Have you noticed any grim lines on your carpet?

Are your carpet fibres running?

Do your kids have any indoor allergies that don’t seem to clear up?

Well, these are all signs of poor vacuuming. But how should you vacuum your carpets then?

Let me tell you this:

Many people are familiar with the concept of vacuuming carpets to remove dust and dirt.

Nonetheless, to make sure that you eliminate all hygiene issues from your home while still taking care and safeguarding your designer carpet, there are some considerations you need to take note of.

Here are a few:

#01. Choose the Best Vacuum Cleaner for Your Carpets

There are several vacuum models, and brands available on the market today.

You’ll find upright, canister, handheld, cordless options, and more in the Bissell lineup.

However, not all vacuums are designed in the same manner.  So, you must be precise about the type of hoover that’ll adequately meet your carpet’s needs.

Let's give you some advice:

If you’re purchasing a new carpet for your house, you need to consider checking if it came with a manufacturer’s instructions guide.

If there are specific features and techniques recommended for cleaning your carpet, be sure to follow them precisely.

For instance, the newly released “soft carpets” that are becoming increasingly popular require a distinct type of vacuum than the traditional cut-pile carpets.

Therefore...

Even though you possess a centralized vacuum system (Central Vac).

You have various options when it comes to the vacuum head attachments, so make sure that you look at the choices available, and choose wisely.

#02. The CRI Program

The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI¹) designed an incredible labelling system to offer consumers the guidance and peace of mind they need when they’re buying a vacuum cleaner.

Want to know more?

CRI tests hoovers on three principles: soil removal, dust containment, and carpet appearance retention.

If the machine meets CRI’s standards on all three criteria, then it’s given the CRI Seal of Approval/Green Label for hoovers.

#03. The Rotating Brush

Most vacuum cleaners feature a rotating brush, or commonly known as a beater bar, which is deliberately designed to agitate the carpet fibres to aid in loosening the soil deep in the carpet pile.

It’s helpful on most cut-pile carpets, but it can also be quite destructive in specific carpet designs. 

Now...

The looped carpet designs like the Berber shouldn’t be vacuumed with a beater brush since it could end up loosening up the fibres and cause the loops to have a “fuzzy” appearance.

If there’s a small strand of thread that has pulled loose from the circles, it can quickly get wrapped around the rotating brush.

It ultimately results in the carpet getting pulled with so much force, thus creating a run in the rug.

To add to that...

The rotating brush²  can also ruin the long freeze carpet styles if their long strands of fibre become entangled in the beater brush.

Therefore...

If you have any of these carpet designs, make sure that you choose a hoover that allows the rotating brush to be turned off for the best carpet cleaning experience.

#04. Adjustable Height

Having a vacuum cleaner with an adjustable head height is convenient. It’s especially incredible if you have more than one style of carpet in your home.

Various carpet designs may need different vacuum heights to maintain proper airflow and to make sure that you have the best suction.

What does this mean for you?

If your sweeper came with a set of manufacturer’s recommendations, then you need to set the height according to the instructions for your particular style of carpet. 

If you have no idea how to do it, you can always consult an expert, and you’ll be guided accordingly.

#05. Follow the Proper Vacuum Techniques

Before you start vacuuming your carpet, you need to make sure that you walk around the mat, searching for hard objects that are too big to be vacuumed up.

These can be items such as small toy pieces, pennies, small rocks, grains, paper clips, among others.

At first glance...

They may seem harmless, but these objects, if not picked up by hand, can impair suctioning³  or cause severe damage to your vacuum cleaner. 

#06. Take Your Time

You don’t always have to be in a rush. When vacuuming your carpet, pass the machine back and forth slowly.

Having so many chores lined up can tempt you to move the vacuum cleaner as swiftly as you can to speed up the cleaning process.

Nevertheless...

This doesn’t give the best vacuums enough time to pick up every foreign particle in your carpet fibres, and so it won’t be as effective.

My advice is this:

Rather than pushing it back and forth hurriedly, run the vacuum gently in one direction, and then pull the machine back towards you.

When you’re done, move on to the next section of carpet, enabling the device to slightly overlap the area you vacuumed.

To allow for the lack of a rotating brush or enough suction at the very edge of your vacuum cleaner’s head.

#07. Reverse

Keep cleaning your carpet slowly until you feel that it’s up to your cleaning standards.

If you have OCD or you want to see the best results, you can always try repeating the process in the opposite direction, i.e., if you initially vacuumed in a north-south motion, turn and vacuum east-west.

It isn’t a necessary move every time you vacuum your carpet, but it’s a magnificent idea every once in a while to ensure that your home has a nice deep clean.

Also...

Ensure that you also remember to empty the canister or vacuum bag when it gets full.

A full dust cup or canister automatically decreases the suction power of your hoover, thus causing the time and work done to be less effective.

And to sum up:

Try not to let the machine get more than three-quarters full for the best performance of your vacuum cleaner. 

#08. Attachments were Included for a Reason, Use Them

Many vacuums feature hose attachments that make it easy for you to vacuum those hard-to-reach places, and for cleaning upholstery, among other things.

Therefore...

Make use of these attachments.

You can try using a crevice attachment along the baseboard at the edge of your room to help prevent dirt and debris build-up and probably filtration soiling.

#09. Rugs and Stairs

The upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner is perfect for using on those delicate area rugs made from wool or silk – fibres that you should never vacuum with a rotating brush.

All you need to do is to glide the upholstery attachment over the rug gently and voila, your carpet will be as clean as ever.

On the other hand...

If you own a cut pile synthetic rug, then you can use the beater bar for vacuuming.

However, you need to be cautious not to run the beater bar over the edges of the rug, as that can lead to fraying and fibre damages.

Instead, make sure that you use one of the attachment pieces to suction along the edges of the rug gently.

As for the stairs:

Since they’re not large enough to use an upright vacuum on them and manoeuvring a massive vacuum head on them is cumbersome, you can always try using a hose add-on or even the end of the hose itself to clean them.

It might not seem like an ideal option, but it’s the easiest and most effective way to vacuum stairs.

To add to that:

Using a smaller piece on stairs gives you a chance to reach every corner of the stairs, and between the railing posts of your house, if you have them.

So, run the attachment or hose along the edges of the stairs.

Make sure that you also pay close attention to the areas where dust and allergens are most likely to collect like the back of the stair where the tread meets the riser.

Then, slowly run the vacuum cleaner back and forth over the whole stair, as well as the stair nosing (where the rug wraps around the edge).

#10. Vacuum Often

How often you need to vacuum your carpet depends on the level of traffic and activities in your house.

However, once per week should be the minimum that any household should vacuum its rugs.

For the homes that have high traffic or pets, then, without a doubt, more frequent vacuuming will be necessary. Most probably twice or even three times per week.

Here's why:

It’ll help you get rid of allergens such as dust and pet hair from your carpet fibres and will help in keeping your carpet looking and performing its best, read this if you need an allergy vacuum.

Common Questions

In Conclusion

Maintaining a home is challenging, but when you follow the basic guidelines, then you can effectively combat issues like allergies and dirt build-up.

So, if you have been trying to figure out practical but efficient ways to clean your carpet to get rid of pet hair while also keeping its classic look.

Then follow these simple rules on how to vacuum your carpets, and you’ll save up on hospital bills and trips to the carpet store.

Want to find out more? Read our in-depth vacuum reviews!