Honestly? My flex cleaner started sounding like a dying cat last week. That awful grinding noise meant trouble, so I grabbed my toolkit and decided to dive in. Figured I’d better try fixing it myself before tossing it and buying new.

Tearing it down: way dirtier than I thought

First thing, unplugged it completely – safety first, right? Then I unscrewed the housing cover. UGH! The inside was nasty. Dust and hair had caked up around the motor and gears like fuzzy concrete. No wonder it was struggling.

• Dismantled the roller brush assembly next.
• Pulled out the filters – clogged solid grey.
• Unclipped the dustbin and emptied its nasty contents.

The deep clean mess

Alright, time for battle. I grabbed an old toothbrush and just went to town scrubbing everything:

• Scraped thick gunk off the roller brush ends.
• Brushed every visible gear inside the cleaner head.
• Washed the foam filter under warm water until water ran clear.
• Wiped down the inside of the dustbin compartment.

Found some lint wrapped TIGHT around the main axle shaft too – pulled it off carefully with tweezers. Felt pretty satisfying, honestly.

Putting Humpty Dumpty back together

Once everything was bone dry, I started reassembly:

• Popped the clean filters back into place – nice snug fit.
• Replaced the roller brush, making sure the gears meshed properly.
• Screwed the housing cover back on tightly.

Forgot the grease! Almost closed it up when I remembered. Dabbed some silicone lubricant onto the axle bearings and gear teeth before sealing it shut. Rookie mistake avoided!

The test run & ongoing care

Plugged it back in, held my breath, and hit the power button. Silky smooth humming sound! No more screaming cat noises. Lesson learned the hard way: neglect kills machines.

My simple routine now? After every few uses:

• Empty the dustbin RIGHT after vacuuming.
• Tap out the filter over the trash can.
• Quick visual check for hair around the brush.

Doing this lazy cleaning takes two minutes and saves me big headaches later. Treating it right means it’ll keep working hard for me without that horrible grinding sound ever again. Easy wins!