7 Little Tricks That’ll Make Vacuuming a Million Times Better
When it comes to household chores, vacuuming is definitely not the worst. It’s not particularly gross, some of these newer machines are actually pretty fun to steer, and it kind of counts as a mini workout session But what if we told you the chore could be even easier and better? (It’s still a chore, after all!) Well, it can be! We rounded up some of the best vacuum hacks that’ll make the task easier and more effective.
None of these tips suck! Or maybe they all do?
1. Put a squeeze bottle cap on the end of the hose.
Need to vacuum up some crumbs in crevices or tight spots? Put the cap from a squeeze bottle on the end of the hose. It’ll fit pretty perfectly and the suction from the vacuum will keep the cap in place as you clean.
2. And a paper towel tube.
Similarly, you can push an empty paper towel tube onto the end of your vacuum’s hose and use it to get into crevices and window tracks. You can even crush up the tube’s edges to make sure it really gets into a space.
3. Use tights to find small, lost pieces.
Know that ring you took off (so you could knead some dough) and then promptly dropped somewhere in the kitchen? Slip some tights over the end of the hose and it’ll find small pieces — without vacuuming them up.
4. De-hair the roller with a seam ripper.
Raise your hand if your vacuum’s roller has this much hair (or more?) wrapped around it. No shame. Literally every single one of us should have our hands in the air. Luckily, you can fix things! You just need a seam ripper.
5. Add some masking tape.
To avoid getting scuff marks on your walls, use some masking or painter’s tape to tape up the sides of your vacuum. This way, you can work faster without worrying about messing up your walls and doorways as you go.
6. Put some ice on your rug after you vacuum.
If you have a plush-ish carpet under your dining room table and the table/chair legs are starting to leave dents, ice can come to your rescue. Vacuum the rug as usual and then let an ice cube melt in each dent. Leave it be overnight and the dents should be gone in the morning. Sure beats trying to vacuum the dents out (which won’t work!).
7. Consider putting it in the dishwasher.
Fun fact: You MIGHT be able to clean your vacuum in the dishwasher. Yes, even though you use it to clean, you have to also clean it in return. One of our writers cleaned her vacuum in the dishwasher and was incredibly impressed with the results.