Able to remove dirt from around the house in a matter of seconds, vacuums are an essential appliance for many of us. When it comes to taking care of our floors, a good vacuum can often leave them looking brand new, making any dirt that might have been brought in from outside, or spills around the kitchen, simply disappear.
But it’s not just the kitchen where they come in handy, and it’s likely many of us also use our vacuums for things like cleaning sofas and cushions, and even the inside of our cars. In fact, there’s not much you can’t clean up with a vacuum, but there are a few things you might want to reconsider sweeping up, especially if you’ve spent a bit of money on your vacuum. While some objects like broken glass, which can destroy your appliance and lead to costly repairs, might be a bit more obvious, there’s others that you might be hoovering up and unknowingly risking some serious damage to your appliance.
In a video shared by Which? the consumer experts shared some of the items you should never vacuum up unless you want to ‘destroy’ your appliance.
It might be tempting to simply hoover up shards of glass leftover from a broken one, but this can cause serious damage to your appliance.
Even if you brush up the larger shards, tiny pieces of glass leftover can still lodge themselves in your vacuums and potentially “tear the bag” if your appliance has one. A damp kitchen towel is always your best option when it comes to glass, even the “tiny remnants”.
While it might be tempting to hoover up mud and soil, especially if you find that you’re often out in the garden, the experts at Which? shared that you can end up pushing mud and soil “deeper into carpets” by doing this.
To remove it, you should let it dry before gently sweeping it up with a dustpan and brush to prevent it from going further into carpets and leaving a stain.
If you’re having renovations done, or simply tapping into some DIY projects you’ve put off, you might notice a build up of ash, sawdust or grit. Despite being tiny particles, they can create quite a mess.
Hoovering them up might seem like the most efficient way to clear up the mess, but because they’re so tiny, they can actually end up clogging the filter and damaging your vacuum.
While it might seem a faster option, in the long run it could do more harm to your appliance than it’s worth. Instead, dampen the area and sweep up any residue.
Many of us might also be guilty of spotting a small object, and instead of picking it up and throwing it away, simply hoovering it out of sight.
But although they might appear small, they can cause some serious damage, potentially cracking your vacuum’s internal tubing. Instead, you should always pick these up with your hands and throw them in the bin, especially items like pins or parper clips.