I bought this vacuum cleaner specifically because the description said 'The Whirlwind has a bagless design and uses washable filters. Rinse the filters as needed and you're good to go." I used it the day I received it and I agree that the performance and suction power is good for a vacuum in this price range. I did Also liked that it's lightweight. Unfortunately, when I cleaned out the dust bin, I found that it had a paper filter in addition to the sponge filters. The paper filter isn't mentioned anywhere in the owner's manual except in the parts list. I contacted customer service and they said that the paper filter can be washed out and will eventually need to be replaced Eureka is completely misleading by saying that this vacuum cleaner has washable filters and fails to mention the paper filter.