How to Properly Vacuum Your Carpets
You may be asking yourself does anyone born in the last century really need instructions to tell them how to vacuum the carpet? Anyone who has grown up in a home that was cleaned on a regular basis should know how to work a vacuum right? Its pretty simple plug in machine and push and pull over carpet to suck out dirt, but there are actually a few best practices when vacuuming that can result in a cleaner carpet.
Get a good quality vacuum. This doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy the most expensive cleaner on the market just don’t buy the cheapest one either. A low-grade vacuum can result in dirt, dust and dander being spit back into the air and carpet in your home. You want to find a vacuum with a great filter and one that is sealed well. The whole point of vacuuming is to get that stuff out of your home not redistribute it.
Dust and wipe down surfaces in your home from top to bottom first.Grab your duster or a clean rag and start with the highest surface like a ceiling fan or bookshelf and wipe clean working your way down to the floor. Also give those curtains a good shake they collect lots of dust and dander as well. When you are done wiping the dust off of surfaces don’t go straight to the closet to grab the vacuum wait a few minutes to let the dust settle.
Always start with a clean canister/bag and vacuum. Once you are ready to plug your cleaner in and get vacuuming make sure it is clean. The cleaner the vacuum the better the suction.
Pull the vacuum back slowly. Many people are tempted to get the vacuuming done as quick as possible and go about the house pushing and pulling as fast as they possibly can don’t! Push at whatever speed you please but when you pull the vacuum toward yourself that is when the brush is doing the most work agitating the fibers and pulling the icky stuff out of your carpet.
Overlap the row you just vacuumed. Be sure to overlap at least half of the row in the carpet you previously vacuumed. This will ensure that every spot on the carpet is vacuumed at least twice. Some vacuum manufacturers suggest going over the same spot in the carpet 2-4 times.
It is also good to switch the direction that you vacuum once in a while.
Use the attachments they are there for a reason. Pull out the hose and use those funky little things that fit on the end of it to clean out corners and crevices at least twice a month and while you are at it don’t forget about sliding door tracts and air vents.
With proper vacuuming you can prolong the life of your carpet and even add years to it. A good rule of thumb is to vacuum low traffic areas weekly and high traffic areas twice weekly. For homes with very high traffic and pets it may be beneficial to vacuum daily. For more carpet caretips visit our home remedies page. If you need a deep down clean don’t hesitate to give us a call..