Filter socks may help. I use ladies hose or knee highs. I cut the legs off about the knee on hose. I use my old clean ones. btw, I am a female. I also use one of these socks inside the polaris bag. I put the foot part of the hose in the bag, and overlap the connector part with the edge of the cut off hose or knee high. I have the fine silt bag for the polaris and this works well with it. Sometimes the hose slips off, but then it works kind of like the cotton balls that Carl mentioned. I hope this helps.