I don’t know too many people on earth who find great pleasure in vacuuming, other than myself.
There is not a ton of joy in dragging around an awkward, heavy apparatus, sending all of the pets scattering, and then emptying the dirt-filled bag to reveal all of the dirt and debris that used to occupy your floors.
Vacuuming your home or studio is far more important than just for appearance. You’re health and the health of your loved ones is being safeguarded as well.
Because of this added benefit to our health and well-being, vacuuming should be part of a regular routine that the majority of us are currently not being adamant enough about.
What's In the Air?
Think about this, there are dozens of tiny microbes constantly floating around in the air in your home, which can cause a ton of complications for those with inhalant-related allergies such as hay fever.
Molds, dust mites, and tiny bacteria can all bombard the respiratory system of an asthma sufferer, causing them to have difficulty breathing, wheezing or violently cough at night.
When those with hay fever (otherwise known as allergic rhinitis) have dealings with dust mites, they can experience all the discomforts of a horrible cold: chest congestion, runny nose, itchy and watering eyes and bad coughing.
The accumulation of dander (dead skin cells from animals) combined with pet hair can cause individuals with pet allergies to experience signs of distress such as respiratory or nasal symptoms or coughing, sneezing and rashes.
Even though it’s impossible to entirely sanitize your floors, occasional or inadequate vacuuming can cause severe responses to people who are over-sensitive to pet dander.
Proper upkeep and vacuuming can greatly reduce the chances of symptoms recurring. Therefore, a consistent and thorough vacuuming is a must-do item to add to your schedule.
What exactly do you vacuum while vacuuming?
If you’re only using your vacuum cleaner to clean your flooring surfaces, you’re missing out on all the great health benefits vacuuming can do for you.
Bacteria, germs and mites can fester, which could affect your health so be sure to fully utilize your vacuum to its full potential to get the most health benefits from it.
Here are eight often overlooked hard-to-clean spots that the proper vacuum with the right attachments can make short work of.
Mattress
Mites and Mattresses!
Vacuuming your mattress will decrease the risk of bed bugs (or dust mites) unwantedly moving in. If your vacuum comes with one, it’s best to use an upholstery attachment to make the task easier.
It’s simple really, when you change your sheets next, pull out the vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment and give your mattress and going-over and be sure to focus on all the nooks and crannies
The Top of the Ceiling Fan
Do you remember the last time you cleaned your ceiling fan blades?
They can be one of the filthiest places in your house. Sure, a wet paper towel or rag will get the job done, but, vacuuming the top of the ceiling fan with a brush cleaner attachment is both easier and (provided you have a long enough hose) much less perilous
Drawers
You don’t have to clean drawers weekly, but you should be vacuuming them out every so often to keep them free of unwanted remains.
Whether they’re in the kitchen, bathroom or the bedroom, it’s easy to forget that they get grimy, also, you don’t want filth getting all over your clean clothes before you’ve even wear them
Inside/Above Cabinets
This is another ignored spot (probably because nobody wants to get in there and clean it out) that the longer hose of a vacuum can make quick work of.
Don’t feel too grossed out when you notice all the dust and filth up there, because all that will all soon be in the past.
Curtains/Blinds
Allowing dust to build up on the blinds is not good for anyone in the house: the air blowing in from the window can disperse the dust around the entire room.
This can prove to be troublesome for allergy sufferers. Be sure you vacuum the entire length of blinds to eliminate all of the possibility of dust remaining.
Window Sills
Don’t forget to vacuum your windowsills weekly to ensure any dust doesn’t accumulate and the air in your home remains fresh and allergen-free.
Just as with blinds, the sills of your windows gather pollen as well as dust and other impurities from outside.
Underneath Furniture
Nobody wants to spend all day crouched on the ground, methodically sweeping dust from under the furniture with a hand broom, do they?
But we guarantee that if you look underneath your furniture, you will find a lot of dust and debris.
Your vacuum hose and special attachments can be a lifesaver: From between furniture cushions to under kitchen appliances, they allow you to vacuum spaces you never thought possible
Computer Keyboards
How much of the day do you spend at the keyboard, now, how often do you clean it?
Laptop and desktop computer keyboards can get filthy and you’re probably trying to keep these clean by wiping them down when they get visibly gross, but that doesn’t account for all the dust that mounts up in between all the keys.
Simply, run your vacuum cleaners brush attachment over the keys to pick up the grime a rag can’t reach
What you should NOT Vacuum
Gravel
While larger rocks aren't good for your appliance, small pieces of gravel can be picked up through the hose attachment.
Dry cereal
Don't vacuum gravel
Small pieces of gravel may be picked up through a hose attachment but not larger pieces, which can be harmful to your appliance.
Large pieces of glass
Vacuuming up large pieces of broken glass can be highly detrimental to your machine.
The sharp shards can get lodged in the hose or worse, puncture the bag, so pull out the broom instead.
Fine dust
You’ve just remodeled your kitchen, don’t vacuum up construction residue or other building particles — use a shop vac or a more durable machine instead.
Fine dust or residue can clog the vacuum filters in a hurry.
Wet food (or anything moist)
Your typical vacuum isn’t designed to clean up wet or moistened materials— be it spilt milk, wet food, or even a soggy cereal Jr. knocked over. Use a wet/dry vac instead (or a paper towel for small jobs).
Fireplace Ashes
Fireplace ashes can contain trapped heat so don’t clean them up with a common vacuum. Allow ashes to completely cool for at least 72 hours, then use that wet/dry vac to clean out the fireplace.
Coins, paperclips, or other small items
Sure, it’s tempting to just vacuum these items when you see them on the floor, but it’s a bad idea. They can get lodged in the rotating brush or break any plastic pieces inside the vacuum.
Why is vacuuming important?
Vacuuming is an essential part of keeping your home clean and healthy as well as maintaining your carpet and rugs value.
Not only does systematic vacuuming remove the dust, dirt, hair and dander that is evident, it also eliminates all those microscopic allergens naked to the human eye.
Experts recommend that you vacuum your carpet and rugs at least twice a week and more often in high traffic areas or if you have pets
Regularly vacuuming your carpets can have at least three major benefits:
Home hygiene
Vacuuming even a couple times a week help eliminate any allergens and dust particles before they have a chance to accumulate in your home.
It's also beneficial for getting rid of unwelcome or undesirable "muck" that finds its way into carpets, resulting in an overall cleaner living environment.
Millions of dead skin cells and hairs (human and pet) are shed every day. Along with all the dust, pollen and other allergens accumulating, you really can't leave these things accumulating too long.
That's where vacuuming comes in – leaving everything alone could eventually cause breathing issues and allergies.
And let's face it – there's nothing quite like a clean carpet for a great feeling at home.
Prolong your carpet’s life
Vacuuming maintains the investment you already have in your carpets, staircases, area rugs, and the rest of your flooring.
Removing unwanted filth prevents against foul odors, breaking down of fibers and matting carpet. Flooring is one of the most costly investments in your home and is often ruined by lack of or improper care and maintenance.
Improve your family’s health
Keeping your family healthy
You can’t always notice from simply looking at your carpet, there are mass amounts of particles that can cause health issues to you without being noticed.
Carpeting has a larger risk of developing mold in areas with higher humidity levels, especially if they’re not properly maintained.
Carpeted areas act like giant sponges and trap dirt particles, dust and mites and of all manners, which can be a big issue for anyone with allergies or asthma.
Here are some useful guidelines to help you vacuum more effectively.
Make sure the belt is not frayed or damaged. Inspect on a regular basis.
If conceivable, use a HEPA bag or filter. Fine particles are captured better with these filters. Empty your canister or bag when it’s 3/4 full.
Take your time when vacuuming. 80% of vacuuming effectiveness comes not from pushing forward, but when pulling backward. Also, remember to check your brushes regularly. Remove any hairs and check bristles on brush bars to see if they need replacing.
Vacuum in multiple directions. This helps prevent your carpets and rugs from wearing out and also helps work lose ground in dirt.
We cannot stress enough the importance of frequent vacuuming. Your carpet does its job of capturing all the dirt and dust particulates that somehow find their way into your home.
Now your (or hire a professional) job is to eliminate them from your rugs and carpet and get them out of your clean house. Your family and your carpet with thank you for it.
Does vacuuming kill bacteria?
Many types of bacteria can flourish in your carpet fibers. If you don’t vacuum deeply on a regular schedule, clusters of unseen bacteria can build-up and possibly cause health worries.
If you have children playing on the floor, this can be particularly dangerous.
Children tend to forget to wash their hands before touching their mouths, which will increase the chance of them getting an infection.
This is where it can get frightening, carpet can hide 1-lb of grime per yard and still appear clean.
Bacteria, such as MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) can at times be found deep in your carpet as well and these bacteria feed on the millions of dead skin cells shed every day by everybody living in your home.
To address bacteria in carpets, implement more than one cleaning method using these four steps.
Step 1
Vacuum frequently with a vacuum with a HEPA filter. If possible, spend a little more for carpet with shorter piles so your vacuum is more efficient at removing the debris near the bottom.
Step 2
Steam-clean the carpet using hot water and appropriate detergent. Add to the solution one quarter to half a cup of vinegar to help kill any deep bacteria found in the carpet.
Step 3
Lower the humidity in your home and maintain levels below 50 percent. Surplus humidity can affect the dampness of your carpet, creating a perfect breeding environment for bacteria.
Run a dehumidifier in the most humid rooms in the home, such as the laundry room, kitchen and bathrooms.
Step 4
Apply a fabrics safe disinfectant generously on the carpet to eradicate any bacteria. If you wish to eliminate a specific bacterium, use a disinfectant specifically designed for that particular bacteria
It’s good to remember: Cleaning removes the dirt and grime and prevents the distribution of diseases and bacteria only at the surface level.
Disinfecting, however, is intended to make surfaces free and clear of any microscopic organisms by eliminating things like fungi and viruses, which can lead to respiratory infections.
Does vacuuming improve air quality?
What’s floating in the air can be just as unsafe as what loiters on the surfaces.
Dust, pollen, and other microscopic particulates, unseen by the naked eye, can prompt allergy and asthma symptoms and lead to a host of other ailments that compromise your families’ health.
Daily vacuuming with the proper equipment can be attributed to improved air quality, but by using an outdated vacuum cleaner — or failing to properly maintain it — can actually do more harm than good.
Why?
Because the majority of vacuums can release dust particles and bacteria back into the air, where they can spread infections and trigger allergies.
Older, cut-rate models that need to be replaced caused more indoor air pollutants than the newer slightly more expensive vacuum cleaners, in general.
Another option is to use HEPA filters. They are supposed to remove 99.9% of animal dander, pollen, and even most bacteria from the air.
Vacuums with HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters released much lower levels of dust than vacuums without these special filters. These specialized filters tend to remove a higher amount of particles than they discharge back into the air.
Overall, the majority of vacuums, on the market today, collect more dirt, dust, and allergens than they spit out back into the air.
It really has to be old, low quality or a vacuum that doesn’t get washed regularly for a vacuum to do more damage than good to your air quality
So, if you want to improve overall air quality in your home, be sure you vacuum your house on a consistent basis, use the proper HEPA filters and regularly maintain your vacuum to be confident you get rid of all the unwanted dirt, dust, pet dander and bacteria and be assured your indoor air is as healthy as possible.
Conclusion
The thought of vacuuming can be considered a “chore” for most people. Because of this, vacuuming doesn’t get done nearly as often or as appropriate as it should.
Vacuuming is more than just for appearance sake, getting your rugs and carpet cleaned is a required part of maintaining your flooring as well as keeping your house clean and tidy.
Sure, the air in your house may smell garden-fresh and feel hygienic, despite the fact that there are minute microscopic particles always floating about.
These particles add to a significant number of airway -related issues and complications.
Those who suffer from asthma or any kind of allergies tend to be predominantly susceptible to these irritants.
A steady dose of vacuuming not only removes the visible dirt, dust, pet hair and mud, it also aids in eliminating all the tiny allergens naked to the human eye.
The bottom line is that vacuuming on a consistent basis is beneficiary for your family’s health. It’s not healthy for us to be exposed to an accumulation of all the unwanted particles we track into the household.
