Alright, we've lived in this apartment for a year and three months, and we're on our third vacuum cleaner. The first two were Eureka's, then we bought a cheap bissel this last time. I had been taking excellent care of my vacuums, right down to washing the dirt cups, filter and cleaning out the carpet brushes with every use. I couldn't figure out why we were going through them like we were, but everyone suggested that cat hair is clogging them and burning them up. The newest started acting up within two uses (and it's not a large apartment, and we have one cat who hardly sheds, and we clean on a regular basis. Anyways, I tore the stupid thing apart to find MOUNDS of cat hair clogged in it. There was at least enough to be the size of a softball in the hose. So, how the heck is this thing clogging so fast, and what can I do to prevent it? I can't be tearing the stupid thing apart after every use, I refuse to shave or get rid of the cat and I can't exactly just stop vacuuming. Help me please!
Do you brush your cat every day? I know you said he/she hardly sheds, but if there's softball size hair in the vacuum after 2 uses, maybe you just don't see the hair because it's so fine. You may have to vacuum every 2 or 3 days, just so there's not so much hair at one time. I guess you're going to have to check the hose after every use too, just to make sure there's no build up. Hope this helps. Good luck!
I used to have cats (now have dogs!) and my all time favorite vacuums for cats is the Fantom. Has a bin and no bag, you can see what is going in, is easy to clean after each and every use. The first time I used it, It filled up with so much cat hair (keep in mind I HAD a vacuum I had just replaced!) that I emptied it over 10X just vacuuming the dining room, which wasn't THAT big! I was stuptified! Seeing all that cat hair was really an eye opener! So I suggest finding a GOOD vacuum, not a cheapo one, and one that has the container that you can empty (I have seen others says they HATE them cause they are messy to empty, I do mine over the trash can outside into a box I pick up from like Sams Club. I have found stuff I didn't know was in there, jewelry, earrings, money, you name it). With a bag, you toss it, not knowing you threw it out! Plus with the canister, I can what is going in and if anything is going in or not. I know clog has happened, which RARELY happens, since I can see what is going in and how fast, I can adjust my speed or decrease it too! Hope this helps you! Good luck!
Vacuum more often so it isn't picking up so much hair at one time. Try using a clothes roller (the sticky kind) on the floor before you vacuum to remove some of the cat hair.
You didn't say where the hair was clogging the unit, but I'll assume it was in the hose. If so, it's possible that inside of the vacuum cleaner hose has become sticky somehow, and if that happens, hair and other stuff can stick to the inside of the hose and once something begins to build up, it can snag other stuff. As the hose begins to clog, the flow rate drops, junk starts slowing down and then it's even easier for stuff to build up.
