Keep Your Vacuum Sucking With These Maintenance Tips

It's amazing how few people take the time to give their most important house cleaning tool the tender loving care it needs. That's right, we're talking about your vacuum – the completely neglected cleaning hero of your household.

Follow these maintenance tips to keep your machine performing at its peak, getting rid of dirt and dust instead of spreading it.

Keep it Empty

For a vacuum to be effective, suction is the name of the game. Having lots of waste in the bag/bin of your vacuum reduces its suction and thus, its effectiveness. Basically, air has to pass through all the collected dust and debris, so a full vacuum means your machine has to work harder.

If your unit takes a bag, it's a good idea to not let it get too much more than half full. If you've got a model with a dust bin (like a Dyson), just empty it after every use. This makes a huge difference.

Clean the Brushes

The brushes on your vacuum's carpet accessories (called a beater-bar) get easily clogged with hair, threads and other items. This is especially true if they're spinners. The more gunked-up they are, the harder it is for them to spin.

Their spinning is what lifts the dirt and debris from your carpets. Try untangling the hair and threads yourself and if that becomes too cumbersome, break-out the scissors and snip your spinner free.

If that doesn't work, you'll have to consult your owner's manual and figure out how to remove the beater-bar altogether to unclog it. Pro tip: while you've got the beater-bar out of the vacuum, why not clean off and lubricate the bearings on it? It'll spin that much better after, making it even more effective on your rugs and carpets.

Regular Wipe-Downs

Your vacuum collects a lot of dust and dirt as it cleans your house. It's a good idea to give yours a quick scrub with a damp cloth after every use to make sure it's not harbouring any extra dirt. Otherwise, you might be negating some of your home cleaning efforts by spreading more dust and dirt while you vacuum.

Avoid Vacuuming Large Items

Just because your vacuum can suck it up, doesn't mean it should suck it up! Avoid large pieces of debris, small toys/trinkets, coins and sharp objects. They could damage the interior of your vacuum which will hurt performance.

Air Filters

Most of the newer vacuums have filters on the exhaust air to stop dust from re-circulating in your home. Cleaning these filters is key.

Check your owner's manual to figure out if your machine has one and also how to remove it. Most of them can be cleaned simply in your kitchen sink with water. Obviously, make sure it's totally dry before you replace it.