Up until now whenever I've owned Sebo vacuums I've always used the tools that Sebo sell because they measure 35mm and mostly if not all, most of their tools actually do a pretty good job without being too difficult to use, sustain abuse, remain lightweight and delightfully noise free. For many years Sebo made their smaller cleaning tools fit for purpose for virtually all of their vacuums and on my Felix, X ranges and K series cylinders the beauty of having so many tools on hand means many can be swapped around for various tasks. The flat upholstery tool is primarily a tool that is listed on Sebo's website shop link for use on their X range uprights (ref. 1090) as it comes with a triangular handle clip that can be clipped onto the vacuum cleaner with the tool locked into it. However it has proved a bit more versatile in use other than just fit for actual purpose of cleaning the seams of upholstery as well as bed mattresses. It is suitable for all Sebo vacuums including their commercial series.


Fitted at the very narrow flat part of this tool, there are very thin and compacted bristles of miniature brushes that cannot be removed. However they can be cleaned easily with just a flick of a finger to remove any dust that gets clogged in between the brushes. The nature of its actual triangular size means that in use, with the sloping edge to its main dust channel, the tool can purposely be cleaned at a slight angle with the brushes down on the lower part of any material you intend to push and pull this tool on. Being friction fit means; the tool slides on easily to either a Sebo hose or Sebo wand depending on the task and the Sebo vacuum you happen to own.


Normally when it comes to upholstery cleaning I often revert to using Sebo's standard T shaped upholstery brush. It has a combination use in the sense that there are a stiff line of bristles that can be picked out not just for cleaning but also if you don't want a pattern appearing on Velour or car seats with fine woven textures. Adding the stiff line back in often means that the bristles will pick out fluff that often needs to be picked off and due to its slightly raised height the T shaped brush can get stuck between the main driver's seat in a car and the rear foot well if trying to vacuum out this particularly hard to reach area. Normally most owners will use a crevice tool to get under a car seat but as I've found out recently when not having my Miele Car Clean set to hand, the Sebo's flat upholstery tool comes into its own. It's like a bigger crevice tool with a wider mouth. Able to fit under low and difficult to get areas, the flat upholstery tool picks up dirt without getting clogged. Nothing too difficult to understand here - the tool is great at getting into corners where the T shaped raised head brush fails to get at and in low style areas the 2" height gets in between spaces very easily.


In other cleaning tasks however the flat upholstery tool is also great for general dust pick up, particularly along narrow window shelves, into the corners of skirting boards where a larger main floor head can't get to and more recently as a make shift dust pick up tool for my laptop. The brush bristles are gentle here and scoop up dirt finely without marking the laptop keys or damaging the finish. Due to its thin opening it is very easy to pick out dust if it gets clogged, but this seldom happens due to its natural tapering design. Edge cleaning on both sides is also made possible thanks to its rectangular mouth and the line of bristles that meet either side equally.


A downside to this brush tool is that it's not always available to buy online although you can pick up the tool from Sebo directly at a cost of £ 6-80 before the post and packaging of £3-99 (total £10-79) and available in dark grey or light grey depending on the Sebo vacuum you have. On Ebay the flat upholstery tool seldom appears and if you need it desperately eSpares whose company statement is "we are never beaten on price," look a bit more expensive than Sebo themselves charging £7-99 for the tool and £2-95 (total £10-94).


If it is an essential tool you need for your vacuum cleaner and the T shaped upholstery brush is a bit too big, Sebo's flat upholstery tool is better designed but it comes at a cost! Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2010

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