referring now specifically to the drawings there is shown a stick cleaner 10 having a front upper housing section 12 and an intermediate and rear housing section 14 joined together axially along a line not shown adjacent and above a motor fan system 16 mounted within the front housing section 12 and intermediate and rear housing section 14 a lower portion 18 of intermediate and rear housing section 14 mounts a dirt cup 20 lower portion 18 of intermediate and rear housing section 14 includes on its front side an integral carrying handle 22 adjacent the top of the dirt cup 20 and located conveniently for the operator of the stick cleaner 10 intermediate and rear housing section 14 also includes at its rearward and lower portions an integral suction tube 24 which conventionally extends upwardly from a floor contacting suction nozzle not shown a handle not shown may also be conventionally mounted at the top of the joinder of housing sections 12 14 this completes the description of the generalized outline structure of the hand held cleaner 10 the dirt cup 20 is latched to the lower portion 18 of rear and intermediate housing section 14 by means of a latch hook 26 that is made integral with the suction tube 24 and a latch 28 mounted on a bottom 30 of the dirt cup 20 they interengage when the dirt cup 20 is in operative dirt collecting condition the latch hook 26 takes the form of a hook portion 32 having a downwardly.