i use scissors

You just need a few supplies and a lot of patience. I use a pair of barber's scissors and a fine tooth comb. I have long hair and we have a long haired puppy so hair getting matted into the brushes is a huge problem. This means monthly bouts of clipping the "dreads" that get stretched across the bristles. I pull as much as I can by hand then use the fine tooth comb to brush the bristles out. Then I slip the brush so the belt is slightly out of track (read: finagle/strong arm the damned thing) so I can clean the track to prevent slippage. A little homemade kitchen cleaner and a washcloth do the trick nicely. Once I've cleared the hair that is. Ugh. Replace the brush and belt and then give the brush the same treatment with cleaner. All set. It'll probably never be as pristine as new because of scratches but it will pick up stuff again.

Now that I've grossed everyone out I think I'll go do my monthly cleaning again.

I use an electrolux stickvac a few times a week. MUCH easier to clean out, and when vaccuuming constantly I never need to break out one like that.

Depending on your vacuum cleaner you might be able to remove the roller, which makes it much easier to clean off. I know this is the case with my Dyson.

wow I have a Dyson but never knew I could remove the roller (although I'm not surprised - should have thought of that)! I used to use scissors and another hand held vaccuum. I hate that task.

A seam ripper works great, got the tip from Martha Stewart.

Was just going to suggest a seam ripper- two dollars, works great, can clean hairbrushes, too

I use a genuine boar bristle clothes brush. I also use it to brush all the filters as well.

I too use a seam ripper. It's fantastic and so much easier that any method I've tried.

Am I the only one who kind of gets joy out of cleaning out my vacuum roller+bristles?

Yes?

Ok...

@goldie: You are not alone! It's cathartic to me...so is cleaning hairbrushes. I revel in my freakishness :)

Does anyone sanitize the roller and wheels?

I do, JSandruck!

I have pale beige, wall-to-wall carpet (I'm in a rental, can't change the goofy carpet). If I don't wipe the vacuum's wheels and roller down with a rag with some diluted Simple Green, then I get muddy streaks on the carpet when I vacuum.

How I get hair and lint out of the roller:
Meat cutting shears I got for cheap at Target. The aforementioned seam ripper seems like an even better idea, though.

Before I run the vacuum with the brushes and rollers I go over all my floors with a cordless, hand-held canister vac. Actually, I run that hand-held several times a day, wherever I see dog hair accumulating and specifically in the bathroom after I have showered and dried my hair. Pics up a ton of the hair and dog hair so it doesn't clog up the vacuum.

Thank you all for the answers!! A seam ripper why didn't I think of that! I'm a seamstress and would have never thought of that even though I probably have about 3 laying around my apartment. Thanks again!

If you don't want to use your good seam ripper, try one of those promo/office envelope opener things - looks a bit like a seam ripper.

I have very long hair as well and a pair of scissors usually does the job. I've also had to use a kabob skewer to get some of the nooks and crannies, but carefully using a pair of scissors seems to work just fine.

But now that I read the comments, I'm totally using a seam ripper or the free letter opener my eye doctor gave me.

My boyfriend and I own two vacuums - a Roomba (nicknamed "Broomba" for no reason at all) and an Electrolux Ergorapido (we call him Rusty). They are both exceedingly easy to clean!

The Roomba comes with two tools - one is a closed circle with teeth inside; when you remove the brush, you can slide this tool over the brush and it catches hair, threads, etc. The other tool is just like one of those letter-opener things; you can slide it across the hair/thread/whatever and it tears it apart, which makes it easier to use the closed-circle tool.

The Ergorapido is basically a dustbuster little thing, except it comes conveniently in a slim, lightweight upright body. You clean the filter as you would a dustbuster, and there is also a brush that you can clean hair from exactly like the Roomba!

I have a bagless Featherlight from Dirt Devil and I adore it. It started making horrible noises and smelled like it was on fire so I took the time to remove the bottom plate (3 screws) and pull out the belt and brush. It made my vacuum like new again to clean all the junk off it. Between mine and my roommate's long hair it eventually cut through the brush roller and I had to buy a new one ($35.00 for a $75.00 vacuume) but now I keep up on it. It saves the motor and the belt and my carpet is fantastically clean, even with a vacuum that cost less than $100.