13th October 2014 –

The vacuum cleaner originally evolved from the hand powered carpet cleaner. The first manual models used bellows and it wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century that the first motorized designs were developed.

Prior to the end of the Second World War vacuum cleaners were a luxury commodity, however soon afterwards their popularity grew and they became a common sight in most middle and upper class households.

Now we rely on vacuum cleaners as an essential part of our cleaning equipment – generally every home has one. They come in many different designs, colours, sizes and styles. They can be hand held, uprights or cylinders. They can have bags or be bagless, mains connected or rechargeable and we are just entering the era of robotic cleaners.

The key point to make here is that if you want your vacuum cleaner to last then you need to take proper care of it. The maintenance list begins here:

• Brush Care – Brush rolls need regular cleaning with all hair and dirt being removed. Failure to do so could result in the power head breaking.
• Belt Care – If you require great floor care then belt changes are the key. Without an operational belt brush heads are unable to rotate and hence work. Over time belts stretch and a stretched belt will result in the brush being less effective. Beware when you feel like the brush rolls are bogged down or slow as this is the early warning sign that your belt requires changing.
• Bagless – If you have a bagless vacuum then it is very important to maintain the filtration. If your filters are blocked then it can lead to your motor burning out. Blocked filters will also result in poor air quality as dust particles are emitted out into the air. If you feel that your vacuum is losing suction a dirty filter may be the cause so make sure you check the filter to prevent overheating. Most manufacturers recommend that filters be changed every six months but check your handbook.
• Bags – Bags need changing when full. You can normally tell when the bag is full, as the suction will become less effective. If you have just changed the bag and suction isn’t good then please don’t forget to check the bag again as it may be split or not fitted correctly.
• Servicing – Each manufacturer will recommend how often your vacuum should be serviced. There will be various factors that can influence this like heavily soiled floor or daily use over large areas.
• Never – use your vacuum to remove drywall dust after any renovations, as this is a certain ingredient to fry your vacuums motor.

All of the above apply to a vacuum whether it is used for personal use or on a commercial basis. If you haven’t got time to work through the extensive checklist above then surely this is another reason to employ a contract cleaner. I expect that broken cleaning tools and depleted cleaning supplies are the last things on your priority list when running your business.

Pass the responsibility on to a professional and approved team – use Out of hour’s free quote tool to select a London based commercial cleaning company today for regular or one off cleans.