How To Use A Vacuum Cleaner – Step-by-Step

Your vacuum is the most versatile cleaner in your arsenal — if you know how to use it.

June 16, 2020

How to use a vacuum cleaner. There is no denying the impact vacuum cleaners have on our home cleaning routines. There is a clear difference in the amount of dust and dirt that you will find in any house, before and after using a vacuum cleaner.

Older vacuums were heavy and expensive but newer technologies have enabled the creation of much lighter and more compact versions. The smaller vacuums are also less expensive than their older predecessors are, which makes it much easier for everyone to have a good one.

They are also getting lighter and more compact with time. Vacuum cleaners are so versatile these days, thanks to the many attachments they come with. So much so that you can even use them in ways that you never imagined before.

Step-by-Step Directions To Use a Vacuum Cleaner

Step 1: Check where dust gets collected – Bag/Canister

This is the important part of the device where all the dust gets deposited. Older models sport a bag, while newer vacuums use a removable canister. If the bag is full, you need to change it; if it is a reusable container it should be emptied as often as possible. If the deposit area is full the vacuum won’t be able to pick up dirt effectively.

Step 2: Check Vacuum’s height

Vacuums have adjustable height settings to deal with carpets of varying thickness. If the setting is not low enough, the vacuum will not have enough suction to clean the carpet properly. And if it is too low, the airflow will be affected. Always check this setting before tackling your carpets.

Step 3: Examine the area you are going to clean

Before you begin vacuuming it is necessary to have a look around the floor or carpet and make a plan – in which direction you want to begin cleaning and where you want to end it. Also, if there are any areas on the floor that are dirty and require a few extra swipes of vacuum.

Step 4: Move smaller items out of the way

Move all of the smaller items out of the vacuum’s way. Although the furniture can be difficult to move everytime you want to vacuum, it is highly advisable to remove the smaller items out of the vacuum’s way to prevent any accidental loss of any valuables.

Step 5: Turn the vacuum “On”

Turn the vacuum on and push the vacuum forward and backwards over your carpet, in slow, even strokes. If you move the vacuum too quickly it won’t pick up dirt that well and you will have a half cleaned home. So move the vacuum at a slower pace.

Step 6: Vacuum attachments

Your vacuum isn’t just made for the floors or carpets. This versatile cleaning powerhouse can be used for a variety of household chores, which means you don’t need a closet full of cleaning gadgets to tidy your home. In fact, the right accessories can help you clean anything from mattresses to refrigerator coils and air vents. Use them to do more work for you, with less elbow grease and effort on your part.

Step 7: Wash the vacuum brush

All the brushes and tools need periodic cleaning to remove debris. Use mild detergent and water to clean all the brush attachments. Use a bucket of warm water to get the job done. Also make sure that the brushes and tools are dry before you put them in storage.

How does a vacuum cleaner work?

Now since you have learnt how to use a vacuum cleaner, you might have realised that its quite a simple machine with easy mechanisms.

The vacuum cleaner is made only with 6 components:

One exhaust port;
One fan;
One intake port, which can come with different accessories;
A bag/ canister
Housing that contains all the other components.

When you plug the vacuum cleaner in and turn it on, this is what happens:

The electric current operates the motor. The motor is attached to the fan, which has angled blades (like an airplane propeller).

As the fan blades turn, they force air forward, toward the exhaust port (check out How Airplanes Work to find out what causes this).

When air particles are driven forward, the density of particles (and therefore the air pressure) increases in front of the fan and decreases behind the fan.

This pressure drop behind the fan is just like the pressure drop in the straw when you sip from your drink. The pressure level in the area behind the fan drops below the pressure level outside the vacuum cleaner (the ambient air pressure).

This creates suction, a partial vacuum, inside the vacuum cleaner. The ambient air pushes itself into the vacuum cleaner through the intake port because the air pressure inside the vacuum cleaner is lower than the pressure outside.

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4 common attachments that come with every vacuum

If a vacuum comes with attachments, these will be included.

Crevice Tool

With its skinny shape and angled tip, this one gets into the tight spots: corners, along baseboards, around radiators or vents, between sofa cushions, and more. You can also use it for cleaning refrigerator coils or de-linting the inner workings of your dryer.

Dusting Brush

Round with long, soft bristles, it helps whisk window sills, bookcases, framed art, lampshades, and blinds. If your vac is equipped with variable suction, you can also use it for more delicate tasks, such as cleaning around knick-knacks.

Upholstery Tool

This attachment is wide and sometimes has a lint-catching fabric strip perfect for coaxing dust from sofas, chairs, mattresses, and cushions.

Extension Wand

This gives you more reach, and nabs dust dangling from high ceilings and corners or buried deep behind appliances. Or try this neat trick: If you’ve dropped something lightweight in a spot you can’t reach, stretch a piece of nylon pantyhose over the end of the wand, secure it with a rubber band, and use it as a tool to retrieve your item.