Easy Things to Add to your Vacuum Routine

Oh, how I love a clean room!  One of the biggest factors in my enjoyment of a clean room is a clean floor with beautiful vacuum lines.  There is something almost meditative about it.  And I must say, I am a better vacuum driver than I am a dust director or even bathroom scrubber.  

There is something so great about a vacuum for ease of use and major results.

I was working through the house with my vacuum the other day and started thinking about why I love my vacuum so much.  And I realized it is because I can do SO much with it and not spend a bunch of time on cleaning.  

And then I wondered, “Does everybody vacuum the way I vacuum?”  So I thought I would share with you my Vacuum Routine – including the 4 things I get clean when I am vacuuming besides the floors.

This post may include affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase based on my recommendation, I get a small remuneration at no extra expense to you. I only recommend things I use and believe to be a blessing.

First let me tell you, that I do not do all of these extra things each time I vacuum.  But they are easily split up, so if you want to add one thing to your vacuum routine for each week of the month; you can get more of your house clean more often!  You are welcome!

On Vacuum Cleaner Love

Second let me tell you about the vacuum cleaner I used to have and LOVE.  It is a Dyson – a refurbished Dyson – worth every penny!  When I first got it, I hated using it because our refurbished Dyson is one of the pet care vacuums and the refurbish must not have included a new filter.  Um…every time I vacuumed I got a distinct dog odor out of the machine – and though I don’t have anything against the existence of dogs, we are not dog people.  One day, I got the bright idea of replacing the “lifetime” filter on the machine and said adios to the dog smell once and for all. Dyson and I became friends, like real close friends.

We loved our Dyson well. It served us for about 14 years. See what I said about worth every penny? However when it was time to say farewell to our Dyson, we changed up our vacuum situation quite a bit.

First we bought a robot vacuum. I like our robot vacuum for maintenance cleaning. I can run it during the week when I am doing other things to maintain the clean situation I work at during my regular deep cleaning. However, if you are looking for deep cleaning, the robot vacuum, in my opinion is not the best option.

So we bought an upright with a handheld option for the deep cleaning I crave. I absolutely love my new vacuum and have forgotten all about that old Dyson. So, if Dyson is out of your budget, I definitely recommend this vacuum.

Add-on to your Vacuum Routine

Alright are you ready to rock your vacuum routine?  Here’s what I get clean (besides the floors) when I vacuum.

My blinds

This honestly was not one of my ideas, but I am so glad that I heard it from one of my favorite cleaning ladies because it has revolutionized my vacuum process and the cleanliness of my blinds.  What I used to do was dust the blinds with a dry cloth and then go back over them with a damp cloth.  But what I do now is slap an attachment on my vacuum cleaner and go over the blinds in really quickly.  I can even get the windowsills and casings while I am at it.  It cuts down on the time it takes to clean my blinds by at least 50%.  

My upholstered furniture

This is so fast and so simple to do!  I typically use the same attachment (with a brush) on my upholstered furniture that I use on the blinds – just because it covers more surface area.  I quickly vacuum the seat cushions the sides and back of the upholstered piece and then remove the seats (if possible) and vacuum the interior portion of the piece.  

Sometimes I even make money when I do this!  

Bonus! For a more detailed explanation of how I clean my upholstered furniture (especially when I have a few more minutes) check out my Spring cleaning post over at Ask Anna.

My baseboards

I use a different attachment for my vacuum cleaner on my baseboards than I do on my blinds.  I use one that is long and straight and has a brush on the end of it.  

If I am feeling too lazy to go look for this attachment, I sometimes just use the end of the attachment vacuum tube.  Alternatively, you could use a rubber band to attach a muslin cloth to the end of the attachment to make sure your baseboards are protected from banging the vacuum attachment against it.

I run the perimeter of the room with this attachment really quickly before I vacuum the entire room.  And I do top and bottom of the baseboards – meaning I get the top portion and the really tiny crevices where the carpet and the baseboard meet.  This ensures the entire floor is clean and my baseboards are dust free.

My vacuum

Bet you didn’t think that this would be the last easy extra thing I clean when I am doing my vacuum routine!  I have made a commitment to myself (based on our household allergy epidemics) to empty and wipe down the vacuum cleaner every time I work my way through the entire house.  With my vacccum, it is a really easy process of just pushing a button to empty the canister.  So, I do this easy extra step each week.  

But if you are wanting to add something to your vacuum routine to fill that last week of the month, I recommend cleaning the filter on your vacuum.  This will help to extend the life of your filter.  By the way, if you have a Dyson, my friend Anna has a great process for cleaning hers.

So there you have it!  These are the four easy extra things I do when I am vacuuming my house that make my house cleaner.  And they barely take any time at all!

Do you have any easy extras you do when you do your vacuum routine?  Leave a comment below and share with us!