With the carpets coming back in style and our schedules becoming busier and busier with the passing day, the need for vacuum cleaners has peaked more than ever. But one of the major problems before adding this helping hand to any household is that people are often confused about how exactly a vacuum cleaner would help their morning cleaning routine, or if their home is the right fit for the vacuum cleaner. Do you find yourself asking the same question, then we have everything you need to know about how to use a vacuum cleaner in the article below.
How do Vacuum Cleaners work?
Before we answer the question of whether a vacuum clear is the ideal fit for your home, it is first important to understand what is a vacuum cleaner and what exactly it can do for you. Let us explain it in the following way.
Step 1: Negative air pressure- Tube
Imagine you have a large tube that works like a straw to suck up all the dust particles and the debris on your floor and store it in a little box for you to collect and throw away later. This is essentially what a vacuum cleaner does. Creating a negative pressure of air in the tube, the pressure drops below the atmospheric pressure making it possible for the particles to be moved physically. This flow of air directs the movement of the unwanted particles inside essentially creating a vacuum in the space.
Step 2: Electric motor- Body
Attached to an electric motor that works by spinning a fan, this part is sucking the air in. However, any particles larger than the dust particles can cause problems in the seamless working of the vacuum. This is where the electric fan comes into play, creating a filter for the vacuum catching up any small particles and pushing them on the other side in a bag or canister. To provide the motor with a place to vent out the air pressure that is built up in the machine, the vacuum cleaner comes with a vent to work as exhaust ports to the other side, making sure that your motor keeps working without any hitch.
Step 3: Filter- Back of the body
Though the electric fan works in separating the small particles, if the air is released in the environment as it is sucked in, it would essentially be transferring dust from the ground to the air, making it a hazardous job for you. But don’t worry, for every vacuum cleaner comes along with a fine filter, often a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate arresting) filter making sure that the entire dust collection done by the vacuum is collected within the machine, letting out only clean air. This will make sure that you never have any trouble breathing with this machine.
Optional: Attachments
If you are wondering how to measure the working of your vacuum cleaner, it is a combination of the power of its motor and the size of the intake port that will ultimately work in sucking up the dirt. This would imply that the smaller the size of this intake port, the more the power of suction is generated by squeezing the same amount of air through a smaller port making the air move faster. This is where the role of attachment comes in, providing a narrow and small entry port making your vacuum more powerful with a simple suction.
If you step out in the market, every single company comes with a different work structure, however the basic principle of working, creating negative pressure with the help of a fan and trapping the dirt, filtering the dusty air and then releasing clean air back making the air in your environment much cleaner!
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Tips and tricks on How to use a vacuum cleaner perfectly?
Now that you have a clear idea of how a vacuum cleaner works, let us understand in detail how to work it in your daily life. So to make your life easier, we have broken down the complete process of vacuuming into 5 major steps. So take out your notepad and read along!
1. Find the right attachment for your vacuum
Most of the vacuum cleaners come with one to two attachments, and it is advised for a user to get familiar with them to help you save time and effort. Let us understand the main attachments and what they are meant to do.
- Crevice Tool
A very tight attachment that draws the surface area to a very small section, is majorly for the small and sharp corners or the crevices as the name suggests. This attachment draws out the dust from every small area that a vacuum cleaner would not otherwise reach. This is majorly used to clear the corners, under attached tables and cabinets, and the place where the floor meets the wall.
- Upholstery Brush
Contrary to what many of us think, the vacuum cleaner is not just for your carpets, it can even take care of your upholstery. As suggested by the name this attachment is perfect for your couch, drapes, or diwans in the home making it a perfect way to clean out the spilled packet of chips that have just integrated into your couch.
- Hard Floor Brush
Coming with small soft bristles bordering it which will make sure that it will protect hard surfaces like tiles. Hardwood and stone from getting scratched from the powerhead mechanism, which is otherwise designed for carpets. So the functioning of this attachment is basically a broom with an additional vacuuming benefit.
- Dusting brush
If you hate dusting your keyboard or other parts of the house, then this is the perfect attachment for you. Getting dirt out of the small keys and other small places the dusting brush works by sucking up the dust which makes sure that you are not left coughing.
- Powerhead
The perfect attachment for the carpets, it makes cleaning your rugs an easy task. With a small brush that comes attached to the base digs in your carpet gently and cleans it out thoroughly within fibers getting you nice clean cutlines.
These attachments make specifics of your cleaning really easy making sure that you don’t have to struggle with the machine. We suggest that you clean with your attachments first, clean out all your furniture and corners before cleaning up the floor. Just before you get down to the cleaning part, make sure that you have the right tool for the right task!
2. Use additional cleaning items like baking soda
Carpets due to being constantly under attack from shoes and slippers, can harbor a lot of dirt and then unfortunately smells, but what if we told you that there is a good way to clean all that up. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on your rug and let it sit. It will work its magic after around 15 minutes. You can simply vacuum the carpet as you would normally do after 15 minutes. This will not only work wonders in killing the germs but is also a perfect solution for deodorizing your rugs.
Another beautiful thing that baking soda can do for all the pet owners tired of combing out the hair from their carpets is to loosen up the fibers of the rugs and help you detach the stuck pet hair. This amazing technique is used once every 2.5 months to make sure that your carpet is always clean!
3. Find the perfect vacuum cut lines
Nothing says a freshly cleaned home more than the crisp vacuum lines, but did you know that there is a perfect way to create these geometric beauties? Divide your room into sections if the surface area is really large, and always work outside in, starting at the far end corner of your room generally opposite to your exit. Now keep the vacuum canister behind you and the tube in front of you nestling it right into the corner. Now hit the power button and pull it straight back to the end of your section and go right back on the same line that you made. After this, pull it back at an angle and repeat till you get at the end of the section. This means that you have three values at the same patch giving you the optimal cleaning pattern, while also making sure that you don’t end up stepping in an already vacuumed area. Repeat it with all the sections and make sure that you have the perfect magazine line.
4. Work in slow motion
Vacuuming though might seem to work quickly, cannot be done in a hurry. Though we want our vacuuming to be done quickly, it is really important to take your time with the process of cleaning. With slow deliberate passes, you will be able to make sure that you suck up as many dust bunnies as possible. So make sure that you play a track you like in the background, take out a decent amount of time from your day, and clean in peace without rushing.
5. Instead of away from the door, try towards the door
One of the biggest nightmares while cleaning is vacuuming yourself in a corner and a sure-shot way to always avoid it is to make sure that you are vacuuming towards the door. Always start your vacuuming at the opposite end of your room from your exit point. That way there won’t be any footprints on your freshly cleaned-out carpets. Another thing to note here is to plug in your vacuum to the closest point to the door so that you don’t have to walk a line of footsteps while taking out the plug of your cleaner. If you have a small cord, either invest in an extension cord or reposition your cleaner as you go along.
Small tips
- Make sure that you look in the place that you are cleaning up for any small objects like toys, pencils, paper clips, or paper pieces. This will make sure that these objects don’t get stuck in the electric fan and break your vacuum.
- Move any furniture or objects on your floor, to make sure that you don’t end up tumbling yourself or hitting the handle while working. For example, move out all the chairs from the drawing-room before starting up on that.
- Empty the bag after every cleaning. This will make sure that the suction power is not affected by an overflowing dirt cart. To make sure that your vacuum works the best, don’t let your dirtbag get more full than three-quarters full.
- Vacuum often. This will make sure that your vacuuming doesn’t take as long, and also makes it easier for your machine. This will also make sure that your air is not as dusty avoiding serious problems like allergies and asthma.
- Plan your vacuum. Before you start vacuuming, clean out all the other things, making sure that you have all the dust floating in the air before cleaning out with a vacuum improving the air quality in your room!
Places to vacuum more often:
Though you should vacuum once every four days, there are some places that require more frequent attention. These include:
- The drawers
These closed spaces end up taking up a lot of dirt and dust, making them a target to clean! So make sure that you clean these often no matter how much they are used.
- Drapes and curtains
Other huge dirt attractors are your blinds, drapes, and curtains, as the dust circulates between the position next to the window. This can prove to be disturbing for people with respiratory diseases. So make sure that you use the dusting brush to clean out these places carefully
- Mattresses
Even if you clean your bedsheet, dust it often and keep a clean wash cycle, there can still be dirt in your mattress. It is very important to clean these with the upholstery attachment.
- Under the bed/ cabinets
Another favorite place for the dust to be under the major furniture in your home. This means that it will require you to pay twice as much attention to that!
- Computer keyboard
A thing that would not often catch your attention as dirty, with as much of a contact with our hands as the keyboard has it is important to make sure that you clean the keyboard often. This will also make sure that your computer doesn’t end up damaged anytime soon!
- Window sills
Another place where you can almost always find dust is the sills of the window. Though many people prefer clothes to clean the sills, using a vacuum can make it possible to remove the allergens from the air helping you to breathe better.
Mistakes to take care of before vacuuming
There are somethings that you should never do while vacuuming, and to make sure you have a checklist, we have listed the most common ones down below:
- Never vacuum with a dirty filter
- Never wait to empty the bag until it is full
- Always use the correct vacuum attachment for its correct purpose
- Always dust the furniture surfaces before vacuuming the floor
- Always remove sharp small objects from the floor to protect your machine.
- Always remove the furniture before vacuuming
- Always take care of your machine
- Never hurry your vacuuming along, always take your time
- Always adjust your Vacuum’s height according to yours
- Never wait to vacuum till you can see the dust
Conclusion
The vacuum can either be your best friend in cleaning or can be a tedious task to do. Just make sure that you follow all of our tips to make your cleaning process the best it can be!