Whether you own an upright, canister, stick, corded or cordless vacuum cleaner, vacuuming can be a huge pain, especially for larger or multistory homes. Whether you're dealing with carpet, hardwood or some mixture of both, getting everything as spotless as you'd like can be a struggle, at least without spending an entire afternoon dragging your vacuum behind you.
CNET experts have assembled some of the best tips and hacks to make vacuuming easier, more efficient and less likely to devour all your time. Our list includes cleaning tools, solutions for all kinds of surfaces and home types, and even a few tips for using your vacuum in ways you may not have previously considered.
8 unique vacuum hacks to make cleaning easierÂ
- Keep your brush heads clean with a few snips
If you've got a traditional upright, or any other type of vacuum with a rotating brush head, you're surely familiar with the nightmarish tangle of hair and debris that gets wrapped around it. At times, the accumulation gets so thick that it can jam the brush head completely, effectively clogging your vacuum so you're barely getting any suction.
Even if you're not at the stage where your brush head isn't rotating, clearing it out can drastically improve your vacuum's efficiency and suction power. The best tool for this is an angled set of scissors, like embroidery shears, or a straight cutter, like a seam ripper.
A rotary cutter is another great choice, though any traditional set of scissors (or even a knife or box cutter) will do the trick. Start at one edge and cut your way across to the other side, then pull out all that gunk in one satisfying twist. Just make sure you don't snip any of the bristles while you're cutting, and run the vacuum while it's not pressing against a surface to clear any debris that may get loosened while clearing the brushes.
2. Transform your vacuum into a diffuser
This tip is especially valuable for older vacuums or those with many fabric elements that tend to trap odors. Instead of spreading the musty scent of a dusty vacuum bag, consider adding a few drops of essential oil to the filter. Then, each time you vacuum, you'll do double duty: cleaning your floors and freshening up your house simultaneously.
While any scent you enjoy will work, we recommend soothing floral scents like lavender or, for something a little more exotic, a blend like cinnamon and bergamot. If you'd rather have a more traditional essential oil diffuser, there are plenty to pick from.Â
3. Use these attachment hacks for hard-to-reach spotsÂ
Even a vacuum equipped with a full range of traditional attachments has its limitations, and can't reach some of the most difficult spots in your house. Consider adding the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels for a flexible, deformable tip that can reach into cracks and crevices that a hard plastic attachment can't penetrate.
Other handy DIY attachments include cheesecloth or a pair of tights wrapped and rubber banded around the end of a hand attachment. Use this to vacuum up little objects like rings or other jewelry that you've dropped into a hard-to-reach area -- pieces you don't want ending up in the vacuum bag or dustbin. Also, consider taping the pourer tip for glass bottles or using the cap from a squeeze bottle to vacuum electronic devices like the charging ports on your phone or between the keys of your keyboard.
4. Fluff your carpet with a comb or forkÂ
For areas where heavy furniture has indented your carpet, or anywhere you want to clean especially deeply, fluff your rug with a comb or fork before you begin vacuuming. This won't only raise your carpet back up to its normal height, it will also loosen stubborn dirt and other gunk so your vacuum can more easily pull it up.Â
You can also use ice cubes for the same effect. Place a cube or ice chips on the indentation, allow them to melt, then blot the area dry with a paper towel. After it's dry, run the vacuum over the area and watch those indents disappear.Â
5. Keep your vacuum fresh by adding dryer sheets to the bagÂ
Another good tip for keeping your vacuum smelling fresh (and one that lasts a bit longer than dosing it with essential oils) is to tuck a couple of dryer sheets inside. Pick one that you particularly enjoy the scent of, and your home will smell like fresh laundry every time you vacuum.
Consider sprinkling some baking soda into the cylinder, canister or bag before you start cleaning for a more neutral odor solution. Alternately, sprinkle some directly on your rug if you want to eliminate carpet odors at the same time.Â
6. Use command hooks to keep your robot vacuum from getting stuckÂ
If you've got a robot vacuum, you're probably painfully familiar with the onerous process of pulling it out from under furniture with low clearance. This YouTube video provides a genius solution: just stick some command hooks to the top of the vacuum, one on either side near the front, with the hooks pointing backward, and your robot will bounce away from all those spots where it usually gets wedged.
7. Add a flexible tube to clean even harder-to-reach spots
Another hack from the brilliant minds over at YouTube is a fantastic way to get into hard-to-reach spots that are only accessible at weird angles or stuck behind immobile lights or wall fixtures.Â
Grab a piece of rigid plastic (the user in the video snags one from a shampoo pump bottle), drill a hole through a ball, then stick the tubing through the hole. Attach some flexible tubing to one end of the tubing. The ball acts as a stopper, so when you push it against the end of your vacuum attachment or hose, it doesn't get sucked up, allowing you to vacuum tight spaces with the end of the flexible tubing.
8. Use a broom or mop handle to clear jamsÂ
We've all been a little too aggressive when vacuuming and suctioned up something that we really shouldn't have or just neglected cleaning our vacuum for so long that a jam naturally develops.Â
For jammed hoses, a quick and easy fix is to use a mop or broom handle inserted in one end to knock any stuck debris free, especially effective if the vacuum is on. You can also partially cap the end of the hose/attachment to increase the suction intensity and help suck up stubborn clogs.
Vacuum FAQs
What type of vacuum is easiest to clean with?
Which vacuum is best for your home will depend on a number of factors. For instance, a canister vacuum might be a better fix for multistory homes, because they're generally easier to use on stairs. An upright, on the other hand, is a great fit for large homes because they're easy to handle and maneuver around than other models. Similarly, a robot vacuum can be a godsend for large areas of carpet or hardwood, though it may not suit a house where there are many tight spaces or elevation changes.
What kind of vacuum works best for hardwood floors?
A canister vacuum is a good option for hardwood due to its variety of attachments, light weight and versatility. This is especially true for canister vacuums that include specialized attachments designed to be gentler on hardwood, which can reduce the chances of scuffing or scratching delicate surfaces.
Why has my vacuum lost power?
While it's possible that the overall suction power of an older vacuum has decreased over time due to wear, it's far more likely the issue lies somewhere in the suction works. If you find that your vacuum isn't providing the power it used to, ensure that the filter is clear, clean and clog-free. You'll also want to ensure that the hoses are all fully clear of debris, that the brush heads are clean and able to rotate freely, and that the vacuum bag is free of dust and dirt.