Step 6

Lift out the opening rod (first picture below). There is a rubber seal between the canister and the rod assembly which makes it quite difficult to get out. Once you have pulled out the opening rod you should have a main canister that looks something like the picture second picture below. As you can see it is very dirty inside.

Step 7

As you can see from the top photograph the mini-cyclones are almost totally blocked. It's a wonder this machine picked anything up. I noticed three screws inside the housing (middle picture) and decided to remove them (bottom picture). It was only after I removed them that I found out they don't seem to do anything. Although the top part of the cylinder is made of two parts (one grey the other blue) I think they are glued together and the screws are only there to hold them together while the glue sets. There was no way on earth the two top parts were coming apart (and I tried very hard).

Step 8

The next step is to remove the vanes and the perforated plastic section as shown in the first photograph below to give you just the main cylinder as shown in the second photograph below. The vanes proved to be surprisingly difficult to get off and it is dirty work. The first time I cleaned the canister I removed the vanes dry the second time I removed them after giving everything a quick clean first. I am not sure which is better. With the first you get dusty with the second you get wet.

Anyway, the vanes are actually a separate part to the perforated bit even though in the photograph they are show together. I found the easiest way to remove them is to sit down with the top of the cylinder in your lap, grab two opposite vanes (one in each hand) and push them off. Careful you don't twist them too much as they are relatively weak. The main problem with removing them seems to be the black rubber seal at the bottom. A dab of liquid soap in and around that might help.

Step 9

Once you have all the parts separate it is time to clean them. This is probably the easiest part of the job. Simply put them on the ground outside and direct the hose at them. A good strong jet of water simply blows the dirt off. If you direct if down the mini-cyclones you will be amazed at how much dirt comes out. Once you have all the parts washed pick up the main cylinder part and give it a really good shake to get the water out. Then put it in the airing cupboard for about a week. Don't fit it to the vacuum cleaner wet!

Step 10

Finally reassemble by following these instructions in reverse. The only thing to watch out for is that you get the opening rod in the opening catch when you put the top back on. This can be done by sticking two fingers up the main central tube while the top is being put on and guiding the opening rod into place. If you don't ensure the rod is in place when you put the clear plastic cylinder back on and close the bottom you may not be able to open it again.

I hope you found this guide useful. If you have any comments or feedback (contact doozer) please get in touch.

Feedback

I love getting feedback and this page generates quite a lot of it. A reader recently wrote to me to tell me of a simpler way of cleaning the cyclones. Rather than use a hose to blast the dust and dirt out place a bright lamp next to the outside of the cyclone housing and use another vacuum cleaner to suck the dirt from the inside of the cyclones. The lamp is used to check that everything has been removed. I've not tried this technique but I would imagine it would work in most cases. The dust and dirt that was stuck to my cyclone was stuck tight but then it was mostly plaster dust which we've already established Dysons can't deal with.