Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Vacuuming










You are already vacuuming on a daily basis which is an excellent habit to maintain if you have pets and/or children....or live in your home lol.  It's not just about making things look good but also about removing dust and allergens.  Here are some other things you need to know about the task.

  • As you can see from the photo (ridiculous as it appears), vacuuming is not just for carpets.  You can and should also vacuum lamp shades, sofas, chairs, pillows, air vents, air return vents,  and walls...yes, walls.  Grandma did this everyday for my allergies. How often you need to do this depends on your lifestyle, health, and tolerance for germs.
  • Vacuum lint bins need to be emptied EVERY time you use the vacuum.  In order for the machine to have good suction, it needs to be emptied.
  • You have long, thick hair.  Your children and husband will likely have hair.  Pets have hair.  All this means that you will frequently have to clean the hair off the roller brush on the bottom of the vacuum.  This is a nasty job and can be arduous, but it is a necessary evil.  The more often you perform this task, the easier it is; the less often you do this, the harder it is to remove said hair.
  • It's not all about the big middle of the carpet.  Much of life is about the little details.  Baseboards need to be vacuumed as do the under bits of carpet underneath furniture and in closets.  These areas seem to be dust magnets.  You can be vacuuming the big middle everyday, but if you have an inch of dust bunnies under your bed, you will still get a sinus headache.
  • Vacuuming should be typically done after you dust, as dust from the table often flies to the floor in the process....unless of course, you're not dusting; in which case, go ahead and vacuum rather than wait lol.
  • Vacuums have different settings for different types of floors for a reason...
  • It's never a good idea to vacuum up loose thread or strings; pick them up and dispose of them by hand.  These items merely wrap around the roller brush and often cause the vacuum to smoke....and we all know smoking is bad for everyone's health.
  • The price for a good vacuum is a good investment.