Most people are confident that they know how to use a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, there are unspoken rules one needs to abide by. Using a vacuum cleaner correctly is vital to prevent accidents and ensure proper cleaning. As an electrical gadget, a vacuum has special handling that needs you to be aware of. Check out below for some important vacuum cleaner tips to make cleaning easy and safe.
Do Not Vacuum a Wet Surface
Unfortunately, vacuum cleaners are limited to only dry surfaces. This means they cannot clean water spills or wet surfaces as part of vacuum cleaner safety precautions. Water can be sucked into the vacuum cleaner and cause an electrocution accident. It can also damage the vacuum cleaner parts.
Keep Pets and Children Away
Your pets and children do not even know the first rule among vacuuming tips. Some older kids know a vacuum function, but they wouldn't know how to vacuum properly if given a chance. Kids and pets are naturally curious. Therefore, when you leave the vacuum cleaner lying around, they will sneak up and begin playing around with it. They may knock the cleaner over and get hurt or even tug the electricity cord.
Keep the cleaner away and never leave it unattended since the kids and pets may be injured, possibly from electrocution. If you have kids who can understand and follow instructions, you can share some easy vacuuming cleaning safety tips to help them stay safe.
Beware of Loops and Kinks
Tripping over a cord is among the most common injury you might face when using a vacuum cleaner. Ensure you loop the wires correctly before storing the cleaner away, especially if you have many people in your house during or after cleaning. Stay away from sharp corners because they may cut into the vacuum cord, leading to unnecessary repair or replacement costs. If possible, also avoid overstretching the vacuum cord to keep it intact.
Wear Slippers While You Vacuum
Ensure you wear slippers whenever you are vacuuming. This is one of the using vacuum tips intended to protect you from injury, especially if you are cleaning the house in a hurry. There is an unfortunate chance that your toe might get stuck in the vacuum cleaner’s nozzle, mostly when the carpet is lifted.
To avoid such, take your time to clean the house without hurrying. If hurrying is necessary, ensure you lift the carpet and wear slippers on your feet.
While protecting your feet, you should also wear protective gear. Even though it sounds tiring and time-wasting, ensure you wear protective clothing when vacuuming. You can put on hand gloves that keep your hands free from dirt, debris, and dust. This is vital, especially if you are vacuuming an industrial area.
As part of vacuum cleaner safety precautions, other protective gears include a face mask, which is beneficial, especially if you are asthmatic or allergic. A face mask helps you avoid close contact with the dust allergens in the air while vacuuming.
Goggles will keep away dust or dirt particles and other contaminants from entering your eye. Fortunately, if you cannot bear the noisy vacuuming, ear protectors are convenient to keep the excess noise away.
Don't Try to Pick up Large or Sharp Objects
This is one of the key vacuum cleaning safety tips intended to protect the machine's integrity and keep it functioning. Going contrary to this advice has led many people to witness some serious mechanical accidents.
Avoid picking up large objects forcibly, mostly metal, since they may damage your cleaner's motor's fan. Picking up metal objects will damage your machine, leading to more repair costs or even injury.
Picking up sharp objects using a vacuum cleaner will tear the vacuum cord or cause damage to the internal components, leading to more repair costs.
Ensure you read the cleaner's manual on how to vacuum properly. Most of these manuals highlight the objects that the vacuum cleaner can pick up. In most cases, it's usually small particles or things you can't pick up yourself.
Avoid Flammable Materials
A vacuum cleaner is an electric appliance that consumes electricity. As with any electric device, experts recommend keeping your vacuum cleaner far away from flammable or combustible materials while using the machine.
Do not vacuum particles or materials that may cause a fire when they contact with electricity. Most vacuum cleaners emphasize this on their vacuum cleaner safety precautions to warn you from potentially hurting yourself and minimize their liability.
Before vacuuming your house, check your surrounding for any combustible material that will likely cause a fire.
Empty the Canister and Replace the Dust Bag Regularly
Some vacuums come with a canister or a bag to collect the accumulated dirt. Vacuum cleaner experts advise that you should not wait until the canister is full to empty it. You should empty it when it is nearing capacity. The dust bag should be replaced as well before it reaches its optimum size.
A fully loaded dust bag or canister will affect the vacuum cleaner's cleaning efficiency. Unfortunately, it might also blowback the dusty air into your surroundings. At worse, it could potentially clog the hose. Always keep an eye out for the dust bag or canister before cleaning.
Use Only Compatible Extension Cords
Vacuum cleaner experts advise against using extension cords that are faulty or do not match with your vacuum. This can lead to mechanical or electrical accidents, and worst of all, an injury to your person.
The effect could be a potential fire outbreak. It can also lead to severe vacuum cleaner damage that will incur repair or replacement costs. As a rule of thumb, ensure you use extension cords that are strictly compatible with the vacuum cleaner.
Conclusion
At this point, if you still don't know how to use a vacuum cleaner, make good use of the manual guide for more vacuum cleaner tips. Your safety and that of the vacuum cleaner are paramount. The safety of people around you is also important, but ensure that fewer people are around you while vacuuming. A quality vacuum like Dreame T20 will give you all the functionality you desire in a vacuum while ensuring excellent and effective cleaning.
