Vacuum Cleaner Techniques

February 06, 2011, By Tom McNulty 1 comment

Tom McNulty

We covered must-have vacuum features a column ago. So now you’re armed with a good machine and ready to learn top vacuuming tips and tricks…the ones that’ll help you do what this housekeeping power tool does best: clean a lot, fast.

Of course, the basic vacuum is built to clean floors without any fancy stuff. It does so with a spinning brush that whips dirt and debris from your carpet or hard floor into the vacuums bag. But today’s better models give you a lot more cleaning versatility with built-in “extras.”

To briefly recap other features your vac should have (and good ones do have):

• Extension hose – allows off-the-floor cleaning. On canister vacuums, the hose is primary cleaning tool. On upright vacuums, the hose pulls out of the vacuum body and effectively disables the spinning brush…suction now happens through the hose only.
• On board tools – specialized cleaning accessories, mostly nozzle heads designed for specific jobs, that fit onto the extension hose to clean everything from stairway carpeting to drapes, ceiling corners and upholstery.  
• Extension tube for off-the-floor cleaning, and the brushes that fit onto them
• Small round utility brush.
• Wider (up to 12”) utility brush.
• Upholstery attachment.
• Crevice tool.

Now, bring dirt to its knees.

Here’s the best way to finesse cleaning with your vacuum:

• Attach one or two extension tubes to the hose, and the small utility brush to the end of the tube.
• Start high by vacuuming the cobwebs from ceiling corners, dust from the tops of doorframes and windowsills, bookcases, appliances and anything else that’s above eye-level.
• Move to eye level and vacuum dust off of lampshades, books and shelves, tabletops and other items.
• Switch to your large utility brush and go lower still, sweeping across non-carpeted stairs, coffee tables, hard-surface floors and underneath furniture.
• Switch to the crevice tool and vacuum along where the floors meet baseboards and other right-angle areas, as well as tight spots like between cupboards and appliances in the kitchen.
• Finally, use the upholstery brush for stairs and cloth furniture.