Vacuuming is a part of the usual and regular cleaning process of the house. Since you might be doing it weekly or on a monthly basis, you highly unlikely to evaluate your skills. And since almost everyone adopts the same vacuuming techniques, why will anyone want to improve their vacuuming skills? The fact of the matter is that if the majority is doing the same thing, it does not necessarily mean it is right. They might also be making the same basic mistakes by copying others and this is something you should avoid. Although vacuuming appears to be an easy procedure from the outside but there is a lot that goes behind the scenes.
Making the task a race
The first basic mistake when it comes to vacuuming is making the task a race, which always results in improper cleaning. We understand that everyone is busy and cannot take out the time to spend hours vacuuming the house. However, you should know that vacuuming requires a bit of patience and focus. Even if you are using a professional vacuum, it will not be able to effectively pick any dirt if you are using it in a hurry.
When you are moving too fast, you are not giving the vacuum enough time to lift the dirt stuck deep inside the carpets. What this means is that your carpet will lose its shine and newness quickly and you will have to vacuum again after a while. Therefore, it is suggested when vacuuming, move slowly and allow the machine to lift as much dirt as possible so that your time and effort is worth it.
Not vacuuming enough
The frequency of vacuuming actually depends on the intensity of human traffic in your house. If you have a big family or friends coming over everyday, then you might want to consider vacuuming almost daily. If not, then atleast twice or thrice a week. Then again, we understand that you might not have that much time during the day but in this case, it is a necessity. You can either work yourself to keep your carpet clean or ignore it until it is permanently damaged. Furthermore, you will also need to move the furniture atleast once a month to clean the floor. You would not want dust lying there for ages.
Not emptying the bag
While everyone wants their carpets and rugs to look clean, nobody wants to perform the dirty job of cleaning the bag regularly. This is a basic and perhaps the only maintenance required by your vacuum cleaner. Not changing the vacuum bag is like ignoring changing the engine oil of your vehicle. If you do that, after a while, your engine will simply give up and will be up for an overhaul. Therefore, if you were to regularly clean the bag, you will not have to deal with heaps of dust. Simply make sure that you empty the bag after the second vacuuming task.
Not using the right machine
Not using the right machine will make all your efforts go into vain. For instance, if you are someone who regularly vacuums the house, then you cannot work with a regular full-size machine as it will make maneuverability and portability stressful. On the other hand, if your carpets require deep cleaning, you will need to use a deep cleaner. Deep cleaners are specially designed to deep clean the carpets and rugs so that their fibers are restored to being as good as new. Furthermore, if you plan on vacuuming the staircases and other such areas, you might want to consider using Upright vacuums.
Not vacuuming in both directions
Not vacuuming in both directions is one of the most common vacuuming mistakes. Most people tend to vacuum in one direction only. As a result, stubborn dirt particles will not be picked up by the machine. Therefore, you need to vacuum in zigzag, up and down, and sideways to make sure that your carpet is cleared of dust. When dust accumulates, the fibers of the carpet twist. To tackle the situation, you need to adopt different vacuuming directions.
Ignoring the attachments
Bashing your machine or your hands against the furniture to get the dirt out is not proper vacuuming. Vacuum cleaners come with attachments for a reason. For instance, an upright stick with a brush at the moment is meant for rugs and carpets. However, if you want to access narrow and small areas, you can simply take off the attachments as well. Not using the attachments that come along is a popular mistake and most of the time users do not even want to use them to see how big of a difference they can make. Therefore, use the attachments that come along and make sure that you reach areas that are otherwise hard to reach.
Dusting the furniture
Sometimes the problem lies in the order of dusting. When beginning to vacuum your house, make sure that you dust your furniture and other things rather than doing the opposite. If you were to vacuum first and then dust, imagine where it will lead you. Of course, right where you began. Therefore, the proper way of doing it is first dusting the furniture and allowing the dust to settle on the floor, and then vacuum.
Vacuuming over hard objects
Users most often tend to get close to hard objects with their vacuums. While it might not hurt the first time but you should not be getting into the habit. It is suggested that before vacuuming, remove any hard objects on the floor that can cause significant damage to the machine if sucked. Then again, the first time you might have gotten lucky but the second time might lead you to paying expensive repair bills. Therefore, set aside the laziness and make sure that the vacuuming area is clear of any potentially harmful objects.
Operating with the wrong settings
The last vacuuming mistake you can make is operating the machine with the wrong settings. Depending on the surface and area you intend to vacuum, you will need to use attachments, adjust the height and speed, etc. otherwise your vacuuming process will be ineffective. The best way to ensure that the task is successful is by listening to the vacuum machine.
You will have to run it over a carpet a few times to observe how it is managing the dirt. It might be that your carpet requires deep-cleaning and for that, you will need to purchase a deep carpet cleaner. Whereas in other cases, you might be using excessive speed for no reason. Areas that have comparatively less dirt can be vacuumed using low to medium speed. High speed will only consume excessive energy and put the motor under unnecessary stress.
Conclusion
Even though vacuuming is an easy process but some people tend to make it complicated for themselves by committing the mistakes mentioned above. This is why you should go the extra length to ensure that your vacuuming efforts are always fruitful. Otherwise, you will simply keep on repeating the same process without any considerable results.