How to make light work of vacuuming

April 2nd, 2012

Most Australians would rather to anything to avoid the vacuum. We would rather run 10kms or skip a meal or even clean up dog poo, so says a survey.

Which is hardly a surprise. It freaks the cat out, takes forever, is loud, requires effort, can be a bit smelly if the vacuum is old or the bag is full and frankly there are a million other things you’d rather be doing.

Yet, in Australia’s carpeted households especially, vacuuming is essential for healthy indoor air and it ensures fewer allergens. So here are six things that can turn the dread into delight.

How to vacuum

Leading in from the importance of vacuuming for health, the first thing to think about when vacuuming is the result and the benefits. Doing a thorough job will give children a more hygienic environment to play in, for example. Or it may reduce the risk of attacks by asthma sufferers.

Vacuum calories: burn up to 245 calories an hour!

Get a little helper and make it fun

Don’t do it! Get someone else to vacuum (that’s what pocket money is for) or better yet, buy a robotic vacuum and simply press a button. Easy peasy.

Get a professional in every so often to maintain a cleaner carpet. This will make lighter work for you in between pro visits.

Do it with a friend. Ask someone to help move furniture around and pick things up off the floor. It’ll take less time and you’ll have someone to chew the fat with; a quiet vacuum is helpful so you can hear each other talk.

Distract yourself by turning up the music really loud. Pick something that usually inspires you, whether it’s heavy metal or opera, if you get into it the time will fly.

The hardest part with any task is simply to start it. Try splitting the job into small, manageable steps:

Have the idea to vacuum
Remove vacuum from the cupboard
Empty the bag or vacuum if necessary
Pull out the cord and plug it in
Switch it on
If it’s still painful think about other things that are worse: Chinese burns on your arm, Chinese torture, food poisoning, brussel sprouts…

Keri Algar

Having once had to sit on the washing machine to stop it from bouncing into oblivion, Keri is today delighted with the new (smoother running) technologies that make housework easier every day. A self-confessed lazy-bones, Keri seeks out quirky inventions that ease the human workload, such as the robotic vacuum cleaner (wow). And as soon as someone figures out a Jetsons-like self-cleaning house, she will happily lay her pen to rest and retire from appliance journalism. Until then, her pick is a fridge that will tell her smartphone when it's time to pick up more beer on the way home. Magic.