It couldn’t be easier to plug in your vacuum cleaner and start running it over the floors of your home, and even easier if you’ve got a cordless one (provided its fully charged). But, as simple as this particular cleaning task may seem, it may be that you’re not doing it as effectively as you could be.
Even if a cleaning service take care of most of the vacuuming in your home for you, if you spot some debris or dust that needs sucking up in between their visits, you’re probably going to get the vacuum out and suck it up yourself.
To help you get the most out of your vacuuming efforts, here are some pointers to follow:
Dust before you vacuum
Sound counterintuitive? Well, while it does require a little extra effort, dusting before you tackle any flooring surface simply makes sense. It helps you avoid having to vacuum twice, and speeds up the time it takes you to do it.
Vacuuming and then dusting isn’t effective at all, so unless you’re just running the vacuum over a small area to pick up debris, grab your microfiber duster and run it over the surfaces first.
Work methodically
With a plan in place as to how you vacuum, you can get the job done in half the time. Dusting first is one way to make your vacuuming efforts take less time and be more effective, as is planning your route around your home, so that you start at the rooms or spaces furthest away, and work your way back.
Remove all clutter and obstacles
By moving anything out of your path that is likely to slow you down, or make your vacuuming less effective, you can whizz around the floors in half the time. Obviously larger items such as furniture, may have to stay where it is when you’re doing an express vacuuming session, but if you can have at least one day a month where you shift all furniture so that you can vacuum underneath them, you’ll find your express sessions are even more express.
Start in the room and make your way out
It makes sense to start vacuuming inside a room and then work your way out through the door. This way you shouldn’t miss anything, provided you don’t randomly run the vacuum cleaner around, and instead, use it in a pattern that ensures every inch of the floor is clean.
Tackle the dirtiest spaces first
Unless you clean your vacuum cleaner in between every room that you use it in, you’re bound to transfer some dust from one space to another. To minimize this, however, you can begin with the least dusty or dirty spaces first, and finish with the worst ones.
It might not take a genius to vacuum a home, but with some smart planning and a little bit of foresight, you can make the most of your vacuuming efforts and get your home clean more effectively, in less time. For vacuuming that doesn’t require any foresight or planning at all, simply hire a local cleaning service!