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Shock photo shows common cleaning mistake we're all making

Have you ever gone to the trouble and shifted that really heavy bit of furniture in a bid to do a ‘proper’ vacuum only to be confronted by a thick film of dust, dead flies and probably an inexplicable Christmas bauble from ten years ago?

We’re all aware that out of eyesight there lurks some pretty filthy areas in our seemingly spotless homes, but it turns out the dirtiest secret your house is hiding is in the cleaning itself.

vacuum cleaner
Are you cleaning your cleaner? Photo: Getty

The crucial step to cleaning vacuums

A video shared by Youtuber Steve's Real World instructs owners of the popular Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner of a crucial step they are missing in their cleaning.

Where most can empty the vacuum cleaner of debris, and maybe even local and clean the filter, it turns out there’s a third step that involves removing the plastic inner-cover.

Man holds Dyson motor above sink, pulling off red plastic coat exposing dust
The YouTube tutorial shows how to remove the plastic case to expose the hidden dust. Photo: YouTube/Steverd99

The hack involves cleaning the normal parts of the vacuum, then using a butter knife to pry the plastic covering off the inside of the bin, exposing a second layer that is probably covered in dust.

An internal part of the machine, it’s an easy step to miss, but as one mum discovered, not a pretty sight if left too long.

One mum decided to follow the hack after six years of using her own Dyson, and took to a popular Facebook cleaning group to share the confronting image of what she found.

Screenshot of Dyson cleaning tutorial shows opened machine on outdoor bin
Most stop their cleaning here, but there's a vital step missing. Photo: Facebook/mumswhoclean

“I clean mine on the regular but did not know about the filter separating or about THIS BIT COMING OFF!!!!” the mum wrote.

“IT’S FERAL. And I was ashamed!!!”

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The photo shows the inside of the vacuum coasted in a thick layer of dust, a hidden bit of filth to what seemed like a perfectly clean and functioning cleaner.

Mum shows photo of inside the Dyson vacuum cleaner, holds machine above sink, purple plastic is covered in thick dust and debris
A mum shared the photo of what a typical vacuum cleaner is hiding after years of use. Photo: Facebook

Hundreds rushed to the post to share their disbelief at the cleaning hack they had never thought of.

Many even said the deep clean gave their machine a new lease on life, and if left too long the built-up dust can seriously impact performance.

“(Mine) also worked so much better afterwards,” one woman wrote.

“I pull mine apart and give it a good blow out with the air compressor about once a month. So easy and works so much better once it’s done,” another shared.

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