How to Vacuum Everything in Your House

• Vacuum last: If you’re also doing other cleaning tasks, such as dusting shelves or washing countertops, always save the vacuuming for last. This way you’ll vacuum up all the dust and dirt that falls to the floor during your other cleaning.
• Vacuum inside out: When vacuuming an entire room, start as far inside the room as possible and then vacuum your way to the door. That way you won’t have to walk over the floors or carpets you’ve just vacuumed in order to leave the room.
• The more strokes, the better: A vacuum cleaner sucks up more and more dirt every time you move it over the same portion of a carpet or floor. That means it’s best to repeat each stroke about 8–10 times before moving on. If you’re in a rush, 3–5 strokes or so will still do the job.
• Be mindful of fragile items: Vacuums, especially uprights, are generally bulky and can break items like chair legs and other fragile furniture pieces. Use the vacuum’s hose attachment, instead of the main base, near any fragile areas. If you’re using a canister, carry the canister from area to area rather than dragging it behind you by its hose.
• Don’t vacuum up everything: Avoid trying to vacuum up anything wet or anything larger than a small pebble. Spilled liquids, coins, plant leaves, and rocks—all of these can damage a vacuum’s internal parts. Before you start vacuuming, sweep the area you plan to vacuum so that it’s clear of objects like these.
• Set the suction level: Most vacuums let you adjust the machine’s suction power based on the type of surface you need to vacuum. Refer to the specific guidelines in the following sections of this guide for suction settings for each type of surface you vacuum.
• Beater bar: Most vacuums have a setting that lets you turn the beater bar on or off. If your vacuum doesn’t have this setting, it most likely turns the beater bar off for you automatically when you set the vacuum to a lower suction setting. If you can turn the beater bar on or off, set it to On whenever you’re vacuuming regular rugs or carpets, and set it to Off when vacuuming floors or fragile carpets or rugs.