How to Clean a Bathtub!
December 31, 2016
There are some things I’m going to keep to myself, but one thing I’m willing to go entirely public with is my pure disdain for vacuuming.
It’s just too much. It drives me crazy. It makes me mad! But this post isn’t an opportunity for me to vent, it’s actually my way to share with you how to vacuum like a professional, without having to go through the pain I went through to learn all of this. See, once I learned the proper way to do it, it became palatable…. I could at least manage. I still don’t like it, but at least I know how to do it well enough to get great results in the least amount of time. So let me show you the 5 tips that will get you vacuuming like a pro!
If you need to add some new cleaning tools to your arsenal, then look no further then Maker’s Clean Products!
Ok, well, not literally, but get to know them and leverage them to make vacuuming a lot easier and to get even more use out of your vacuum.
Most vacuums come with at least a few attachments – all of which have a specific use – so, let’s quickly cover off what each one does:
This long, narrow tool is designed to get into corners, the area between your baseboard and your floor (you get a lot of build-up there), under spaces, in between the small crevices in upholstery, etc. It’s useful and man, does it work!
This is designed to, well, remove dust and debris from upholstery. Depending on the brand of vacuum you have, it may have a little lint removal strip which you can manually clean after each use. Mine is always full of cat hair (go figure).
This essentially makes your vacuum into an electric broom. Hard floor attachments have fine bristles, like a broom, attached to the bottom which won’t scratch your floors (like a powerhead can). That said, upright vacuums and some canister vacuums may not come with a separate attachment, so you may just need to flip a switch on your powerhead which pops bristles out at the base, thus protecting your hard floor surfaces from scratching.
This is used for dusting and cleaning small, delicate spaces. For example, it’s great to use for cleaning a keyboard, cleaning out a drawer, etc. I use mine a lot! It has the same bristles as a hard floor brush which means it won’t scratch a surface. Nice!
Yes, I know. I talk about it all the time. But I can’t help it! Carpets harbour a LOT of odours, especially for all you pet owners out there – so, to tackle the stanky carpet blues all you need is a generous sprinkle of baking soda over your entire carpet and let it sit and work its magic for about 15-20 minutes. After the time has elapsed, simply vacuum it all up as you normally would! This also helps deodorize the vacuum canister, so you know, why not? We also learned last week (when we explored pet hair management) that baking soda can help loosen carpet fibers a little and release pet hair. Double rainbow!
This might sound simple, but it’s a handy tip to avoid you vacuuming yourself into a corner (and then getting footprints all over your precious cut lines!). You ALWAYS want to start your vacuuming at the opposite end of the room in accordance with the door (as I said earlier). That way, there won’t be any footprints on your freshly cleaned carpets. On that note, where you plug your vacuum in is quite important. If you plug it in in front of you, you’ll be vacuuming over cords, you’ll have a tough time keeping the vacuum behind you and you will most definitely have to walk over your freshly vacuumed carpets to unplug it. So, always look for the socket that is closest to your exit point, and re-position it if you have to as you work your way toward the exit point of the room. Some people get extension cords so they never have to unplug all the time. And, I’m telling you, when I learned this one, it all clicked in.
What are your vacuuming secrets? Please share, because if I can find a way to make this job even easier, I definitely want to know!
See our E-Book Bundle to take your cleaning game to the next level! It gives you our top 3 e-books (my 3 Wave Cleaning System, 50 DIY Cleaning Recipes, The Complete Guide to Essential Oils) and will give you the perfect start to a fresher and cleaner home!
