You’re Probably Not Vacuuming Your Home Enough — An Expert Weighs In

There is no doubt about it: some people love to vacuum, while others dread it. But whether you’re a fan of vacuuming or not, knowing how to do it right (and how often!) is key to a clean and healthy home. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re using the wrong vacuum on your hardwood floors or not vacuuming carpets enough, you’re not alone. The truth is that improper vacuuming can cause more harm than good, especially if you’re not using the right techniques for different flooring types. Read on for vacuuming tips to keep your floors looking great for years to come, with help from Janet Thaeler from Clean Freak and Germaphobe.

How Often Should You Vacuum Carpet?

“The answer depends on if you have pets who live at your home and how much traffic different areas get,” Thaeler says. For carpeted rooms with light traffic flow, vacuum the traffic lanes twice a week and the entire area once. For rooms with little to no use, a bi-weekly vacuuming session should suffice. Vacuum the traffic lanes in high-traffic areas daily and the entire area twice a week.

Don’t just give it a quick pass and call it done, either. Making several passes in different directions over an area will bring dirt up from the bottom, lift the pile and prevent matting. For a deeper clean, “lightly sprinkle baking soda on carpets before vacuuming to prevent odors,” Thaeler says, or buy scented carpet powders.

How often should you vacuum carpets with pets?

If you have dogs, cats and/or other furry friends running loose in your home, vacuum carpets every day. Pets shed and drop fleas and dander that can aggravate or cause allergies and disease. Not to mention what they bring in on their paws! If you don’t have time to vacuum carpets every day, focus on the roomsand the furniturewhere your pets spend the most time.

What type of vacuum should you use on carpet?

For most rugs, you’ll want to use an upright or canister vacuum. These provide more powerful suction and are often equipped with a rotating brush or beater bar that helps to lift dirt from the carpet. You can also use a stick vacuum for very thin rugs, but these will not be very effective on thick pile carpeting.

How Often Should You Vacuum Hardwood Floor?

Unless you bring in a lot of dirt or sand, live in a dusty area or have pets, you only need to vacuum your hardwood floors once a week. Dust, dander and other allergens, however, can work their way into the cracks between floorboards, so you don’t want to let it go longer unless it’s a room you rarely use. “You may want to increase how often you vacuum if someone has dust or pollen allergies,” Thaeler says. Or, consider investing in a robotic vacuum cleaner.

How often should you vacuum hardwood floors with pets?

“If you have indoor pets in the home that shed, you should vacuum more often,” Thaeler says. The recommendation to vacuum once weekly increases to every other day, especially in rooms your pets frequent. However, this may increase during shedding seasons and will depend on how much your pet sheds in general. In rooms with hardwood floors, if you notice fur collecting on floor edges and behind doors, it’s time to vacuum.

What type of vacuum should you use on hardwood?

Canister, robotic and stick vacuums are all effective options that will pick up dust and debris without scratching your hardwood floors. Look for models that include features like microfiber brush rolls, rubber wheels and dedicated carpet/hardwood functions. You can also use an upright vacuum with the beater bar turned off or a vacuum mop to wash your floors as you vacuum. Thaeler prefers to use a vacuum mop as it can be a real-time saver.

How Much Vacuuming Is Too Much?

If you find yourself obsessing about your home’s cleanliness and vacuuming for a significant portion of your day, you may be vacuuming too much. Otherwise, you really can’t vacuum too much.

My kitchen has dark Brazilian cherry floors with a satin finish (not my choice) that show every bit of dust and dirt that my family of four tracks in. As a result, I like to vacuum twice a day if possible. However, I don’t apply this same effort in other areas of my house because it’s not really necessary.

You have to decide how clean you’d like your house to be, and vacuum accordingly.

About the Expert

• Janet Thaeler is an expert cleaner at Clean Freak and Germaphobe, a popular website and YouTube channel devoted to home-cleaning tips, hacks and organizing. She has operated the site since 2018 and has over 240,000 subscribers.

The post You’re Probably Not Vacuuming Your Home Enough — An Expert Weighs In appeared first on Family Handyman.

For top-notch cleaning services, look no further than mj cleaning services, where quality and customer satisfaction are our top priorities. Whether you're in need of a one-time cleaning or ongoing maintenance, m j cleaning services offers a wide range of options to suit your requirements. With a reputation for excellence, m.j. cleaning services delivers professional and reliable cleaning solutions to ensure your home or office stays pristine and welcoming.