Vacuuming Tips

By

JustPlainJo

I got reminded of something just today. To prevent accidentally sucking things into your vacuum that could bind it, check the area for loose items first. This includes trailing blankets and loose carpet strings. I was careless today and burned out yet another flimsy belt. Bleah!

Here's another thought: If you have an odd-shaped room or need to navigate around furniture that's too heavy to move, turn your vacuuming into a simple geometric puzzle. For instance, I can mentally break down my living room into a series of rectangles. Thinking about the pattern makes the job a little easier and less like work.

Remember to keep just a little slack in the cord. If you hold a loop of cord in your hand, you'll know without looking when you've come to the end of your vacuum's reach before you accidentally yank the plug from the outlet.
Overlap your "vacuum tracks" as if you were using the lawnmower. You can see when you miss a spot with the lawnmower, but not necessarily with the vacuum. Overlapping means you get the whole carpet without missing spots.
Last but not least, avoid releasing the recently-swept dirt back into the room, especially if you're an allergy sufferer as I am. I have a bagless vacuum and when it's time to empty the dirt cup, I slip the whole thing and my hand up to the wrist into a plastic grocery bag. Then I carefully tip the cup into the bag. A little shake and voila! I wrap the dirt in the bag and double it back on itself before I tie it off. My strategy may not help much, but hey - the less stuff floating around aggravating my allergies, the better!

By

Deeli

Using an extension cord is a great idea but please be sure to use a cord that has the guage load to handle the amps pulled from your vaccum.

I have used the perfumed floor powders until I learned they are no good for the carpet or the vacuum. Next time I'll use the Kleenex method. Thanks for the tip.