I bought this little vacuum cleaner at Wal-mart on sale for $48.00.  What a deal!!!  It is fantastic for cleaning up pet hair from my two little white papillons and a white cat who shed constantly on my dark green carpet.  I do have to keep the little sponge filter cleaned.  I sometimes do this by rinsing and drying it.  Sometimes, I have another little canister vacuum cleaner and I vacuum it clean.  I try to do this every time or two that I use it and it works great!  The hepa filter (the thing that looks like an accordian folded white paper fan in the black plastic) also needs replaced...