Vacuum cleaners are rarely used to their full potential. They are much more than carpet and floor cleaning machines. Here are 12 tips and tricks you can use to get the most out of your vacuum cleaner.
Retrieving Lost Items
Finding a lost ear stud in carpeting is difficult. Vacuuming the floor usually means sifting through the dirt in the vacuum bag. Pull a sock or old stocking over the end of your vacuum hose and search the rug. The suction will lift the lost item. The sock keeps it out of the machine.
Cleaning In Tight Places
Vacuum crevice tools are inflexible. Substitute a paper towel tube instead. It can be crushed, bent, and folded to make it fit into almost any small space to clean out dirt and dust and it is disposable after use.
Bug Catcher
Picking up bugs one at a time or splatting them on windows and walls with a fly swatter is time-consuming, messy, and scary for some people–especially if the bugs are bees, wasps, or spiders. Use your vacuum cleaner instead to suck up the little invaders wholesale and from a distance. Empty the bag or canister into a sealed container or the bugs will just come crawling back out.
Cleaning Blinds and Lampshades
Blinds, lampshades, and ceiling fans collect a lot of dust. High home humidity sticks dust onto surfaces. Vacuuming the dust off regularly with the soft brush attachment helps prevent sticky dirt build-up.
Many of these items are made of plastic. Plastic generates static electricity that attracts dust. Wiping everything with Pledge furniture polish after vacuuming prevents static buildup–reducing the amount of dust that clings.
Dusting
The dusting attachment that comes with many vacuum cleaners can be used to clean most surfaces. It is soft enough not to scratch. Remove most of the dust before wiping and using furniture polish for the final clean and shine.
Fix Carpet Indentations
Rearranging furniture often exposes crushed spots in the carpet. Place an ice cube on each spot. Once the ice melts, fluff the spot with your fingers or a fork. Then vacuum over the spots until the carpet resumes its original shape.
Add Pleasant Smells to the House
You can change the smell of the air in your house with your vacuum cleaner. Put a few drops of your favorite essential oil on four or five cotton balls and put them into the vacuum bag or canister. Every time you vacuum the pleasant odor will be diffused into the house.
You can also change the odor in the house by using scented dryer sheets in the vacuum bag or canister. Other options include adding a teaspoon of pleasant-smelling powdered spices like cinnamon or vanilla to the canister or bag.
Deodorize Your Mattress
Mattresses pick up body odors over time and they don’t fit in the washing machine. Sprinkle baking soda on them. Let sit for at least an hour. Two hours is better. Then vacuum the powder up. Odors and dust mites disappear with the baking soda.
The baking soda trick works on any fabric. Use the same system on couches, upholstered chairs, duvets, throw pillows, etc. You can also use baking soda or borax mixed with water to remove stains and odors from rugs. Use a brush to work the solution into the rug. Let it dry. Then vacuum it clean.
Vacuum Your Pet
Some pets love to be vacuumed. It removes loose hair and grooms at the same time. Use the low-speed setting on the vacuum. The great benefit is that the hair is not on rugs and furniture. Many pets are scared of vacuum cleaners and should not be forced.
Vacuum Your Dryer
The lint screen or your clothes dryer catches most of the lint but some will collect in the bottom of the vent. Use a crevice tool to clean it out. Long flexible crevice tools c/w reducers are available for less than $20.00. Removing the dryer hose and vacuuming lint out of the screen of the flapper vent is a good fire safety habit.
Reduce Allergy Causes
Dust and pollen blow through open windows. They settle in window tracks and adhere to screens. Vacuum out the tracks and the screen every week or more often–if necessary–to reduce allergens inside the house.
Pollen sticks to draperies, too. Vacuuming them regularly with a soft brush gets rid of dust and pollen. It also reduces the amount of times they have to be taken down for washing.
Vacuum Your Lawn
Artificial lawns are just carpets installed outside. After cleaning off anything that might damage or plug a vacuum–like stones and leaves–you can suck up dirt, dust, and insects–dead or alive–to make the lawn look new and clean. Make sure the lawn is dry before starting. If you have one, a shop vac is a better option for this job.
