How to Vacuum More Efficiently
The key to a good vacuum is to go over each spot about six times so as to remove most of the dirt. It’s a job that cannot be rushed, slowly pushing your vac back and forth around your floors so that your hoover has time to pick up the dirt.
It’s the cleaning task that should be done last, dust, feather dust and wipe clean first to knock all the dust to the floor which can then be vacuumed. Before vacuuming make sure you declutter first, making the job so much easier.
On a carpet, start by the door and work your way across the room, going back and forth. You need to overlap each strip by a little, because your vacuum doesn’t clean absolutely up to the edge of the machine. (Many people have a habit of pushing back and forward in lots of small movements, as they might sweep a floor. This takes longer and means you miss bits.)
Use an attachment to go around the edges at the skirting board. This only needs doing on a monthly basis on carpeted areas, however, on wooden floors this needs doing daily as dust and dirt collects at corners and edges.
Vacuum rug fringes by moving from the rug towards the end of the fringes. Going the other way will suck up the fringes and can jam the moving parts of your vacuum
When vacuuming hard floors, remember to switch off the beater bar or choose the hard-floor attachment if your machine has one. Always vacuum in the direction of the planks.
If your vacuum suddenly sounds different, stop immediately. Unplug it, then check for blockages. Typically an odd noise is caused by something caught in the brush bar. Continuing to use the vacuum whilst it is blocked in any way will burn out your motor or other moving parts.
Check your manual for advice on undoing the brush bar to remove stuff. Don’t stretch for that extra metre and risk damaging your machine or tripping over taut flex. Stop and plug the vacuum in again at a closer socket.
When you’re in a hurry just do the areas that are used most.