When it comes to cleaning habits, opinions vary massively. I manage all the floor care articles on Techradar, and although I have some of the very best vacuum cleaners in my closet and spend a lot more time thinking about vacuuming than the average person does not mean that I actually do it that regularly.
To find out if my cleaning habits are up to the bottom, I decided to find out – from a cleaning expert – exactly how often we should all vacuum our floors. I talked to Kiril Natov, a blanket and padding cleaning technician and CEO of Cleaning Company Premium Clean, with 18 years of experience in the industry. Here’s what he had to say …
How often do you have to vacuum rugs?
“The purpose of vacuuming blankets at least twice a week, even if they do not appear dirty,” Natov suggests. If you have pets or children, he recommends raising that frequency.
Does that matter what kind of vacuum you use? “For cut pile blankets, use a vacuum with a whisk bar or brush to improve cleaning,” Natov advises. A Beater Bar is just a rotating roll in the cleaner head, often with bristles that help agitate the carpet fibers. When the Techradar team recommends the best vacuum for the rug, we also look for models that have enough suction to pull up dust and dirt that is wedged deeper into the carpet.
Natov also suggests you could use a Robovac. My experience is that even today’s best robot wacuum does not have enough suction to really deep pure blanket, but they are good at living on top of ordinary, easy cleanses.
How often do you have to vacuum hard floor?
“We recommend vacuuming hardwood floors once a week,” says Natov. He suggests using your vacuum’s hard floor setting if it has one.
What kind of vacuum do you need to use for hard floors? “Any vacuum can suck dust, hair and crumbs from your hardwood, tile or vinyl flooring, but some models do better than others,” says Natov. “To avoid the spread of dirt or possibly devastating delicate floor, look for a vacuum that either allows you to turn off the spinning brush roll or has a special cleaner head with soft bristle hair.”
My own top choices for the best vacuum cleaners for wooden floor are models that include a dedicated fluffy floor head – as Natov says, these are perfect for cleaning dust and dirt from the surface of even delicate hard floors. Examples include Dyson V15 Detect and Dream R20.
Kiril Natov
Kiril is a blanket and padding cleaning technician with a total of 18 years in the industry. He launched his family-run, London-based cleaning company Premium Clean in 2009.
How often do you have to vacuum your sofa?
“We recommend vacuuming furniture and padding fabric once a month,” Natov says, noticing that pet owners may want to increase it every week. He suggests paying special attention to your sofa-it is one of the most high traffic areas in your home, so it is bound to pick up dirt and dust.
When it comes to cleaning furniture and padding, it’s about attachments. If you buy a wireless vacuum, look for one with a mini-motorized cleaning head-lit as a shrinking version of the ground floor. This will help you cover larger, uneven surfaces like sofa cushions.
Natov’s last hot tip to ensure a thorough clean is to stay on top of vacuum cleaner maintenance. Clean your filters regularly (and make sure they are completely dry before putting them back in the machine – or your vacuum starts to smell), replace filters in line with the manufacturer’s guidelines, stay on top of emptying the dust cup and don’t forget to clean the adhesions as well.
