Sorry to be about to get weird, but this item CHANGED its LIFE! The house is 2.5 years old and has a Dirt Devil Cyclone central vacuum. Gradually the vacuum began to suck less. For sucking on anything, leaves, dog food, you name it! It was so bad last month that our cleaner who comes 2 times a month said if we don't fix it she can't do her job! I had to agree, he barely picked up our dog's hair. I used to empty the DD cyclone hopper but figured I'd have to call a pro to fix it as it doesn't fix the suction problem. After some googling I realized that we should REPLACE the filter - and every 6 months if you have a pet! After replacing the nasty filter, the vacuum cleaner was like NEW! Yes, you know you became your MOM when the hoover was the highlight of your month! I love this product!