• 18 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Vacuum Cleaner

An upright vacuum with its base cut open, then a canister vacuum and its tools.

Parts of a Vacuum Cleaner

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Handle
  2. Filter
  3. Dust container
  4. Height adjustment
  5. Nozzle
  6. Brush roll
  7. Belt
  8. Motor
  9. Wheels
  10. Handle release pedal
  11. Hose
  12. Power cord
  13. Canister
  14. Cord rewind
  15. Wand
  16. Power nozzle
  17. Crevice tool
  18. Dusting brush

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

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All 18 parts on the diagram

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Upright vacuum 12

  1. Handle On an upright it stands straight up for storage. It tilts back to clean.
  2. Filter Catches the fine dust before the air leaves the cleaner. It needs cleaning or replacing.
  3. Dust container It lifts out to be emptied. Makers also call it the dust cup or dirt cup; older cleaners have a bag in its place.
  4. Height adjustment Raises or lowers the nozzle to suit the pile of the carpet.
  5. Nozzle The cleaning of the carpet takes place here. The brush roll is inside it.
  6. Brush roll A roller with bristles that sweeps and beats dirt from the carpet. Also called the agitator or beater bar.
  7. Belt Runs from the motor to the brush roll. It is replaced when it wears.
  8. Motor It drives the fan that pulls air, and dirt, through the cleaner.
  9. Wheels The back of the base rides on them.
  10. Handle release pedal Stepping on it lets the handle tilt back from its upright position.
  11. Hose It stretches out for cleaning with the tools.
  12. Power cord On an upright it is wrapped round cord hooks for storage.

Canister vacuum 6

  1. Canister Holds the motor and the dust, in a bag or a container. The hose joins it to the cleaning head.
  2. Cord rewind Pressing it pulls the cord back inside the canister.
  3. Wand Joins the hose to the nozzle. You can then clean the floor standing up.
  4. Power nozzle A cleaning head for carpet. It has a turning brush inside like an upright's.
  5. Crevice tool For corners, crevices and other narrow places.
  6. Dusting brush For furniture, blinds and shelves.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it: Wikipedia, text only, Vacuum cleaner, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_cleaner (upright and canister kinds, brushroll or beater bar, belt, motor and fan, hose, filter, crevice tool, dusting brush, power heads); one maker's upright owner's manual, full text at https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7033515 (handle, handle release pedal, carpet height adjustment, nozzle, agitator brush roll, belt, dirt cup, filter, hose, wand, dusting brush, wheels) and its canister manual, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7258052 (canister, power nozzle, wands, hose, cord rewind pedal, crevice tool, dusting brush, wheels); a second maker's upright guide, https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-460612 (height adjustment knob, brush roll, belt, dust cup, filter, handle release, power cord, crevice tool, dusting brush, cord rewind) and canister guide, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6457100 (canister, power nozzle, dust container, wand, cord rewind); and a third maker's canister instructions, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7238393 (dust container, floor nozzle, wand, hose, cord rewind lever, crevice tool, dusting brush, power cord). Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's vacuum, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This parts of a vacuum cleaner diagram has two drawings. The first is an upright, with a window cut in its base to show what turns inside; the second is a canister vacuum with two of its tools.

Read the full guide

What happens inside an upright

The motor turns the belt, and the belt spins the brush roll at the front of the nozzle. The brush roll sweeps and beats the dirt out of the carpet, and the air carries it up into the dust container. The filter holds back the fine dust. The height adjustment raises or lowers the nozzle to suit the carpet.

How a canister differs

The motor and the dust sit in a separate body on wheels. A hose joins it to the wand, and the wand ends in a nozzle or a tool, so the head can reach under furniture.

  • Agitator, beater bar and brush roll are names for the same roller. All are accepted.
  • Dust cup, dirt cup and dust container are makers' names for the same bin.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a vacuum cleaner called?

On an upright: the handle, the hose, the dust container and its filter, and the nozzle, which holds the brush roll, the belt and the motor. A canister vacuum has a separate canister, a hose, a wand, a power nozzle and tools.

What is the spinning brush on a vacuum called?

The brush roll. Some makers call it the agitator; it is also called the beater bar. It is a roller with bristles, turned by a belt, that sweeps dirt out of the carpet.

What is the long tube on a vacuum cleaner called?

The stiff tube is the wand. The ribbed, bendy one is the hose. On a canister vacuum the hose joins the canister to the wand, and the wand carries the nozzle or a tool.

What are the small attachments for a vacuum called?

Tools. The two most common are the crevice tool, a long narrow nozzle for corners and gaps, and the dusting brush, a round brush for furniture, blinds and shelves.

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