Five Things You Must Do Before You Can Vacuum

Vacuuming your carpets shouldn't be considered one chore because there are other tasks you must do first if you don't want to just have to vacuum all over again.

First, do any dusting, wiping down of surfaces, or even changing of the bed linens. Everytime you move something above the floor microscopic particles will shake out and settle down into the floor. If you vacuumed first you'd miss them.

Second, pick up anything on the floor that is not furniture. You might even want to pick up some of the lightweight pieces every few months. This can take a long time but until you pick things up off the floor you don't know how much dirt is underneath them. There might be nothing. They could even have protected it. Or there could be a squished cracker under there. If you missed it then you'd just have to haul the vacuum out later.

Third, check the bag or dustbin. Make sure it's not full and the filter is clean. Otherwise the vacuum will pick up very little dirt and you'll just need to clean again sooner.

Fourth, set the vacuum to the type of floor covering you'll be cleaning. The height of the cleaning brushes needs to match whether you have high-pile carpet, low-pile carpet, or are vacuuming over a hard surface like linoleum or wood flooring. Otherwise either dust will get missed or it will be very hard to move the vacuum.

Fifth, make sure all the hoses are secure and the power cord unwound and ready to go. This may sound odd, but there are some models of vacuums where if the hoses are seated correctly after using the hand-held option the vacuum will then blow dust right into your face when you try to clean the floor.

You are now finally ready to vacuum!

Turn the vacuum on and start moving it back and forth. Make sure to move backwards as well as forwards over each area because most vacuums pick up more dirt when being pulled towards you. Get under and next to the furniture as best you can.

Then, switch to hand-held mode and use the hoses and attachments to get further under furniture, into corners, and that little crack between the baseboard on the wall and the edge of your carpet. This is where dust tends to accumulate.

You'll want to repeat this process at least once a week to keep your carpet looking fresh and yourself breathing easier.