It’s no secret that it’s important to vacuum the carpet in any indoor space regularly to keep it clean and fresh. But how often is “regularly”? That’s hard to say, and many people wonder about the ideal frequency of vacuuming to maintain their home or office. How often should you vacuum to get great results? We are going to dive into that question below.
Before getting started, it should be pointed out that it’s not necessarily you who has to run the vacuum cleaner. In some cases, it will be more practical to have a professional cleaning service with a good vacuum cleaner come in to do the work. Whether it’s just a rug or a carpet that fills the entire space, your floor will feel and look much better after being cared for by a professional team. Either way, whether you do the work on your own or turn it over to a cleaning company, the information below should be helpful as you decide on a schedule and how vacuuming fits into everything else you do for maintenance.
How Often Do You Need to Vacuum? A General Guide
Make it a habit to vacuum around your house once per week, and up to twice per week in the busiest areas. If you can do this for your carpet and rugs throughout the year, everything will remain in better condition. You’ll be able to keep dander down through regular vacuuming without the need to vacuum every day. Most people find that if they vacuum at least once per day, they love the results that are achieved.
Of course, you can organize your vacuuming schedule to suit your needs and the requirements of your schedule. For example, it’s okay to vacuum in just one day. Maybe you have time on a Sunday or break it up and do the job a few rooms at a time. The carpet fibers certainly don’t know what day it is, so ensure it gets done regularly.
Take note of the high-traffic areas in your house and give them some extra attention.
Factors Impacting How Often You Should Vacuum
The general guidelines we provided above for timing are a good starting point, but it helps to think more specifically about your carpets and what is needed to keep them clean. There are a few factors that will play into this equation, and those are listed below –
- Pets. This is a big one. If you have pets, you already know that the cleaning experience is a bit different. Pets are sure to leave hair throughout the house and that hair will quickly clog up your carpets, and the vacuum if you aren’t careful. Even with a new vacuum or a vacuum with a beater, pet hair is a worthy opponent.
- Carpet pile. There are a couple of different categories of carpets in terms of pile – low-pile and high-pile. If you have a low-pile carpet, you shouldn’t need to vacuum quite as frequently. You can probably fall into the once-per-week category and be just fine. However, with high-pile carpets, you are likely to run into the problem of those long fibers trapping all sorts of dirt. With longer carpets, do your best to vacuum a little more often to keep everything clean and organized. The type of carpet in your home is a huge factor in this topic so always keep that variable in mind.
- Allergies. Does anyone who lives in your home have allergies? If this is an issue you face, vacuuming frequency should go up. This will help keep the level of allergens in the home down. Some people also consider switching to tile flooring or something similar when faced with allergies, but vacuuming often might be enough to do the job.
- Where you live. Finally, your location will have something to say about when your floors should be vacuumed. If you live near the beach and sand is constantly being tracked into the house, try vacuuming at least twice a week, if not more often. Good housekeeping involves customizing your approach to match your environment so pay attention to what you see around you and adjust accordingly.
How to Vacuum Your Home Correctly
It might seem like a simple chore, but good vacuuming takes practice and attention to detail. Your carpets will be cleaner if you take some time to work on how you approach this task.
The first tip we can offer on this point has nothing to do with your technique and everything to do with your equipment – there is simply no substitute for a great vacuum cleaner. If you can invest in a model with a HEPA filter and strong suction, you’ll find that your results immediately improve. Depending on the type of vacuum you currently use, buying a new one might make a huge difference.
Another key point is to avoid moving the vacuum too quickly as you go across the carpet. It’s tempting to try to get the job done as fast as you can, but the results will be disappointing if you rush it. This is especially important if you opt to do the floors once a week – you need to give the vacuum time to pull up everything that is in a particular spot on the carpet. Even when going slower, vacuuming doesn’t take that much time and you’ll be done with the job before you know it.
Dealing with Hardwood Floors
So far, we’ve been talking about carpets, but hard floors also have a place in many homes and businesses. You need to put together a plan for hard surface floors. After you learn how often you need to vacuum for good results, you can monitor the condition of your hard floor surface to ensure it stays as clean as you would like.
Fortunately, regardless of the specific type of floor, hard surfaces are usually pretty easy to clean. Pull out a broom, sweep them up, and toss out what you collect. From time to time, you may want to mop the floor to get it clean and to deal with any grout issues, but that’s about it. As a good rule of thumb, try vacuuming right overr the bare floors, so any dirt and dust that comes over will be captured easily.
The Role of Carpet Cleaning
With frequent vacuuming, you can avoid the need to use techniques like steam cleaning to keep the house in good condition. However, there will come a point when you want to clean the carpets by using steam or water to get down into the fibers and deal with stains and other issues. You don’t need to be a handyman to complete this project – carpet cleaners are easy to rent from many stores and are simple to use. It’s a full day of work for many homes, but you probably don’t need to do this job more than once or twice a year.
You’ll recognize it’s time to clean the carpets when, even after vacuuming, you’re still dissatisfied with their appearance. If the vacuum canister fills up and you’re still unsatisfied with the result, it’s probably time for a deeper carpet cleaning. Ensuring the carpet remains very clean is crucial, especially if someone in your household is sensitive to airborne particulates and needs to avoid allergens.
Does Your Home Need to be Vacuumed?
Whether for allergen concerns or just to keep your home looking and feeling as good as possible, regular, consistent vacuuming is an important chore to keep up with. We hope this guide has given you a good starting point as you work on building a schedule to make sure you never fall too far behind when it comes to vacuuming.
There isn’t a fixed frequency for vacuuming, but a good rule of thumb is to vacuum at least once a week throughout most areas of your home, possibly twice a week in the busiest spots. Daily vacuuming isn’t necessary, but ensuring you don’t let too much time pass between sessions in high-traffic areas can help extend their longevity.
