Want to know how often you should vacuum? The answer actually depends on many variables, from how busy your house is to how much traffic your floor sees throughout the week. Many people would rather reduce the amount of times they vacuum, but how often should you vacuum? And should you increase the number of times you perform this household chore?
Keeping on top of your vacuuming is necessary if you want to prevent the build-up of dirt and dust on your carpets and hard floors. This can quickly accumulate, causing an unpleasant living environment that looks and smells bad. Allowing dirt to sit on flooring can also cause long-term damage, so if you're looking to protect your investments, it's worth checking out how to clean a carpet with the best vacuum cleaners.
So, after you've learned how to vacuum your floors properly, you'll want to know just how often to factor it into your cleaning schedule. With the help of Pablo Montero, CEO of Lupe Technology, we've unpacked the answer...
How often should you vacuum?
Pablo Montero, CEO of Lupe Technology, notes, "You'll probably notice dirt/dust build-up on a hard floor more quickly than a carpet as it's all visible- and therefore end up cleaning more frequently. You'll not notice as quickly on a carpet or soft floor as the dust sits between the carpet piles. However, this means it benefits from more thorough cleaning as it's much harder to get the dust out."
Many factors will impact how often you vacuum, such as how many people live in your house, whether you have pets or young children, and how busy your daily routine is. With this in mind, only you can decide whether to keep on top of dust with quick vacuums daily or dedicate more time to the chore less often.
However, the unanimous advice is to vacuum at least once a week. This will remove grime and crumbs from floors so that you have a clean surface underfoot. You may want to give extra attention to high-traffic areas, such as bathrooms or kitchens, as it is important to keep these zones hygienic. This will also mean you can go about your daily life without worrying about stepping on any crumbs.
We spoke to Pablo Montero, CEO of Lupe Technology, who advised, "A minimum healthy recommendation is to vacuum all the floor surfaces in your home once a week."
"Beyond that, I know in my home that it's noticeable in terms of the air quality in the house or allergies if the house has not been vacuumed. In particular, if anyone in the household has a respiratory condition such as asthma, their condition can be heavily impacted by how free (or not) of dust and dust mites the house is."
So not only will once-a-week vacuuming help your home look clean, but it also has huge health benefits - even more reason to incorporate it more frequently.
Tips for effective vacuuming
Now that we've established that you should be vacuuming weekly, we've explored some top tips for an effective clean. Thorough vacuuming will not only ensure your hard floors or carpet are kept looking brand new, but it will also save you time in the long run.
1. Invest in a high-quality machine
Pablo also highlights the importance of choosing a high-quality machine as "vacuum cleaners are your first defense tool. If you have someone with a health condition, it's worth ensuring you invest in a capable machine with a good filtration grade." This will upgrade your cleaning regime and mean that dust doesn't re-enter the air - great for creating a fresh atmosphere and handy for those with pet or seasonal allergies.
2. Vacuum slowly and often
As with many tasks, slow and steady wins the race. Taking your time when vacuuming means you are more likely to pick up embedded dirt, leaving a thoroughly clean surface behind.
So, while you might want to complete your chores quickly, Pablo recommends, "Always go both forwards and backward on carpets to get a thorough clean. The slower you go, the better the clean. This is also true for how often you go over the same spot."
3. Stay on top of machine maintenance
Vacuum cleaners are an investment purchase, so it's important to take good care of them to last longer. Regularly maintaining a vacuum also means it will perform better, making your regular chores easier.
Using his expert knowledge in technology, Pablo recommends following these three steps to help your vacuum perform to its best ability:
• Keep on top of filter cleaning and follow the manual's recommendations.
• Maintain the head/brush roller by removing any build-up of hair over time.
• Always empty the collection bin or bag before reaching beyond its max fill line/indicator.
