Hi tttnjfttt
In addition to the normal, periodic rinsing of the sponge and any filter floss, or BioMax, or whatever you might have in the chamber, it's a good idea to take the whole basket out and rinse it. Algae and dirt can clog up the holes on the sides and bottom. This is often what makes the flow through the media slow down,
Every few months, you will probably want to clean the impeller parts too. To do this, unplug the filter and lift it off the tank. Remove the media and basket and place them in old tank water.
Next, unscrew the motor from the plastic filter and take the impeller out of it. Rinse everything under running water. The impeller might have hair wrapped around it (especially if you have a pet) or just gook on it. If you have sand as a substrate, inspect the impeller for wear. If it is not smooth, you might want to stock up on a spare so that when it wears out, you can just replace it.
Then take the motor part and, after rinsing, wipe the inside out with a Q-tip. It's a sealed unit, so you can't hurt anything, or get it stuck in there.
When it's clean, put the whole thing back together and after rinsing the media in the tank water, put that back in too. If using filter floss, I usually remove a small piece and add a clean piece over the top to keep the loose dirt from getting out into the tank when the water flow starts.
This sounds like more trouble than it is. It actually only takes a few minutes to have your filter running as good as new.
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