You’ll wish you knew these genius vacuum hacks sooner!
What if I told you that even if you vacuum your floors and carpets regularly and thoroughly, you might not be cleaning them well? Do you regularly clean your vacuum cleaner? Are you sure you’re reaching all those tight areas? Does your home smell great after you’re done? If you can’t confidently answer “yes” to any of those questions, don’t fret about it! I’m here to save the day!
These genius vacuum hacks will help you improve your cleaning, save time, and leave the sanctuary you call home smelling wonderful!
With this vacuum hack list, you’ll learn how to effortlessly clean the hardest-to-reach spaces and stubborn dust, or how to find that long-lost earring. Cheers to rooms and vacuum cleaners that smell great!
Without further ado, here are some genius vacuum hacks you’ll love!
1. Keep bad odors away
Every once in a while, we have to vacuum those surfaces that don’t really smell like a summer day. This is especially necessary if you have a pet. Mattresses are just one example, but there are several genius vacuum hacks that work on pretty much all textiles.
Here’s one of them: To avoid bad smells in your home and your vacuum, harness the power of baking soda. When you’re dealing with a stinky surface, sprinkle it thoroughly with baking soda before vacuuming it.
You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to a cup of baking soda, pour it into a spray bottle with some water in it, and let the mix do its magic.
This is just the first entry on our list of genius vacuum hacks that will keep foul odors at bay in your house. Oh, and your vacuum will also smell great. Two birds with one rock!
2. Fix your carpet indentations
In my house (and probably yours, too), vacuuming involves moving heavy objects around (like the big, heavy sofa or dinner table, for example). One thing that I’m not very fond of seeing is the marks left on the carpet from these heavy objects. Once I notice they are there, I can’t seem to take my attention off of them.
But I found an easy trick to fix them. I place ice cubes on carpet indentations and let them do their job. You don’t have to do anything; just watch how those carpet strands magically stand straighter on their own. Genius vacuum hacks at their finest!
So, if you’re inspired to move a few items around your house after you vacuum, you won’t have to worry about those annoying marks on your carpets. With this trick, they will be gone in minutes, leaving the surface perfect, as if they were never there in the first place.
3. Clean your roller brush vacuum
Of course, there are genius vacuum hacks for your roller brush! If you have long hair and you also own a pet with long hair, your vacuum is definitely your best friend. At least mine is always on hand.
But the thing is that hair, debris, or string tend to get stuck on the vacuum’s roller brush. This inevitably affects the quality of the vacuuming in a very negative way. In this situation, you’ll have to clean your roller brush.
This isn’t such a hard process, but there’s a way to do it much faster. Use some scissors or a seam ripper to cut away all the hair, dirt, and string that are tangling your vacuum’s roller brush and its bristles. Your vacuum will work so much better after that!
Spray the brush with some water-and-vinegar solution if the stubborn hair refuses to come undone. Wait for the brush to dry for a couple of hours before using it.
4. Use a dryer sheet for extra freshness
I’ve read plenty of cleaning tricks online, but one of the most genius vacuum hacks I’ve learned is tossing a fabric softener sheet or dryer sheet in the vacuum bag. I use these from Gain (I always buy them from Amazon), which are my favorites.
This is the kind of cleaning tip you read and say to yourself: “How could I not think of that?” Its effectiveness and simplicity blew me away, and you have to try it to understand what I’m saying.
So, if you have a smelly vacuum cleaner, change the bag and toss in a dryer sheet (you can even use some orange peel) in the hole where the new bag is attached to the vacuum. You’ll get a nice, fresh scent every time you vacuum your floors and carpets. Say farewell to the funky smell!
Keep reading to discover other genius vacuum hacks!
5. Use a cardboard tube
This is by far one of my favorite genius vacuum hacks, and I love to put it into practice! It works like magic and strikes with its simplicity. Similar to other tricks on this list, it will leave you wondering why people don’t talk about it more often!
When you want to clean those really tight areas and crevices in your house, all you have to do is attach a cardboard tube to your vacuum hose. Yes, that’s it! But check this out! I’ve discovered a similar item you can use, and it’s something you definitely have on hand: the cardboard tube the toilet paper is wrapped around and which you throw away.
Once you’ve attached the makeshift accessory, go to attack! These window and door frames will finally be sparkling clean in seconds! You’re welcome!
6. Make your home smell great
I’m obsessed with finding new ways to make my house smell good. While I admit that sometimes I tend to overdo it, at least I know I’m not the only one. So, if you’re like me, you want to make sure any bad odor is kept at bay in the sanctuary you call home.
Which is why I love this simple essential oil trick! It’s among my favorite genius vacuum hacks, which I put into practice every time I clean my house. All you need for this is some cotton balls and an essential oil (choose the one you like the most).
Soak a few cotton balls in essential oil and drop them in the vacuum bag or dirt canister. Now you can get to work and enjoy a fresh scent while you vacuum. Don’t worry; the nice scent will linger a few more hours after that.
7. Find that lost earring (or any other tiny item)
Have you lost another earring? Luckily, this list of genius vacuum hacks has something particularly for this situation. Crawling around looking for tiny pieces of jewelry takes a lot of time, and you can easily pass the lost items multiple times without even noticing.
Doing this is history since I’ve discovered the next trick: I cover the vacuum hose with nylon, then vacuum the room. You can even use some old stockings, but make sure they’re thin enough so the vacuum can do its job.
This technique helps me find tiny objects in just a few minutes. No more crawling, benting down, using a flashlight under the sofa, and getting annoyed that the item seems to be nowhere.
If you liked our article on genius vacuum hacks, you may also want to read 10 Unsafe Items You Should Keep Out of Your Vacuum.
