Tips to consider when choosing a vacuum cleaner

Most vacuum cleaners have multiple filters that can become clogged with dust. If these filters are clogged, the suction on your vacuum cleaner will not be as strong as it should be. So the first step if you are unhappy with the performance of your carpet cleaning machine is to check all the filters.

The second most common bugbear with vacuum cleaners is a problem in the pipe or hose. Much like you can’t smell your coffee if your nose is blocked, a vacuum cleaner can’t sniff up dirt if it’s hose is clogged or blocked. If you think something is obstructing your hose, remove it from the vacuum, straighten it out and investigate by shining a torch or the bright LED light from your mobile phone through one end to see if light emerges at the other end. If not, try using a blunt object to dislodge the blockage, but be very careful not to damage or tear the hose. If the hose is very old and brittle and the vacuum motor is still in good working order, consider changing the hose. Speak to your local house cleaning supply store or repair shop to find out where to get spare parts.

Often a hairball, lego piece, or something your dog or child might have left beneath the couch is the culprit and once it is removed your vacuum will start to suck up items properly again.

Any smell of burning while using a vacuum could indicate a fault which might even result in a fire if you just stubbornly try to soldier on.

If the motor of your vacuum has a broken belt, it could mean that it overheats and doesn’t do the work it needs to. If you smell burning while using a vacuum cleaner, switch it off, unplug it from the wall socket after making sure it is switched off and consider finding a professional repair man.

• Upright vacuums are often the ones people think of first when they hear the term vacuum cleaner. If there were a museum of vacuum cleaners you would see many of the ones most often used in the 50s were upright. These are, even today, often the most powerful types of cleaning machines for homes or venues with large carpeted areas. They stand upright, which is why they are called upright vacuums and can sometimes be bulky with a large barrel to collect dust in the middle section. The large dustbin allows for cleaning large areas without having to stop and clean the bag or bin frequently.
  However, this type of vacuum might be too bulky to use in a smaller home and completely unnecessary if you just have a landing, a few rugs and perhaps one fully carpeted room to clean.
  Smaller, modern versions of the upright vacuum style can come with detachable hoses and wands which adds to their versatility and bridges the gap between the traditional upright vacuum cleaner and the less powerful canister vacuum type.

• Canister vacuums have much longer extension hoses as well as often being lighter and easier to move around. It also generally has an interchangeable wand which allows for cleaning different surfaces making it a more general cleaning tool for your whole home than just a machine to clean carpets. The drawback of extra versatility is that the bin tends to need to be cleaned out more frequently than an upright vacuum.

As its name suggests, a cordless vacuum cleaner doesn’t plug into the wall giving greater ease of use, especially when you have nooks and crannies that are difficult to reach with traditional types of vacuum cleaners.
However, as with all cordless versions of appliances, they can only keep working as long as their batteries last. Hand-held cordless vacuums often sit in a charging device which might even be affixed to a wall so the vacuum can be easily reached for any spills or mishaps that need a quick cleaning.
Some handle both wet and dry messes well, although the capacity of the tank that they are attached to is limited by the size of the device.