – but I didn't clean my vacuum for an entire year.

The only reason I can come up with is that every time I thought about cleaning it, I realised I needed to use it and couldn't wait for the filter to dry. But that's not an excuse.

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It got so dirty I was having to stop to empty it after vacuuming very small areas so it had to be done, no ifs, buts or maybes.

To kick off the long-awaited task I took the main part of my vacuum outside so the dust wouldn't end up all over my laundry floor and counter.

Then I took it apart, shaking out each part of the filter into a plastic bag and then wiping the excess dust.

I also dabbed the main filter on the ground to release any dust remaining inside, which was a task I could've sat there and done for days, there was so much filth caught up in it.

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But the biggest shock wasn't the amount of dust in the filter, it was the thick build up in the dust separator.

Honestly, if I'd known there was that much dust sitting between that vacuum part and the filter I would've cleaned it much earlier.

All that dust went into the bin, the exterior of the vacuum head was wiped over and then I headed back inside to wash the parts under warm water.

The dust separator and pre motor filter were easily and quickly rinsed clean, then left on to dry.

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The main filter, however, took longer and needed to be squeezed multiple times to speed up the process.

This was a little yucky but strangely satisfying to see all the dirty water that emerged during the process.

Once I rinsed as much dust as possible out I set that aside to dry.

The only other vacuum cleaning step I needed to do was to remove all the hair, threads and fluff caught in the vacuum roller.

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I did this using scissors to cut the hair and painstakingly pulled clumps off until it was as clear as possible.

Once all the parts were dry I put everything back together and used the vacuum on the living room floor again.

I was expecting it to work as it usually did but I was instantly delighted to notice just how good the vacuum sounded and how easily it sucked up so much more dust and dirt than it had been when it was dirty.

That result is enough to motivate me to clean my vacuum every couple of months or more if needed with results that good.

No promises, though – good intentions being what they may, we might very well find ourselves back here in a year's time.

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