My neighbor stopped me in the hallway last month. “Does your apartment smell like wet dog every time you vacuum?” she asked. “Because mine does, and I do not have a dog.”

I knew exactly what she meant. That hot-dust-and-old-socks odor that fills the room when you turn the vacuum on. The vacuum is supposed to clean your home, not make it smell worse. Here is how to fix it in five minutes with zero special tools.

Check the filter first

Most vacuum odors come from one place: a clogged, dirty filter. Pop open your vacuum — most have a washable foam or HEPA filter — and look at it. If it is gray-brown instead of white, that is your culprit. Rinse it under warm water until the water runs clear, then let it dry completely (at least 24 hours) before putting it back. A damp filter grows mold, and mold smells worse than dust.

The roller brush is a hair museum

Flip your vacuum over and look at the brush roller. I bet it is wrapped in hair, thread, and mystery fibers. All of that traps odor-causing bacteria. Grab scissors or a seam ripper and cut the hair out. Pull it off in sections. It will be disgusting. That is how you know it needed doing.

Replace or empty the bag/bin

If you use a bagged vacuum and the bag is full, that old dust is literally cooking every time the motor heats up. Replace it. For bagless vacuums, empty the bin outside — do not dump it in your kitchen trash unless you want a dust cloud in your living space.

The baking soda trick

Sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda onto the carpet before vacuuming. It absorbs odors from the carpet fibers and also freshens the air as it passes through the vacuum. Vacuum it up, then empty the bin right after so the baking soda does not sit inside compacting into cement.