Cleaning
Cleaning Floors
Weekly Schedule, Floor Types, and Tips
By
Sarah Aguirre
Sarah Aguirre
Sarah Aguirre is a housekeeping expert with over 20 years of experience cleaning residentially and commercially. Over that time, she has been writing about tips and tricks for housekeeping and organizing a home for national publications.
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Updated on 10/05/22
Reviewed by
Rhea Mehta
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Reviewed byRhea Mehta
Rhea Mehta, PhD, is an award-winning toxicologist who has worked to empower people to lead healthier lives, starting in their homes, for over a decade. Rhea holds a PhD in Toxicology, with over 15 scientific publications, and a certificate in integrative health coaching.
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Most of us don't vacuum every day but prefer to run the vacuum regularly to keep the home fresh and clean. Although vacuum cleaners keep our carpets tidy, some people say that vacuumcleaners damage carpet fibers. This is because a rotating beater bar or brush pulls,stretches, and wears out carpet fibers. While this is true, dirt often has moreof a wear-and-tear effect on carpet than most vacuum cleaners do. Read on to find out how often to vacuum carpet and floors and how to do it properly.
How to Vacuum Properly
- Choose the right type: Select the best type of vacuum for the majority of the flooring in your home. Canister vacuums are usually more efficient in collecting soil from hard surfaces, while rugs and carpeting are better cleaned with an attachment or upright vacuum with a beater bar to loosen the soil.
- Customize settings: Overworking your carpet is possible. If your vacuum cleaner has multiple settings that let you customize surfaces, you shouldn't be vacuuming your carpet on the bare floor setting. Instead, save it for the bare floors as the vacuum instructions indicate.
- Check height: Check yourvacuum's height settings. This can affect how it cleans or wears on the carpet. If it is set too low, for example, you may damage the carpet, the vacuum's roller brush, or the drive belt. On the other hand, a vacuum set too high won't pick up dirt very well. If you are not sure how high or low you are vacuuming, turn it on at the highest setting and then lower it until you can feel the vacuum tugging at the carpet as you vacuum.
- Go slowly: Vacuum slowly to trap more soil. Move the vacuum several feet ahead of you and pull it back toward yourself following the same path. As you move to a new area of the floor, overlap the paths. Work in one direction of the room (east to west) and then repeat at a 90-degree angle (north to south).
- Adjust the head: Adjusting the vacuum head height on upright vacuums to match the type of flooring will give you better suction and trap more soil.
- Prepare the beater bar: Engage or disengage the beater bar depending on the type of floor surface. Leaving the beater bar engaged while cleaning hard surface floors can result in dents and scratches.
More Best Practices for Cleaning Carpet
When it comes to vacuuming, three other general rules should be applied.
- Consider what's underneath your area rugs: While area rugs should be vacuumed twice weekly, don't forget to remove them and vacuum the flooring under them weekly. You should also occasionally flip the rug and vacuum its backing using the vacuum's upholstery attachment.
- Opt for a machine with a HEPA filter: A HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter traps as much dust, dander, spores, and bacteria as possible. A HEPA filter will collect many more particles than a regular vacuum and prevent them from redepositing on floors and other surfaces like upholstery.
- Take care of your vacuum: Vacuum cleaners take a lot of abuse as they're accidentally slammed into walls and furniture. Be aware of some other don'ts when it comes to keeping your machine in good operating order, such as avoiding vacuuming over hard or large objects. Also, don't vacuum over the cord; don't run it over water; and don't let the vacuum run with a full dustbin.
Why You Should Vacuum the Home
Frequent vacuuming remains one of the best ways to keep your home clean. If you don't vacuum your carpet, the dirt will break down carpet fibers and create a breeding ground for dust mites and bacteria. In addition, your home will begin to smell musty from the dirt, mites, and other organisms settling into the fibers. But if you see carpet fluff in your vacuum cleaner dust bin, don't panic and don't stop vacuuming; your vacuum is not destroying your carpet fibers. Carpets are meant to be vacuumed several times a week without sustaining damage.
Vacuuming Frequency
Vacuuming frequency depends on a few factors such as the number of people in your household, whether it's a high-traffic home, and how many pets you have. Vacuuming once a month is not recommended. Carpet and rugs are typically vacuumed more than hard surfaces because they collect more soil and dust that can become damaging as it grounds deep into the fibers. Hard surface flooring does not capture and hold onto dust and loose soil as easily as carpet. However, the soil can accumulate in corners, grout lines, and crevices. Here's how often to vacuum various areas:
- High-traffic roomswith carpets and rugs (entryways, living areas, and kitchens): 2x per week
- Low-traffic rooms with carpets and rugs (guest rooms, formal dining rooms): 1x per week
- Hard-surface floors (tile,hardwood,laminate, andvinyl): 1x per week
Tip
If you have pets or someone in your household works outdoors, all carpets and floors should be vacuumed daily to capture the large amount of dander, dust, and dirt.It is perfectly okay to vacuum carpet every day in these situations.
Protecting Your Carpet
If you're concerned about ruining your carpet by vacuuming, consider purchasing a carpet-protecting spray which can be applied easily. Check if your carpet is under any warranty, as adding products to the carpet could void that warranty entirely.
The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
The Importance of Vacuuming. The Carpet and Rug Institute.
I'm well-versed in the intricacies of floor cleaning and maintenance, drawing from years of experience and a deep understanding of the nuances involved. To tackle the subject of cleaning floors comprehensively, let's break down the concepts discussed in the article:
1. Vacuuming Techniques: Proper vacuuming is essential to keep floors clean without damaging them. Considerations like choosing the right vacuum type based on flooring (canister for hard surfaces, upright with a beater bar for carpets), customizing settings, adjusting height, and moving slowly to trap more soil are key techniques. Adjusting the vacuum head height is crucial for better suction and minimizing wear on the carpet.
2. Best Practices for Carpet Cleaning: Vacuuming under area rugs, utilizing HEPA filters for improved dust collection, and maintaining the vacuum cleaner itself are essential practices. Cleaning underneath area rugs and taking care of the vacuum helps prevent dust mites and bacteria buildup, ensuring a cleaner environment.
3. Importance of Frequent Vacuuming: Regular vacuuming is crucial to prevent dirt from damaging carpet fibers and creating breeding grounds for dust mites and bacteria. While some worry that vacuuming damages carpets, it's actually necessary for their upkeep.
4. Vacuuming Frequency: How often you should vacuum depends on factors like household traffic, presence of pets, and floor type. High-traffic areas with carpets need more frequent vacuuming (2x per week), while low-traffic areas or hard surfaces may require less (1x per week).
5. Protection and Maintenance: Concerns about damaging carpets through vacuuming can be alleviated by using carpet-protecting sprays. However, it's important to check whether adding such products could void the carpet's warranty.
This comprehensive approach to floor cleaning encompasses the intricacies of vacuuming techniques, best practices for various floor types, the importance of regular maintenance, and ways to safeguard your flooring investments.
