The Right Way to Vacuum Your Carpet
Back and forth movements in quick successions when vacuuming are less effective. With the quick motions, your vacuum cleaner will not suck up all the lint and dust from your rugs. Unfortunately, many people do not know how to vacuum properly, and their carpets end up looking old and tarnished. How do you know your vacuuming skills are sorely lacking?
With improper vacuuming, you will notice dark lines on your carpets near the edges. Your house will also be dusty, and there will be a series of allergies. If your socks become dirty when you walk around the house, chances are the carpet has layers of dust. High traffic areas will also look dark because they are caked in dirt. Most of these problems are fixed with proper vacuuming.
How can you vacuum like a professional? Take a look at how your skills can improve by following the expert vacuuming tips below.
Create a Vacuuming Schedule
If you wait until your carpet appears dirty to vacuum, you are setting yourself up for disaster. By the time the carpet looks dirty, it will require a deep clean. Rugs gather dirt, dust, lint, and spills daily. If you wait for a week, it will be caked in dirt and become a hassle to clean. If you want to clean your floors regularly, ensure it is part of your weekly or daily schedule.
Vacuum Slowly
Do not be in a rush to finish the chore without ensuring the carpets are in pristine condition. Set the correct speed and take your time when moving across the floors. When you run the cleaner back and forth the vibrations from the appliance loosen dirt in the carpet fibres. If you rush over and fail to make another pass, you will not collect all the dust on the floor.
Give Extra Attention to High Traffic Areas
Carpets in living rooms, foyers and dining areas, get more traffic compared to other rooms. That means they gather more dirt and dust. If you fail to vacuum them properly, the carpets will look old and dark. While the frequency of vacuuming depends on the activities in your household, you need to clean the areas frequently. It would be best if you also took your time to clear all the dirt in the fibres. Deep cleaning the areas occasionally will also improve the durability of the carpets.
Get the Right Vacuum Cleaner
With a variety of appliances available in the market, you need to choose the right cleaner for your floors. For instance, cut-pile carpets require a different vacuum cleaner from soft carpets and rugs. When selecting a cleaning appliance, ensure it meets the minimum standards of dirt removal and retention of carpet appearance.
Beater bars, a rotating brush, also determine your choice. The rotating brush loosens dirt and dust caked in the carpet fibres. While it is a necessity when you have a cut-pile carpet, it could damage soft carpets. Rugs and soft carpets are made by looping fibres. Therefore, agitating the fibres can give the carpet a fuzzy look. Besides, if some of the fibres wrap around the beater bar, it could create a run on the rug. If your carpet is from natural fibres like wool or is looped, avoid vacuum cleaners with beater bars. Alternatively, you can look for a cleaner that allows turning off the rotating brush and using the suction option only.
Keep the Appliance Clean
For maximum efficiency, your vacuum cleaner needs to be in a proper working condition. The appliance requires adequate airflow to suck up dust and dirt from the rugs. If you use the vacuum until the bag is full to the brim, the machine will be less effective. It is wise to change the bag or keep an eye on the canister constantly.
For bagless vacuums, you can monitor how full the container is. You do not have to empty it every time but starting with an empty container makes your efforts effective. Bagged vacuums should be changed when they are at three-quarters full. Waiting for too long can clog the hose, and the appliance may not have the necessary suction to clean the carpet.
Adjust to the Right Height
Vacuums rely on airflow to suck up dirt and dust from your rugs. To maintain adequate airflow and excellent suction, you need to use the right vacuum height. A vacuum head with an adjustable height is a must-have if you have different styles of carpet in your house. Before commencing your cleaning routine, ensure you check the height recommendation for your rug. The appropriate adjustments make a significant difference in the cleanliness of your carpets.
Use Proper Vacuuming Techniques
It is vital to master proper vacuuming skills to ensure the carpet becomes spotless. For instance, you should pass the vacuum cleaner back and slow in both directions. If you move in one direction only, you will not get rid of all the dirt since some will hide inside the fibres. Therefore, you should repeat the same spot multiple times to remove every speck of dust from your rug. While you do not need to deep clean daily, thorough vacuuming occasionally is good for your carpets.
Vacuuming the edges can be difficult. However, you can use the crevice attachment to clean the edges of the walls, corners, and underneath unmovable furniture. Stairs can also be problematic to manoeuvre the vacuum head. You will need a hose attachment to reach every crevice on the stairs.
If you have raised furniture in your living room, you should vacuum beneath them. Dust builds up underneath the sofas and on bookshelves, and if you do not clean it, they will pile up on the carpet. Using the floor attachment will pick up any dirt underneath the furniture.
Dust Your House Before Vacuuming
In the past, vacuum cleaners emitted debris alongside their exhaust. Therefore, you had to dust after vacuuming the room. Nowadays, with HEPA filters, you do not have to worry about debris from the appliance. It would help if you shook your curtains to release the dust and let it settle before vacuuming. It would be best if you also dusted the furniture, entertainment centres, and shelves. Cleaning the carpet before dusting is a waste of time since the dirt from the surfaces will settle back on the rugs.
Prepare the Area
Pick up items lying around the floors, including toys or pet beds. When removing the objects, focus on small items like paper clips that could damage the vacuum cleaner. The objects could clog the appliance and impair the suction. Occasionally, you can move around the furniture to clean underneath them. Cleaning beneath the furniture can be done monthly.
Remove Stains Before Vacuuming
Vacuum cleaners are not stain-removers. Therefore, if you have stains on your rugs ensure you deal with them before vacuuming. Treating spots will boost the results of your vacuuming. Even with regular vacuuming, you also need to deep-clean your carpets. Deep cleaning using shampoo and steam removes any dirt in the carpet fibres, which means your vacuuming work will be easier.
With the above tips, you can vacuum your floors professionally. Besides, they make cleaning fun and easy. If you adopt good vacuuming habits, you can preserve the life of your carpets and improve the air quality in the house.
