I have owned several vacuums and I am proud to say that each one of those lasted its entire lifespan. From cleaning it regularly to using the right settings, the little things go a long way in helping you get the most from your vacuum.
Here are my top five tips to use a vacuum cleaner:
1. Do Pre-Vacuuming Maintenance
One of the best ways to avoid blockages in your vacuum is to remove clutter from the floor before vacuuming. Pick up toys, cable wires large food items, clothing, and even seemingly harmless small objects.
You might end up having to replace a part or repair the vacuum if any of these items get stuck inside the cleaner. The problem is sometimes you may not even know where in the vacuum the blockage is, forcing you to disassemble the entire machine.
Also, obstructions in any part of the vacuum will drastically reduce the suction power, which means longer cleaning times and less than stellar cleaning results.
Removing clutter from the floor is especially important if you have a robot vacuum. These little cleaners have sensors that cause them to avoid any obstacles along their path.
You will get the most from your robot or mopping vacuum if your rooms are relatively clutter-free. Importantly, remove any obstacles underneath furniture to allow the bot to get to those hard-to-reach areas.
2. Go Over It Multiple Times
Robot vacuums have dirt sensors that can detect particularly dirty areas that need extra attention. The bot will actually circle on the dirty spot and get it as clean as possible.
For a regular upright or canister vacuum, you would have to manually go over an area several times. No matter how powerful your robot is, going over the floor just once is not usually enough.
For busy and pet-heavy households, not only should you go over areas severally, you should also vacuum from different directions. Pet hair can be particularly difficult to get rid of especially on furniture and carpet.
How many times is enough? This will really depend on how dirty your floors and surfaces are. I would recommend going over areas not less than five times or more especially if your pets are heavy shedders or you allow people to come into your house with shoes.
3. Adjust The Settings Accordingly
Did you know that different floor types require a different vacuuming approach? The way you vacuum carpets is not the way you would vacuum hardwood floors. Proper floor care can improve the longevity of your floors and keep your vacuum working better for longer.
An upright vacuum such as the Shark Navigator Lift-Away automatically adjust their height depending on the floor settings. A robot vacuum such as the iRobot 960 also adjusts its head accordingly when it moves from carpet to hard floor and vice versa.
If your vacuum does not have an auto-adjusting function, use the available buttons or features to adjust the settings according to the type of flooring. The right setting will deliver the appropriate suction power needed to clean the surface properly.
As you transition from one floor to another, change the settings accordingly. One way to protect your rugs or carpet and keep the vacuum working properly is to turn off the beater bar or the rolling brushes underneath the vacuum head.
While the beater bar does a great job of cleaning hard floors and low-pile wall-to-wall carpet, it might not be the best when cleaning area rugs and high pile carpets and may actually destroy these. So turning the rolling brushes off is a smart thing to do here.
Lastly, look at how the vacuum is performing on the surface you are cleaning. If a particular setting does not seem to be producing the best cleaning result, opt for another one until you get a setting that is a good match for your floor type.
4. Maintain A Regular Cleaning Schedule
How often you vacuum your home will depend on your lifestyle. If yours is a pet heavy or busy household, consider vacuuming at least three times a week or more if needed. Having a cordless vacuum nearby can be of great help especially for easy and regular cleaning of stairs.
Going too long without vacuuming means you will have to overwork the machine on the days you decide to vacuum. Allowing dust and debris to accumulate also increases the risk of blockages as you would force the vacuum to pick up a large amount of dirt all at once.
As you might expect, overworking the vacuum can have side effects such an overheating motor, burning odors, and loss of suction. In other words, putting your vacuum cleaner through heavy use all at once can drastically reduce its lifespan.
A robot vacuum is a nice investment that will keep your floors generally clean. To get the most out of your robot, use it regularly. That being said, a robot vac cannot replace your regular vacuum rather, they should supplement each other. In fact, a robot vacuum works best in a fairly clean house and will come in handy for light floor maintenance.
5. Keep Your Vacuum Clean
Your vacuum works hard to keep your home clean and you should return the favor! Keeping your vacuum clean is hands down the best thing you can do to get the most out of your cleaner for longer.
For starters, try emptying the bin after each cleaning session, especially if you are using a robot vacuum. While the robot will tell you when the bin is full, you do not have to wait until the ‘Bin Full’ indicator comes on.
The same goes for bagless and bagged vacuums. Keep an eye on the amount of dirt in there and empty the bag or canister when it is about half way full. If you can do this after every vacuuming session, that would be a plus.
All in all, a good practice is to start vacuuming with an empty bin. As the bin continues to fill up, the vacuum gradually loses suction, making your cleaning less effective. At the same time, excess dust from the bin can permeate other parts of the vacuum such as the motor and result in overheating.
Every month or so, consider cleaning the inner parts of your vacuum. For a robot vacuum, this would include cleaning the wheels, side brushes, and rollers. For a regular vacuum, clean the beater bar, hose and attachments. Be sure to replace worn out parts as early as possible. Vacuuming with worn out parts not only causes the vacuum to work extra hard but it also makes for a less effective cleaning experience
Conclusion
A good vacuum does not come cheap. Proper maintenance and a little bit of TLC will keep your vacuum working for longer. Be sure to not only vacuum regularly but to also empty the bin as often as possible for the best cleaning results.
Do you have any questions or comments? Please leave them below!