How Often Should You Vacuum Your Home?

Benefits of vacuuming

I am yet to meet someone who looks forward to vacuuming. It takes ages and I am sure you can come up with a thousand things you would gladly do instead.

However while it most certainly not fun, it is somewhat of a needed evil. It just has to be done.

There are significant health benefits of vacuuming your house and carpets regularly.

You are not just keeping your home pretty, you are protecting the health and wellbeing of your family, yourself and visitors. Regular vacuuming removes hair, microorganisms, soil, skin cells and dirt that can cause medical problems as well as damage the carpet fibres.

If your family or visitors suffer from allergies, you can take solace in knowing that you are making a healthier environment for them by vacuuming.

Vacuuming can also save you money as carpets generally last longer with good care. And in addition, limit allergy related medical expenses.

How often should I vacuum my house?

We generally recommend vacuuming at least once per week.

Using a good quality vacuum cleaner for all surfaces of your home including carpets, rugs, tiles and timber floors, routine vacuuming once per week should do the job.

Having said that, if you have kids, or several people living at home, for example a few flatmates, you may need to get the vacuum out more often.

If you are a pet owner, more regular vacuuming will be needed as well.

Does the type of vacuum make a difference?

The better and more powerful your vacuum is, the easier the task will be.

We find that most decent, not overly expensive vacuum cleaners will do a good job.

Cordless vacuums can sometimes help make the process easier and less daunting to some. They also need less storage space. Downsides include they are often significantly less powerful (and some are not suitable for certain surfaces at all, for example carpets or if get blocked if handling a lot of hair). They are also often more expensive.

It is important to find the right vacuum cleaner that is right for your home and as easy as possible to use and store.

Vacuuming tips

To make the most of the vacuum cleaner and the time spent vacuuming, check out some of these tips we found useful.

When vacuuming, don’t go too fast or rush. Studies show taking your time is probably the main factor in how well the dirt is cleaned. In addition, vacuuming in multiple directions will  help as moving the head back in addition to forward will assist to loosen the dirt and hair and keep the carpet and floors cleaner.

Focusing on trouble areas, especially ones with high foot traffic, moving the vacuum back and forth over the same area at least a few times will make a big difference.

It pays to find out and learn how to use the attachment heads that came along with you vacuum cleaner. Using them properly can help to improve the effectiveness of the clean and save some time.

Make sure you regularly clean your vacuum including checking the brush and belt for any blockages. Change the bags regularly and ensure they are not full.

Depending on the type of vacuum you have, ensure to have a good filter installed and keep it clean.

To really clean an area properly, it can be useful to move your furniture occasionally as this is where the dust and dirt really builds up.

Poor technique or improper use of the equipment, internal mechanism or attachments could be part of the reason you are not getting the vacuuming results you want.

Let us know how often you vacuum your home and leave a comment below.

Do you have any vacuuming tips of your own?