Bissell Pleated Filter - Lift Off Pet

Pleated filter for the Bissell Lift-Off Pet, part 1612631, fitting the 2087. The pleating is the point of it: folding the media multiplies the surface area, so it holds far more dust than a flat pad of the same footprint before airflow starts to suffer.

That also makes the loading invisible. Dust packs into the bottom of the pleats where you cannot see it, and the filter can look serviceable while passing barely any air. Judge it by the machine instead, watching for suction that falls away as you work, a motor running hot, or dust blowing back out of the exhaust.

Tap it out between changes rather than soaking it, and replace it once tapping stops making any difference. On the Lift-Off the filter is easy to reach, so it is worth a look every time you empty the cup.