Everyone knows how to vacuum. Or at least, everyone thinks they know how to vacuum. Strangely enough, vacuuming isn’t quite as intuitive as we make it out to be. In fact, if you’re choosing carpet for your home that’s delicate, expensive, or made of natural fibers, the way you vacuum can have a serious effect on your rug’s look and longevity after a few days of cleaning. Don’t worry: Even if you’re making all the common vacuuming mistakes, such as leaving your setting on too high or forgetting to go over certain spots twice, you can easily learn the right way to take care of your carpet. Between taking your new purchase in for regular doses of the best Carpet Cleaning Kirkland Wa and learning the best way to clean and protect your rug in the long term, you’ll be looking at a long-lasting, healthy carpet that won’t quit on you years ahead of time. Even if you think you know how to vacuum without hurting your home goods, here are a few tips and tricks to be aware of.
Pay Attention to Setting
Many homeowners aren’t actually aware of this, but your vacuum comes with different height settings to use depending on different factors of your rug, including fiber type, fiber length, and the density of the knit style. While you might not know offhand what the right setting is for your carpet, you can easily look it up online to spare your rug from getting shoddy vacuum treatment. Why switch up the height between rug styles? Simple: A too-low setting could end up getting longer fibers caught in the machine, resulting in pulled or damaged strands, while a too-high setting runs the risk of not picking up any dirt at all. A just-right setting, on the other hand, will do a great job of protecting your rug from damage while picking up any dirt and dust particles that have settled beneath the surface.
Use the Right Attachment
Your vacuum setting isn’t the only thing that should be adjusted for each rug type. Your vacuum comes with a ton of different head attachments for a reason. While you might be prone to stick with one (the most traditional-looking attachment) and store the others in a drawer never to be heard from again, it would behoove you to take some time to actually look into what your different attachments are for. If you still have your user’s manual, it will tell you all about what styles to use for certain rug types, concerns, and areas. For instance, a smaller attachment with bristles at the end is great for picking up tiny particles of dirt and dust, while a larger, clunkier attachment works as a broom and vacuum to gather larger pieces of debris and sweep them up into the machine as it goes.
Clean Your Filter
Cleaning your vacuum bag is a pain, and replacing it is even worse. However, many newer, smaller models make cleaning your vacuum easy. All you have to do is open the top and clean the filter by hand. Once you’ve opened it, you’ll see a gigantic collection of lint, hair, and crumbs that are most likely making it much harder for your vacuum to do its job. Cleaning this filter about once every two weeks will help your vacuum get a more thorough clean and keep it healthier for longer. If you have a vacuum bag, you’ll be able to get more use out of it by pushing down the debris to make room for new vacuum jobs. Eventually, however, you’ll have to swap it out. Ideally, you shouldn’t go more than a month or two without swapping out a bag.
Stay Regular
Vacuuming once in a blue moon simply isn’t going to cut it, especially if you have a rug that gets a lot of foot traffic. The best way to keep a clean rug and floor surface is to make a cleaning schedule and stick with it. For instance, if you vacuum your whole house once a week, try to clean more dirt-prone or heavy traffic areas twice during the week. That way, you won’t have to deal with build-up that’s too dense to pick up with just one vacuuming job every week.
Skip the Dusting
While it might seem counterintuitive, it’s actually way better to save dusting for a later date rather than dusting before vacuuming. Your duster will do nothing but spread around dust particles to settle on your freshly-vacuumed rug right after you’ve finished.