Removing musty smell from vacuum cleaner hose

[Adam Funk]

The other day the Dyson wasn't working very well, so I pulled out the elbow under the hose and removed a pen. Then I noticed there was a blockage of shredded paper and lint in the hose, and I blew it out by taking the hose off & sticking the other end on the bath tap (after I tried blowing through it). Let's stipulate for the record that running water through it was a very bad idea.

After that, the machine started smelling musty. I've cleaned the tank, the filter, & the rigid elbows, but the hose is still smelly. I've tried rinsing it out with hot water & dish detergent and hanging it up by one end. Now I've got it hung up by both ends & full of hot water & detergent. (I'm thinking of drying it by stretching it out and blowing a hair-dryer through it.) Any suggestions?

[Frank Erskine]

Sprinkle some Shake n Vac on a carpet and "hoover" it up with the Dyson.

[John Rumm]

New hose from ebay for a tenner?

[harry]

Why are you worrying? If you lift the carpet you'll find it stinks too underneath. We live in an unhygenic world filled with bacteria (which are the cause of the stink). Add bleach to the water. However the cause of the stink is still there,it will shortly return.

[Dave Liquorice]

"Musty" I think I'd put down to some thing fungal rather than bacterial but yes someting is now living in the pipe.

If you can kill it off with a bit of hotwater and bleach then dry it throughly (the hair dryer seems like a good idea but not too hot!) it probably won't come back as the enviroment won't support the life, Just like it didn't before it got wet.

[metric_trade]

A few grams of baking soda is great for desmelling a kitchen grinder after grinding spice. Best when the grinder is dry.

I don't know if it's practical for a vacuum hose. Just letting you know.

[Dave W]

grinding spice. Best when the grinder is dry.

I think washing soda is even better. I had a 'breathable' raincoat which still smelled of rancid sweat even after I washed it, but an overnight soak in soda solution worked wonders.

-- Dave W

[Adam Funk]

That seems to have worked. I hung the hose in a U-shape over the bath, filled it with bleach & cold water (it stretched out quite a bit in filling, so I think I got all the accordion-like folds), left it overnight, rinsed it out with cold then hot water, hung it up vertically for a couple of hours, stretched it out (with help) & blew the hair dryer through it for a few minutes, then hung it up vertically in the airing cupboard overnight. It smells OK now.

A lot of fuss & I've learned not to get it wet again!

[Adam Funk]

grinding spice. Best when the grinder is dry.

I've been adding washing soda to the detergent when I put the shower curtains & (in the bath) bath mat in the washing machine; that really tackles mildew.

[theminiwick]

Its bad that its smell even after you have done all this . I have try what you have tried Im in the same situation right now

======================Miniwick===================================

[loveslamina]

I stretch my vacuum hose out and I have to weigh both sides down after it ?s stretchy as far as it can go then I just leave it for the night and by morning it?s completely dry! Have one person on one end and you take the other for easy stretching and I have to put one end of the hos e under a table leg and the other under a different table leg but watch out I accidentally let go one time and got donked in the head! Lol wasn? ?t funny!

[Brian Gaff]

Actually its not just the hose that smells I find most of the innards do as well. Also despite the many filters there is still a sense that microdust is in the air. Brian

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

They always smell, no matter how many times you wash them out. Especially if you have a dog. There are many freshner tablets on ebay, dead cheap. You just pop them in. They won't cure, they just hide the smell.