Most of us don’t like to vacuum our carpets or other types of floors. Sure, everything always looks much better after vacuuming, and it definitely feels better underfoot. But you have to go get the vacuum, untangle the cord, plug it in, move furniture around, then unplug and plug it into another outlet because you couldn’t reach everything. And, really: how often should you vacuum carpet anyway?
Moving to the next room, and the next room, and the next room. Don’t forget about the stairs, hallways, and area rugs, too: We’re a little tired just thinking about it ourselves. But you have to admit, everything looks much better when you’re done. To improve cleaning power, consider keeping the beater bar (the rotating brush on the vacuum head) free of debris, such as string and hair.
And it does more than just pretty things up. When you vacuum three times a week, you’ll help the carpet fibers keep their shape and remove allergens that are caught in the carpet. If you have kids and pets, frequent vacuuming will ensure high-traffic areas will look just as good as the lesser-used areas of your home (such as the formal dining room or guest rooms).
How Often Should You Vacuum Carpet?
While three times a week, or even once a week, might seem like overkill, it will go a long way to keeping your carpet and area rugs looking their best. It can even help extend the lifespan of your carpeting by removing the dirt, dust, and debris that could actually be wearing down your carpet.
As dirt gets ground into the carpeting, the friction will eventually begin to break down the carpet fibers. This happens over time of course, but if you’re consistently removing debris from your carpeting, you’ll keep those fibers protected. And the more you vacuum, the easier it is because there won’t be as much grime to clean up.
There are also times when you need to vacuum the flooring on the spot, like if the kids track in dirt, bark chips, and whatever else they were playing in. It’s best to get that stuff as soon as you see it so it doesn’t get ground into the carpeted floors.
Beyond keeping your carpet looking good, you will also improve the air quality of your home. A clean carpet will keep the room from smelling musty and keep airborne pollutants like dust, dander, and pollen at bay. Those with allergies will thank you. Vacuuming will also keep pests like dust mites from making a home on your carpet.
Weekly vacuuming will also help protect the areas below the carpet, too. If you have an area rug that hasn’t been vacuumed in a while, lift it up and you’ll see how much dust and dirt and even pet hair has made it through to the floor. Once that dirt makes it past the carpet backing, it becomes that much harder to clean up.
A Deep Down Dirt
Once it makes it through the padding and onto the subfloor, it’s there to stay unless you have your carpeting professionally cleaned. Not that we mind of course–that’s why Heaven’s Best is here! And even though you should have your carpets cleaned by the pros every six months, you can do your part in the interim to keep your carpets clean.
No matter if you have an upright vacuum cleaner, a robotic vacuum, or one of those old canister vacuums that have been handed down over generations, just use it. A regular vacuum of the areas you and your family spend the most time in will help immensely. Almost every modern vacuum also features a HEPA filter of some sort, so you’ll improve the air quality in your home, too.
