Is Your Vacuuming Routine Just Moving Dirt Around? Try This Instead

CNET

18-07-2025

Vacuuming feels like one of those chores that never really ends. Even after you've lugged the machine from room to room, fought with the cord and emptied the canister, it still looks like the floor could use another pass. Add summer heat into the mix, and suddenly it feels less like cleaning and more like cardio.
But skipping it altogether isn't an option. Dust, pollen, pet hair and everyday dirt build up fast—and it's not just about appearances. All that debris affects the air quality in your home, which can make allergies worse or trigger breathing issues. The good news is that your vacuum routine doesn't have to feel endless. With a few small changes to how and when you clean, you can get better results in less time and effort. Here's how to make every vacuum session count.
We've tested a bunch of vacuums to ensure we're giving you the top recommendations for the best cordless, robot and budget vacuums on the market. That said, it doesn't matter how great the product is — if you're misusing it, you won't be able to take advantage of all its benefits. Thankfully, we're here to help.
The right way to vacuum clean your home
CNET
Those short, quick, back-and-forth motions that the majority of people do when vacuuming isn't sucking up all that dust, dirt and lint that is embedded into carpets and floors. The more efficient way to vacuum -- and the way professional cleaners do it -- is to go forward, in structured rows.
You'll first start by vacuuming a row of your carpeting in one direction, wall-to-wall. This first pass should be against the nap of the carpet to make it fluff up and to make the deeply embedded dirt come up easier. A way to tell if you're vacuuming against the nap correctly is if the carpet piles stick up or look a little darker.
Next, push the vacuum back over that strip you just vacuumed. This will lay the carpet back down flat and will suck up the rest of the dirt you missed on the first pass. Once you're back to your starting place, vacuum another strip right next to the first, overlapping slightly. Keep repeating this routine until the whole room has been vacuumed thoroughly.
Once you've completed that step, go perpendicular: If you were vacuuming north to south the first time, vacuum east to west on this second pass. If you think of your floor as a grid, you're going to want to pass over each square both ways for the best results.
Yes, it's extra work and maybe it even seems like overkill, but this method ensures you get every bit of dirt and debris, which will keep your carpet cleaner and looking newer for longer.
For more helpful vacuum info, explore the best Roomba alternatives to keep your floors clean and the best robot vacuum deals available now.
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FAQs
How many times should I repeat this technique?
You should repeat this technique as many times as it takes to vacuum overlapping strips across the entire room. Then, you should start the same process vacuuming the floor in the direction perpendicular to when you started.