Kids are messy. That’s a fact of life. It also means that you probably spend a lot of your time cleaning. But have you ever taken out your vacuum only to find that the final results were less than satisfying? It’s happened to the best of us, but you can conquer the dust and crumbs.
These 5 tested vacuuming hacks will help you clean things up quickly and thoroughly so you can get back to what really matters.
Declutter First
Decluttering should be part of your basic cleaning checklist, and it’s particularly important if you want to vacuum successfully. Failing to clear up those piles will slow you down as you try to vacuum, forcing you to stop every few steps to move things around. You can do a quick declutter whenever you vacuum while also moving your furniture out of the path of your vacuum.
Start Away From The Door
When vacuuming, most people start on one side of the room – or wherever their outlets are – and then work their way across the space. To really get the room clean, though, it’s better to start at the innermost part of your room and vacuum your way out by orienting your path toward the door. This way, you’ll hit every section, avoid tracking dirt or crumbs around underfoot, and be ready to move on to the next room.
Get All The Surfaces
We associate vacuuming with carpet, but your vacuum can handle a whole lot more, or at least it should be able to. That’s why, particularly as a parent, you need to invest in a vacuum, like Miele’s canister vacuums, that can handle a wide range of surfaces. Sweeping only goes so far. You need a vacuum that’s as powerful on hardwood and tile as it is on a rug.
Trap Tiny Pieces
How many times have you accidentally sucked up a Barbie shoe, Lego, or other tiny toy with your vacuum? Sometimes these pieces just clatter around and sometimes they completely clog the works, but either way, you know you have to fish those pieces out of face a meltdown when your child can’t find that important little piece. Luckily, there’s a simple trick to keep those tiny toys from getting sucked up into your vacuum: put tights over the hose end. As you move the vacuum along, the tights will filter out these items before they get into the canister.
Know What NOT To Vacuum
Every so often, something throws a total wrinkle into the vacuuming process. Should you vacuum up that broken glass? What about that blush that got dumped on the bedroom rug? The answer isn’t always obvious, but knowing what the best way to clean a mess is can save you from much bigger problems down the road. While small bits of broken glass are usually okay, you should avoid vacuuming larger pieces of glass, makeup – which can melt inside the vacuum, and used coffee grounds, among other items. As for other items, when it doubt, look it up. Pausing to check the best cleanup method is faster and cheaper than ruining your floors or your vacuum.
Vacuuming should be an easy chore, and if you start the task well-prepared, you’ll be on the right path. Sure, kids will always throw a wrench into the plan with some new mess, but these tricks will give you the upper hand.
