I have an expensive vacuum cleaner that takes expensive bags. To save on buying new bags for my vacuum, I simply cut the bottom off the bag, empty it, and duct tape the bottom shut. Voila! I have a recycled vacuum cleaner bag.
By Dee from Salem, VA
A vacuum cleaner picks up dirty air from the floor and forces it into the reservoir, where the heavier particles (dirt and hair) drop out. The air, still dusty, is then forced through filters - either the sides of the bag, or a HEPA filter, or whatever. If your machine is designed to use disposable bags, and you reuse them, the dust and mold are still trapped in the sides of the bag, clogging it and then being forced back out into the room by air pressure. If you make your own bags, they won't trap the dust like they're supposed to, and the whatever gets through will get into the motor on the way back out of the machine and will damage it.
A HEPA filter is used to get the air as clean as possible, for severely allergic people; that's why it's so expensive. To reuse one is like washing your clothes in a muddy creek.
Any time you reuse a disposable bag or filter, or substitute something else, you're going to have dust and mold going back into the room, or you're risking killing your vacuum cleaner motor, or both. Is it worth the savings in bags?
This page contains the following solutions.
When your vacuum bag is full, cut open the end of the bag to dump. Then staple it back together and use it again.
Cheapskate here! Since sweeper bags are so expensive, I empty one, roll the top over and staple. I can use it 2-3 more times!
Vacuum cleaner bags can get expensive and I found a great tip. When the bag is full, unfold and cut the top or bottom of the bag out, empty in another trash bin.
Re-use vacuum cleaner bags to save money! Instead of throwing the bag away when it gets full, follow these simple steps:
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Most disposable vacuum bags can be emptied and reused more than once. - Sarah
