The vacuum cleaner is a wonderful invention, and one that has been helping people keep their homes clean for many decades now. But, as useful as these machines are, there are some things they definitely shouldn’t be used for:
Liquids and wet debris
The average vacuum cleaner (unless you buy a specialist one) isn’t designed to suck up liquids, and if you use it for this, you could seriously damage the inner components, such as the filter, motor and any other electrical parts. Moisture left behind inside the vacuum cleaner could also lead to mold and germs.
Hair
While the odd hair being sucked up isn’t a bad thing, hairballs or lots of strands of longer hair, can quickly and easily clog up the working parts and cause the motor to overheat. Where possible, pick up large amounts of hair by hand, before using the vacuum cleaner’s upholstery attachment. For pet hair that has accumulated on furniture or carpets, it’s best to pick it up using damp rubber gloves, before disposing of it in the trash.
Baking soda
Despite baking soda often being used to deodorize carpets and rugs, for example, using a regular vacuum cleaner to pick it up afterwards, is a recipe for disaster. A sprinkling of baking soda might not cause any major problems, but any more than that can block the vacuums filter in next to no time, leading to weakened suction, and motor strain. If you want to use baking soda to deodorize carpets, rugs or furniture, it’s best to brush it up instead of sucking it up.
Sharp objects
Anything sharp like a razor blade, shard of glass, nail or pin, for example, can puncture the bag (if your vacuum has one), or even the internal components. Once this happens, leaks and tears can easily occur, either of which could cause significant damage to the vacuums fan or motor.
There is also the risk of accidents happening when the bag or refuse container is emptied, too.
Makeup
A lot of makeup is made up of ingredients such as oils, pigments, and waxes, and when sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, can melt inside and cause clogs to form which may impede its performance and interior parts. Melted makeup inside a vacuum can also encourage bacteria to start breeding, and as it’s so difficult to remove once it’s inside the vacuum, it’s best to stick to wet wipes and damp cloths when cleaning up makeup from surfaces.
Coins
Because they’re so hard, coins can damage the fan and hose of a vacuum cleaner if sucked up, which can damage it beyond repair in some instances. It’s also easy for coins to get jammed inside the hose, or to clog up the refuse container, either of which can stop the hose from sucking properly due to improper airflow. Once a vacuum cleaner starts to strain when being operated, it can lead to all manner of problems that could result in you having to buy a new machine.
Heed the warnings above and you should get many years of faithful service from your trusty vacuum cleaner!
And, if you hire a cleaning service to help you out around the home, you will usually find that they bring their own vacuum cleaners, so you never need to worry about any damage occurring to your own machine.
