Vacuuming the Right Way

If you’re wondering, “Is there a wrong way to vacuum?” The answer is yes there is. It’s not something most people think about when they get their vacuum out of the closet and plug it in. Just turn the thing on and move it around the room and it does what it is supposed to do, suck up dirt, dust, pet hair, and any other foreign substance that’s in the carpet.

Unfortunately it’s not quite that easy. There is a more efficient way to push it around ensuring that you get the maximum cleaning potential out of your carpet cleaning machine. It’s more of an understanding how not to vacuum instead of how to vacuum.

Think about how you normally move your vacuum around the room. If you’re like most people you push it straight forward and then pull it back at an angle, setting up for the next straight forward push on the next section of carpet. This is the typical W pattern almost everyone uses.

Here’s the problem with doing it that way. Did you know that most vacuums don’t work as well going forward as they do when going backwards. So if you’re doing the W pattern a good half of your carpet is not being vacuumed as well as it could be. So what’s the best way to take full advantage of your vacuums cleaning ability? The answer is coming, but first let’s look at a few other things you can do to improve your carpet cleaning efficiency.

First, slow down. We’re all pressed for time but rushing through will leave more dirt behind. Slowing down will allow the vacuum to do a thorough job and remove as much dirt as possible. The more dirt you get out the longer your carpet will last, so slow down and do it right.

Second, you need to make sure your vacuum is well maintained. Take it out of the closet and give it a good going over. Check that the belts are tight, the rotating brush is wound with hair, string, and other things, and the hoses aren’t plugged with debris. Also check the vacuum bag, if it’s over half full replace it. Same with a canister vac. When the bag or canister begins to fill up the suction power starts to go down, negatively affecting its cleaning efficiency.

Third, make sure the rotating brush is set to the right height. On a manually adjustable vacuum the brush should just touch the top of the carpet fibers. If it’s to high it won’t do much of anything and to low it will bog down and not loosen the dirt enough to be sucked up. On a self adjusting model this is not an issue.

Now that your ready to vacuum let’s go over the proper way to get a maximum clean. Do the W pattern, but in reverse. The forward stroke is to position the vacuum for the straight backward stroke. So angle steer forward, pull straight back.

If there is one thing you can do to protect your carpet and extend its life it’s vacuuming the right way.