When I received it I turned it on and noticed the suction was weak. I tried vacuuming up particles from the floor and it worked terribly. I charged it fully and tested it on rice on carpet with one of the ports. That worked much better. I went to my car and was relieved because it was working fine. Vacuumed the whole car and seats. Then he took and shook out all the dirt. There was a lot of dirt. The filter does not need to be washed. I am happy