Regardless of the size of your house, dust and dirt will always accumulate unless you keep it clean. You already know the general “rules” of cleaning, but what about the specifics? For example, how often should you vacuum?
What you need to vacuum, how often each room is used, and the presence of pets or lack thereof. These are just some factors you need to consider. Here’s an overview that should help you decide on an effective vacuuming schedule.
How Often Should I Vacuum Rooms?
If a room is frequently used, it’s important to vacuum it more than the rooms seldom used. The more people move in and out of a room, the more contaminants are brought.
Pay attention to high-traffic areas like hallways, the kitchen, the playroom, and the foyer. Even the mudroom, if you have one. Vacuum each of these rooms at least once a week. You’ll want to increase the frequency if you have pets, especially ones prone to shedding.
Like other high-traffic areas, bedrooms should be vacuumed once a week. During allergy season, you’ll need to vacuum at least twice a week to make sure your family members are comfortable.
You can relax the cleaning schedule for guest rooms, sunrooms, and formal dining rooms. Vacuuming those rooms once a month should be fine. You can even leave them alone. Then, just vacuum the floor if you’re expecting company who’ll use the room.
When Should I Vacuum Floors?
Not all homes have carpets in the same rooms, let alone use the same flooring material in each room. That’s why you get different answers when asking others how often they vacuum their rooms.
So, how often should you vacuum hardwood floors versus carpet, laminates, and other surfaces in the home?
For hard surfaces, vacuuming once a week is ideal. Such flooring materials include synthetic wood, laminates, hardwood flooring, vinyl, ceramic tiles, and stone. Especially if it’s hardwood, use the correct settings to avoid floor damage.
Another thing to note is that, besides vacuuming, you’ll have to sweep and mop vinyl, stone, and ceramic tiles. Neglecting to do so will cause dust, dirt, and grime to build up in corners, cracks, and crevices, making the weekly vacuum harder to do later on.
As for how often to vacuum the carpet, plan to do so at least twice a week. Don’t forget to include other surfaces with fabric or upholstery, such as a loveseat or sectional couch. Dust and dirt are more easily trapped in fibers, making it easier for such surfaces to hold onto pollutants and bacteria.
Besides dry vacuuming, you’ll want to consider wet vacuuming once a month. This will give you a deeper clean, getting rid of more dirt and potentially lifting heavy stains from your carpets and upholstery.
Should You Vacuum Everyday If You Have Pets?
As you may have already guessed, the rules change slightly when pets are involved. Even if your cat or dog isn’t a heavy shedder, their hair can end up anywhere and everywhere, which is bad news for any family member with an allergy to pet hair.
Since as much as three in ten people are allergic to cat and dog hair, you must keep your home free from those allergens as much as possible. As a general rule, homeowners should vacuum carpets and floors daily to lessen dander in rooms your furry companions frequent and lessen the dirt and dust they bring. This advice holds true whether your pets are indoor or outdoor animals.
Focus on places where you’ve noticed pet hair tends to collect. These are usually places with a high static charge or less airflow than other areas in the home. Don’t forget to move furniture so you don’t miss the hair trapped underneath them.
Your pet’s carrier and crate are good places to start. Vacuuming the carpet under beds and around floor lamps, sofas, and chairs is also a good idea. Like your pet’s crate and carrier, a pet bed will collect pet hair and dust, so make sure you don’t leave it out of your vacuuming routine. For best results, vacuum your pet’s bed twice a week or more frequently if it’s a heavy shedder.
Other places to clean include door jams, the door’s bottom hinges, and even laundry baskets.
How Do You Vacuum Ceilings, Blinds, Stairs and Mattresses?
How often should you vacuum your mattress? What about vacuuming blinds, curtains, ceilings, and windows?
If these are the questions you have in mind, you may be one of those homeowners unaware of certain places or things in the home that you should vacuum but don’t.
- Ceilings. Most homeowners tend to overlook the importance of vacuuming ceilings. They shouldn’t. They’re forgotten by more than half of homeowners, and while the idea of holding a vacuum up to a ceiling, there’s no denying vacuuming is the easiest way to keep it clean. Therefore, consider using a vacuum, especially if your ceiling texture is prone to collecting dust and cobwebs and difficult to clean using a duster or broom.
- Blinds and curtains. These can do a lot to accentuate the decor and put a room together, but they can be challenging to clean. They also accumulate dust and dirt faster than you may expect. Vacuuming blinds gets rid of dust better than dusting, while it’s easier to vacuum curtains than to take them down and wash them.
- Stairs. They’re not hallways, but still high-traffic areas in homes with them. It’s recommended to vacuum them even if they’re not fully carpeted. That way, you can ensure that dust and dirt won’t accumulate.
- Mattresses. Even if you change your sheets regularly, that won’t do anything for the cleanliness of the mattress underneath. Vacuuming, on the other hand, will suck up all the dust, dirt, and hair that’s hiding in the mattress. Since dust mites, bed bugs, and fleas may also hide in beds, vacuuming can help eliminate them, too.
- Walls, window sills, and baseboards. Many homeowners forget about these places, too, or use cleaning cloths to wipe them down. Vacuuming is a better choice, especially if you want to keep your home allergy-free. Dust is a common trigger, so vacuuming can help lessen the chances of an allergic reaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Any Vacuum Work?
For the most part, yes, but you’ll want to read the manual thoroughly, so use the correct settings for the flooring material or surface type. For example, an industrial vacuum can scrape or scratch hardwood floors, and so can the wheels of a robotic vacuum.
You’ll also want to ensure you have all the attachments you may need to thoroughly clean your home. For instance, a regular vacuum head may be too broad to really get into every nook and cranny, so you’ll need to make sure your vacuum has an attachment with a narrower one.
Will Vacuuming Destroy Carpet?
For some homeowners, the question isn’t so much “How often should you vacuum your carpet?“ as much as “How durable is carpet flooring?” While certain fabrics are more sensitive than others, leaving dirt and dust in your carpet is more likely to cause damage, regardless of fabric type.
The suction force a vacuum creates isn’t enough to cause a lot of damage, but vacuuming carpet all the time still isn’t a good idea. Instead, consult an expert, like someone who specializes in carpet cleaning, so they can help you work out the best vacuuming schedule for the carpet in your home.
Do Vacuum Cleaners Need to Be cleaned?
Since it’s being used to keep your home clean, you should regularly clean out your vacuum cleaner. If you don’t, you risk spreading mold and bacteria inside your home.
Check brushes and bristles for trapped hair and debris, empty the canister every few days, and soak the filters about once a month. It also helps to take the vacuum cleaner apart about every year to deep clean its individual parts.
A Clean Home Is a Stress-Free Home
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping a home clean, but answering the question “How often should you vacuum?” is something that many can relate to. Getting the right information can make home cleaning easier as you can plan ahead and set aside a vacuuming schedule. Not only will you keep your house free of lingering dust and dirt, but you’ll also work your vacuum for what it’s worth!
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