Vacuuming Tips for your Carpet

by: Greg Brandon

Important when keeping your carpet clean is vacuuming

Vacuum with regularity, particularly in high-traffic areas. Remember that walking on soiled carpet allows the soil particles to migrate below the area of the pile where they are a lot more difficult to remove and can deteriorate the fibers. Habitual vacuuming removes these particles from the area before this happens.

Vacuuming Tips

For locations with infrequent use, vacuum the traffic areas twice weekly and the whole domain once weekly. Those areas with more use necessitate that the traffic areas be vacuumed daily and the entire area twice weekly. Up to three passes of the machine is ok for light soiling, but five to seven passes are necessary for firmly soiled areas. Diversify the vacuuming route periodically to help stand the pile even and minimize matting.

What type of vacuum should you purchase?

A good vacuum cleaner is vital to prolonging the beauty and life of your carpet. A bargain vacuum can eradicate surface dirt but will not effectively abstract the invisible dirt and particles embedded in the pile.

We prescribe the use of vacuums with a rotating brush or combination beater/brush bar that beats the carpet pile and mechanically loosens soil for deposal by the vacuum. Note that carpet with thick loop pile construction, particularly wool and wool-blend styles, may be delicate to beating of the pile surface and may become fuzzy. For these carpets, we endorse the use of a suction-only vacuum or a vacuum with an adaptable brush lifted away from the carpet so it does not agitate the pile. You can first test a beater bar vacuum in an insignificant place first, and then clean your main traffic areas if no deformation occurs.

Replaceable paper vacuum bags seem to work better of trapping the minor particles that will pass through cloth bags back into the room. High efficiency vacuum bags, also called micro filtration or HEPA bags, trap even tinier microscopic particles such as mold and mildew spores and dust mite byproducts, commonly found to be a source of allergies. This kind of vacuum bag is available under several names, such as the "MICRO-LINED" bag available at most vacuum specialty shops, or the "MICRO-Clean" bag available at some department and discount stores, and "MICRO FILTRATION" and "MICRO LINER" brands available at Sears stores. You need to confirm that these bags hold particles smaller than two (2) microns. All vacuum bags should be inspected usually and replaced when half full.

Check to ensure the belt of the vacuum is functioning properly and that the beater bar rotates and functions properly when pushed along the carpet. To alter the vacuum to the correct height setting for the carpet, raise the beater/brush bar to the highest setting and then lower it until it contacts the pile enough to faintly pulsate the carpet a small distance from the vacuum, but not low enough to origin major slowing of the motor.

It should be noted that many vacuum brands such as Dyson vacuum cleaners will automatically adapt themselves to your carpet height...this is a real time saver!

Diversify the vacuuming direction occasionally to help stand the carpet even and curtail matting.

Things to do and avoid when vacuuming

If you ever abuse the fine carpet cleaning powders, make sure you have a HEPA filter on your vacuum (either a HEPA bag or a HEPA bagless vacuum) this will eliminate having that fine dust from the cleaning power blown back into the room through the exhaust of your vacuum, where you will breath it!

Also, the cause of odors in vacuum cleaners is from bacteria growing in the bags (buying a 'bagless' vacuum will annihilate this problem!Bags should be changed at least once a month, or even more frequently depending on usage. Ensure and purchase vacum bags treated with a chemical that helps destroy the bacteria and odors in bags.

Don't ever pick up drywall soot or vacuum out the fireplace with your vacuum. The greatest vacuum for these types of cleaning tasks would be shop vacuums. (they are sold at any home improvement store) 'Shop' vacuums have heavy duty filters and are good for certain kinds of heavy dust and dirt.

Make sure not to maneuver your vacuum on saturated carpets or surfaces, unless they are rated as damp/dry vacuums.Operating common vacuums in this form will possibly deface them and cause early wear on the motor and other open components. There is also an electrical shock danger involved with using vacuums on wet surfaces as well...the beater bar can create a static buildup, which can result in an electrical hazard to you.

Again, if you have a vacuum that uses a bag...then reverse your bag AT LEAST once a month.There is a lot of odor and bacteria problems associated with full or half-full bags. Would you just leave your garbage in bags inside your house? That bag is one of the dirtiest areas in your home, full of germs and bacteria - replace it frequently.

Cleaning performance is dependent largely on that bag. A clogged bag also puts strain on your machine and puts more strain on your motor. The few cents you save in bags is wasted on the dollars that you'll spend for machine repairs.

Never admit your vacuum bag get over half full.

Diversify your belt about every three months.

Belts are Devised to elongate and wear out, the same as fan belts on cars. As the belt stretches the efficiency of the beater bar to effectively oscillate (and hence clean your carpets) will be diminished. You should reverse your belt about every 3 months depending on abuse. Contact your vacuum manufacturer to see if this is covered in their warranty.