Stinky Henry

[ImAvingOops]

Help! I'm on the verge of dumping my expensive Henry vacuum cleaner and getting a cheaply from Argos! It absolutely reeks like sweaty socks and I have no idea why.
I've changed the bag, washed all the tubing/brush and anything soft and washable. I think the stink is coming from the motor as that's the only bit I can't access.
any ideas on what I can do here, short of dismantling it and hoping that nothing has managed to crawl into the motor and died?

How old is it? I'd be tempted to call their helpline - unless it's donkey's years old that is!

You could try hoovering up a load of bicarbonate of soda and leaving it in there for 24 hours. That's great for neutralising odours

Same here. We can't figure out what it is

Me too, except it's Shark. I have started to put a little bit of Shake & Vac in the dirt container. It definitely smells better but it's only really masking the underlying smell.

It is a few years old but not ancient. I will try hoovering you the bicarbonate of soda and see if it helps. I've already soaked the bag in essential oils but it does just temporarily mask the smell!

Every Henry I've ever used has had that smell (work/holiday homes), it's the main reason I never bought one. I wonder if it's the filters? Assuming all vacuums have those ..

I thought your thread was about Prince Harry, and thought gee that title is a bit brutal! 😬

That would indeed be a bit harsh @Crumblierthanfeta 😁

Im tempted to take a screwdriver to it and see if I can identify what's going on with the motor

Used to have a Henry and hoovered up stray cat litter with it til I realised it was smelling like cat litter! Got rid and never again, don't have that issue with other vacuums!

I had a stain that was like this, it was a bag less one but just stunk. You could smell it whenever it had been used.

Never figured it out and bought a Vax.

My hoover doesn't have the same smell now I no longer have dogs. Could it be pet related?

Have you washed the filter? Stick it in a shallow bath or in the machine on a quick low spin wash. I put a little drop of zoflora on the filter when it's dry and it then smells fresher for longer.
I wash all my hoover filters every fortnight

Haven’t had the stinky issue with Henry, but just purchased a new nozzle for our 8 year old Henry, and it is like a brand new vacuum! I too was on the verge of taking it to the tip. Glad I spent £16.

My dad had a hoover that smelled awful like that too.it wasn't a Henry though.

That happened to ours after |I'd washed everything. It was an awful damp sock smell and it was due to it not drying out properly (probably some wet lint clogged somewhere). Had to dump it as nothing helped.

If you’ve washed it all, I’d suggest getting the air fresheners that go inside, we use them at work, really good!

Thank you all. I'd sooner not dump it because it's actually quite a good vacuum but god, the smell!
when I take it apart everything smells lovely inside, it's just as soon as I turn it on, it reeks!

All my hoovers end up smelling after a while, I think it's to do with the dog hair that gets stuck in there. Hoovering up some bicarbonate of soda does the trick.

Thanks. I do have 2 cats so maybe it's them.

Did you was the filters that say they can't be washed? Because they hold the smell. I wash mine, but they have to be perfectly dry to make sure they don't then smell weirdly musty.

I'm not sure what the filter is exactly. I have washed the round plastic bit with the fabric insert that goes on top of the hoover bag and changed the bag. Can't see anything else that's washable, have done the tubes.

It's the fabric bits that sit inside the lid. I have attached a picture! I wash mine with biological washing powder and rinse with a slug of laundry cleanser.

Oh this is helpful as mine smells really bad! A nasty vomit sort of a smell.

I’ll have a look at the filter and see what Incan do. We’ve had a couple of Henries but never had this problem before

Are they specifically for a Henry? I’ve never seen them but it’s a good idea!

Thanks @JuneOsborne , that's the thing I washed.
Just been out to get some bicarbonate of soda so will try that later. I was going to pick up one of those card air fresheners that you put in the car next time I go to wilkos.