When you vacuum your home, you’re not simply cleaning for appearance — you’re also protecting the health of yourself and your family.
Vacuuming your carpets regularly is essential for a healthy home.
Each human sheds over 9 pounds of skin cells every year.
Food and crumbs dropped on the carpet surface eventually get ground deep into the carpets.
Pollen, dust mite waste, and mold spores accumulate in your carpets.
Pet hair, dander (skin cells), and anything they track around on their feet end up on the surface of your carpet, and eventually get ground in deep into your carpet.
Vacuuming, of course, is the best way to remove the surface contaminants from your carpets and area rugs between professional hot-water extraction deep cleanings, and before they work their way down deep into the carpet fibers.
I recommend vacuuming at least once per week, but ideally 2-3 times a week — and if you have pets, 3 times a week minimum. Your high-traffic areas, and your pet’s favorite spots will definitely benefit from daily vacuuming.
For best results
please slow down!
The most common errors that people make when they vacuum is that they want to get it over with. So they end up vacuuming too quickly — and only in one direction.
The correct way to vacuum is slowly, making multiple passes in multiple directions — north to south, and east to west movements. If you only vacuum in one direction, you’re not removing as much of the dirt and dust as possible.
After each use, check your vacuum to make sure the belts, beater-bar, vacuum bag, and HEPA filter are all in good condition to make sure your vacuum always runs at top performance and efficiency.
If you use a bagged vacuum cleaner, please change your bag when it’s half full. The vacuum will begin to lose its efficiency if the bag is more than half full. And never reuse your vacuum bags.
Vacuuming does not count as “carpet cleaning”.
No matter how often and how well you vacuum, some of the dirt, debris, and the other contaminants work their way down deep into carpets. Also, vacuuming is not effective at removing oily residues that accumulate in your carpet from airborne cooking oils, oil-based air fresheners, fireplace and candle soot, cigarette smoke, suntan sprays, and a host of other sources.
To get deep down dirt, fiber-damaging particles, and oily residues out of your carpet, I highly recommend professional Hot Water Extraction cleaning every 12 – 18 months for the average home.
Article: How often should you have your carpets professionally cleaned?
What to look for
in a new vacuum cleaner
Are you looking to buy a quality vacuum cleaner? I recommend purchasing one with 2 motors — that way, the brushes and the suction each have their own motor to really help dig out deeply-embedded loose soils.
I also recommend a vacuum with a HEPA filter (short for High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter), especially if you suffer from allergies.
These vacuums are great for trapping microns and allergens in the air and also great for allowing less pollutants back into breathing air while vacuuming.
Using anti-allergy vacuums with a HEPA filter can trap up to 99.9 percent of airborne particles, greatly improving your indoor air quality. Regular vacuums just blow these particles back into the air.
