I have an upright bagless vac. I have been cleaning like crazy, and was vacuuming around my tub with the hose. For some odd reason, I decided to vacuum the inside of the tub (it was dry and had some dust in there, b/c we use our shower more often…also I am nesting and not thinking logically lol)…Not sure why I did this! …Anyway, I got close to the drain, and it sucked up some water, and some really nasty stuff (gooey hair, etc. yuck!) Now there is water in the filters. I am going to take it apart and clean it thoroughly. However, I used it after this to continue vacuuming our bedroom. Is there any way bacteria from the junk it sucked up could have been let into the air? I wouldn’t think so, since a vacuum sucks air in, but I’m just curious. What would be the best way to clean it? Thanks!
I would just rinse the filter and let it dry completely. There is certainly bacteria in the air. Every vacuum blows bacteria in the air. It is sucking up air, and blows it out somewhere else. No matter what kind of filters you have, even a HEPA filter, you are blowing around bacteria, dust, and bedbugs.
Take it apart, clean it and let dry completely before re-assembling. Bacteria will really only build up if you dont
If it is a Hepa filter you can wash and rinse & air dry it. I do it to mine. I wouldn’t worry too much about the bacteria just wear gloves when doing this.
In the future you should use a drain cleaner to prevent buildup like this. There are some good natural products that will do the job or try using baking soda and vinegar.
By the way vinegar will kill 99percent of the germs on surfaces like counter tops, floors, etc. It saves a lot of money too.