In parts one and two of this multi-part blog series, we’ve gone over everything you need to know about vacuuming within your home on a DIY basis. Homeowners will regularly vacuum their spaces, even those who have professional housekeeping services carried out periodically, and knowing how and when to properly execute this basic process will help keep your home cleaner and healthier at all times.

At Healthy Homes Housekeeping, we’re proud to offer a variety of house cleaning services, from standard cleaning through deep cleaning and move-in/move-out services — and also to offer expertise to our clients looking to keep their homes clean and tidy in simple ways even between appointments from our maid service staff. In today’s final entry into our series, we’ll go over a few more basic pointers or themes to consider when vacuuming any part of your home.

Backing Out of Rooms

One extremely simple theme that will help you keep your carpets, rugs and other vacuumed surfaces as clean as possible: Taking the time to back out of areas you’ve already vacuumed. Let’s say you’ve worked your way through all of the carpeting within your living room, and are ready to turn around and get out of there — but fail to consider backing out.

What happens is that dirt, dust and other debris becomes dragged along with you into another room, because all of the surfaces you’ve already vacuumed are now in your path to the door. By backing out, you’re able to ensure that all of these areas are properly cleaned before you move on.

Vacuuming Frequency

We’re commonly asked by clients how often they should be vacuuming their home. While we don’t feel that there is a single answer to this question, we do suggest looking into how it varies from region to region and country to country — and also based on the size of your space.

For instance: Standard dwellings in some regions will be more prone to buildup of dust and other debris if they are not vacuumed on a regular basis. This is especially true for regions with moderate climates, or those coming out of winter months, when windows are routinely opened to let in fresh air.

Does the size of your home play into this? Absolutely — if you have multiple stories within your home, it will require more frequent cleanings than others that are on a single floor.

Avoiding the “Vacuum Smell”

Most are familiar with the smell of a freshly vacuumed area, but some don’t enjoy this scent. There are a few methods to avoid it:

• Sprinkle some baking soda in the bag or dirt reservoir to remove dirt-related odors. Some also try cinnamon in the bag instead.
• Use a dryer sheet in the bag to release this pleasant scent.
• Occasionally, deodorize the entire carpet or rug space you’re vacuuming using baking soda.

For more on proper vacuuming in any part of your home, or to learn about any of our house cleaning services, speak to the pros at Healthy Homes Housekeeping today.