How to Vacuum Like a Pro
How do you vacuum your floors? Most commonly, people tend to vacuum sporadically and fast, rushing to get onto the next task, and although this will do for a spot clean, chances are this method isn’t correctly cleaning your floors. Deep and thoroughly cleaning your floors requires more attention to detail but trust us, it’s totally worth it.
With the proper knowledge on how to vacuum right, your floors will come up looking spotless and fresh every time. The steps and tips listed below can help you vacuum correctly.
1. Having the Right Vacuum
To properly clean your floors every time, you first need to have the right vacuum – one that works to your needs and with all your floors. Sure, stick vacuums are handy for spot work, but for deep cleaning, you should consider a barrel or upright vacuum that’s corded so you’re not limited by time. If you’re looking for a new vacuum but not sure which one is right for you, check out our handy guide.
2. Ensure You Have a Clean Vacuum
To correctly clean, you must first confirm your vacuum is empty and clear. Over time, vacuums accumulate a lot of dust and dirt and require cleaning. This is especially true for a bagless vacuum that carries loose dirt in its barrel. Ensuring your vacuum’s canister and filter are clean before using it will help with suction and performance.
3. Clear Space
Clearing space before you vacuum is very important. Objects like chairs and coffee tables can prevent your vacuum from reaching certain spots on the floor. So, before you begin vacuuming, walk around the room you’re cleaning and move the bulky items out of the way.
Tip: This is also a great time to pick up any loose rubbish or clutter on the floor that might also impact the effectiveness of the vacuum’s cleaning process.
4. Dust Before You Vacuum
Cleaning strategically is the best way to save time and energy. So always dust the walls, shelves, and cupboards in your space before you vacuum. This way, you can always guarantee your room has had a good deep cleaning.
5. Vacuum the Outline of the Room First
Continue to work your way down to your floors by vacuuming your skirting boards first. Use the brush and crevice attachments to clean the room’s edges and remove any cobwebs, dust, or dirt dislodged in there.
6. Vacuuming Carpet
Vacuuming carpet correctly is very important because it can hold twice as much dust and dirt as hardwood floors can. Therefore, you want to ensure you do it right and take your time.
Below are a couple of crucial tips to guarantee you thoroughly vacuum your carpet right every time:
1. Change its setting: If your vacuum has different settings for alternate floors, it’s essential you always choose the correct one before vacuuming for effectiveness.
2. Always use a rotating brush vacuum on carpet: Fibres can lodge themselves deep within carpet, and to remove, you’ll need a brush that can lift these fibres successfully.
3. Vacuum with the proper movement: The best way to vacuum carpet is to move the nozzle or handle in a back-and-forth motion, overlapping as you go by at least half, to ensure you catch all the dirt. This is especially important if you have pets or kids.
4. Vacuum slowly: When you vacuum quickly, it causes dust and dirt to fly rather than be captured, so always vacuum slowly. This gives the vacuum time to catch debris deeper in your carpet.
5. Vacuum in different directions: It’s a common misconception that vacuuming in one direction is enough. To correctly vacuum carpet, you need to go over the same space at least twice in different directions. Changing your angle and running the vacuum over the carpet in another way will ensure you catch all the dirt you didn’t the first time.
Tip: Adjust the height of your vacuum as you move between carpet and hardwood floors for effective cleaning on every surface.
7. Vacuuming hardwood floors
Vacuuming hardwood floors is a lot simpler than carpet because you can generally see the built-up dirt and dust a lot easier. Before you start vacuuming your hardwood floors though, it’s important to change the setting on your vacuum to suit the flat surface, so you don’t risk scratching the hardwood floors.
Then simply run the vacuum over the ground in a back-in-forth motion as you would carpet and repeat for a thorough clean.
Tip: If you have rugs on your hardwood floors, remember to clean them too, as they tend to collect a lot of dust and dirt.
8. Vacuuming stairs
Go about vacuuming your stairs the same way you would carpet – in a back-and-forth motion overlapping and in different directions repeatedly. Your stairs are a high traffic area that will quickly collect a lot of fibres, so always remember to be through on them.
It’s also best to use the small brush attachments to clean your stairs rather than the nozzle. The brush attachment will not only loosen built-up dirt, but it will be able to get in the corners and sides of the stairs much better than the nozzle can.
9. Know & Use the Right Vacuum Attachments
Understanding what each of your vacuum attachment’s do can help you effectively clean every type of surface. The most common vacuum attachments are:
The Crevice Tool – this thin tool is perfect for getting into tight spaces like skirting boards, couch cracks or window sills.
The Dust Brush – With soft bristles, this tiny brush is ideal for dusting down skirting boards, cobwebs, and decorations in your house.
The Upholstery Brush – this flat-headed brush helps clean fabric around your house, whether that be your couch, mattress, or rug.
10. Vacuum Regularly
The best way to ensure you vacuum properly every time is to do it regularly. You should vacuum your house at least once a week, even more so in high traffic zones like your hallway and entrance. Carpeted spaces and places where you eat can really benefit from two vacuums each week. The best way to guarantee you vacuum regularly is to create a schedule and set aside time, one day a week, where you can vacuum.
11. Empty Your Vacuum
Once you’ve finished vacuuming, it’s excellent to get into the habit of emptying your vacuum. This way, it will already be clean when you next need it.
