Life Hack: Three ways to make hoovering easier and get the best results when cleaning

Here are some helpful and budget-friendly vacuuming tips to make everyone's least favourite chore easier

Make vacuuming a breeze with these tips

Scent-sational 

While there are plenty of products available to sprinkle on carpets and vacuum up to remove odours, one of the best ways to do this is to reach into your cupboard and get some bicarbonate of soda/baking soda.

If your carpet is holding on to the scent of your pet or you want to refresh a mattress, simply sprinkle a generous baking soda onto the area you want to revive – don't worry about making a mess, it won’t be there for long. Let it sit for a few minutes before vacuuming away the baking soda. You’ll notice an improvement immediately and the room or item will smell much fresher.

For a more powerful result, mix a few drops of your favourite essential oil with the baking soda before you sprinkle it. This will be more effective if you’re trying to remove a particularly potent odour.

Sometimes the cause of an odour is the vacuum itself. To combat this, place a dryer sheet inside the vacuum (in the hole where the bag attached if your appliance used bags) and you’ll notice a fresh smell every time you use it.

A tight squeeze 

Not every vacuum comes with the right attachments for every job, and if you’re trying to vacuum a tight spot, you might notice a lot of dirt is being left behind. Rather than splash out on extra attachments or a new vacuum altogether, use the cardboard from inside a roll of toilet paper.

Secure it to the end of your vacuum hose – it should fit onto most makes but you may need to use tape to keep it steady. The opposite end can be squashed to fit into those awkward corners like inside door frames. You’ll soon notice a much better result when you tackle those areas thanks to this budget-friendly trick.

Deep clean

The best way to ensure optimal results from your vacuuming is to deep clean the vacuum itself. There’s nothing more frustrating than going over the same spot and realising the appliance’s suction isn’t what It used to be.

The most common cause of this is a blockage. If your vacuum uses a bag, make sure you replace it when it’s full, either after a warning light comes on or, if your vacuum does not have a light, by checking the capacity of the bag regularly. For a bagless vacuum, empty it after each use and make sure it does not overfill.

Check the vacuum’s hose too for anything blocking the flow of air. Clean hair from the head of the vacuum, you may need to cut through any tangles. You can also remove clumps of dust from the filter by banging it (preferably outdoors) to loosen the dirt.