If you’ve ever felt like your vacuum isn’t quite sucking up as much debris and hair from your floors as it should, it could be because of the way your using it.
Janitor Brandon Pleshek has revealed a simple technique change could dramatically increase the amount of dust your vacuum removes.
He showed how the hack works in a video on his TikTok channel @cleanthatup.
Watch the video above.
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”Here’s a quick tip to remove the most dirt and hair from your carpet and rugs. Vacuum in a 360 pattern. This is really good for shag rugs and very thick pile carpet because you’re moving the fibres around, unlocking any deeply embedded dirt and hair,” he said.
Based on the video the 360 pattern involves vacuuming in all directions, going up and back one way on the rug and then going the opposite way.
“Another thing I like to recommend when vacuuming rugs is to always flip it over and make sure you give the back a quick vacuum.”
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The advice was a hit with Pleshek’s TikTok followers who responded with more tips and questions for the cleaner.
“I’ve been doing this for about 5 years before I carpet clean, it also helps if you go slow when you vacuum,” a man commented.
“I never thought of this! Thanks!” one said.
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Of course another reason your vacuum isn’t working as well as it usually does is because it needs cleaning.
Cleaning a vacuum involves more than just emptying the bag or canister of fluff and often requires the filter and smaller parts being dusted and/or washed (check your appliance manual first).
The vacuum head also needs to be cleaned, as hair and lint can get trapped around the roller brush head.
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In a previous TikTok video, Pleshek recommended cleaning vacuum brush heads with a seam ripper, which you can find anywhere that sells sewing supplies.
The seam ripper means you can really get stuck in and pull out hair trapped in the brush fibres.
But if you don’t have a seam ripper, a pair of scissors will do the job, and while it’s a fiddly process it’s worth doing every now and then for better vacuuming results.
