Cleaning isn’t always fun, but if done right, it can make a big difference in your home. Using a vacuum to suck up debris, dust and pet hair from your floor not only makes your house look better, it also improves your indoor air quality, as those germs and dirt particles won’t be kicked up by walking.
But if you’re like me, you probably didn’t know there was a right and wrong way to clean your floors. Even if you have the best vacuum on the market, using it improperly will prevent the tool from working properly and your floors will not be as clean as they could be.
We’ve done a lot of thorough and in-depth lab testing to make sure we’re recommending the best wireless routers, robots and budgets on the market. As we all know, the best tool won’t help much if we don’t use it properly. So, by combining top vacuums with professional cleaning tips, you’re sure to have tidy floors in no time.
The right way to vacuum your home
Those short, quick, back-and-forths that most people do when cleaning doesn’t suck up all that dust, dirt and lint embedded in carpets and floors. The most efficient way to clean — and the way professional cleaners do it — is to move forward, in orderly lines.
You will start by removing a strip of carpet in one area, wall to wall. This first pass should be against carpet nap to open up and make deep dirt come out easily. The way to tell if you are covering the nap correctly is that the piles of the carpet stick to the surface or look a little darker.
Next, put the vacuum back over that strip you just tapped. This will put the carpet back on the floor and will absorb all the dirt that was missed on the first pass. Once you’re back in your starting position, sew another row next to the first one, overlapping slightly. Keep repeating this process until the entire room is thoroughly covered.
Once you’ve completed that step, go perpendicular: If you cleaned north to south the first time, clean east to west on this second pass. Yes, it’s more work and maybe it looks like overkill, but this method ensures that you get all the dirt and debris, which will keep your carpet clean and looking new for a long time.
For more helpful vacuum information, check out the best Roomba alternatives to keep your floors clean and the best robot vacuum deals available now.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25728924/STK133_BLUESKY__B.jpg?w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "Bluesky now has a chat tab in your notification area")