Why You Can Trust CNET Getting Carpets Clean Requires Proper Vacuuming; You’re Probably Doing It Wrong
There's a right and a wrong way to vacuum carpets and most of us have been doing it wrong all along.
- Macy has been working for CNET for coming on 2 years. Prior to CNET, Macy received a North Carolina College Media Association award in sports writing.
- Covered the mobile and smart home tech space for the past five years for multiple large publications.
Cordless vacuums have improved greatly in the last few years and can now handle the vast majority of a home's cleaning needs.
One of the most unavoidable parts of adulthood is cleaning. While it isn't the most enjoyable task, it's a necessity for maintaining a healthy and comfortable living space. Vacuuming -- next to doing the dishes -- might be the most frequented cleaning chore and may also be one of the most instantly gratifying ones. Seeing the dust debris (and pet hair on the floor for those with furry friends) there one second and gone the next while rolling around a powerful machine can be highly satisfying.
It's a job that can at least make a room feel more enjoyable. If you're like me, you may not be aware that there is a correct and incorrect way to clean your floors. Even if you have the best vacuum on the market, by using it wrong, the tool will not perform at its peak and your floors won't be as clean as you want.
We've done a lot of in-depth hands-on and lab testing to ensure we are recommending the best cordless, robot, and budget vacuums on the market. As we all know, the best tool isn't going to help much if we don't use it properly. So, by combining the top vacuums with professional cleaning tips, you're sure to have tidy floors in no time.
The right way to vacuum clean your home
Those short, quick, back-and-forth motions that the majority of people do when vacuuming isn't sucking up all that dust, dirt and lint that is embedded into your carpets and floors. The more efficient way to vacuum -- and the way professional cleaners do it -- is to go forward, in structured rows.
You'll first start by vacuuming a row of your carpeting in one direction, wall-to-wall. This first pass should be against the nap of the carpet to make it fluff up and to make the deeply embedded dirt come up easier. A way to tell if you're vacuuming against the nap correctly is if the carpet piles stick up or look a little darker.
Next, push the vacuum back over that strip you just vacuumed. This will lay the carpet back down flat and will suck up the rest of the dirt you missed on the first pass. Once you're back to your starting place, vacuum another strip right next to the first, overlapping slightly. Keep repeating this routine until the whole room has been vacuumed thoroughly.
Once you've completed that step, go perpendicular: If you were vacuuming north to south the first time, vacuum east to west on this second pass. Yes, it's extra work and maybe it even seems like overkill, but this method ensures you get every bit of dirt and debris, which will keep your carpet cleaner and looking newer for longer.
For more helpful vacuum info, explore the best Roomba alternatives to keep your floors clean and the best robot vacuum deals available now.