Last updated on February 19th, 2023
Selecting the right kind of vacuum cleaner is crucial for the effective cleaning of your house and working space and this falls true for stairs cleaning too. Whether you have hardwood stairs or carpeted ones, regular cleaning is required in order to maintain their surface well so they can last for a longer period of time without requiring much maintenance other than cleaning.
Thus it is important to learn about the right ways of taking care of your stairs by vacuuming on a regular basis. These simple tips shared here are for those who are responsible for everyday household cleaning.
Having the Right Vacuum for your Stairs
Reviews suggest that one of the best tools to have for your stairs is a handheld vacuum cleaner having a motorized brush roll attachment. Also, a stick vacuum cleaner that has lightweight is a viable choice for effective cleaning but you certainly wouldn’t buy a vacuum cleaner just for stairs.
A full-size heavy-weight vacuum at your house would make cleaning stairs impossible. These are too bulky and heavy to be carried all the way through the stairs for proper cleaning.
So it is best to check reviews of a canister vacuum or upright vacuum and choose the best model for you with the right attachments for your stair cleaning. The most suitable choice to reach all corners and for cleaning each stair is a canister vacuum.
Read our recommendations on the top 5 best vacuums for stairs.
Important Tip for Vacuuming Stairs: When you begin to vacuum stairs, the methodology should be starting from the top and cleaning your way down.
Frequency of Vacuuming: If you have stairs that witness high traffic, it is best to vacuum them twice or thrice a week. However, if these stairs are seldom used, you may get the cleaning done once a week or once in two weeks.
Vacuuming Carpeted Stairs
Carpeted stairs give you added safety, and texture and add beauty to the appearance of your stairs. But carpeted stairs at the same time require regular cleaning or these may become a house of dirt if not taken care of properly. Regular cleaning of carpets makes a huge difference in their appearance.
Here we have shared some advice for effective cleaning of carpeted stairs that witness high traffic and would need regular cleaning to make them appear as good as new:
- Pick up Objects Lying: Before you actually begin vacuuming your carpeted stairs, make sure that there are no objects lying in the path that may obstruct the vacuum cleaner. If you find some scrap papers and larger dirt items that may cause clogging of the vacuum, it is best to pick them all up before starting your vacuum.
- Brush Attachment: A hose with vacuum cleaners is good at sucking up dirt from the surface and you can even get rid of the dirt that is accumulated deep within a pile but in order to get perfect cleaning results, it is best to use a brush roller attachment. This attachment works best with the loosening of deeper dirt and thus gives your carpet longevity.
- Vacuum the Corners: On carpeted stairs, most of the dust and debris usually build up in the corners and around the edges. Thus you need to have the right nozzle attachment with a vacuum to give you perfect deep cleaning within the carpet. Take special note of cleaning around edges and all the corners of the stair and you may also give them a double pass to ensure thorough cleaning.
- Clean both ways: Once you are done with cleaning corners and edges, you would now need a wider nozzle or a beater brush to be added to your vacuum. This nozzle attachment must be run slowly and carefully watching each step surface cleaning as you move down. Once you are done with cleaning of flat surface horizontally turn the attachment upside down and now clean vertical parts moving up and down. Vacuum each stair horizontally and then vertically.
Frequent cleaning of your carpeted stairs would give them a fresher and cleaner appearance!
Vacuuming Hardwood Stairs
For all those who have hardwood stairs in their living space and are facing trouble with everyday cleaning, here mentioned are some quick tips that must be remembered and followed for taking care of your stairs during cleaning:
- Get a Vacuum Cleaner: Many of you may be thinking that cleaning hardwood stairs can be done with sweeping and mopping so why opt for a vacuum cleaner? Sweeping/mopping is a cleaning process that works well for wider floors but with stairs, you are only scattering off all the dust and it may be accumulating in the corners and edges of your stairs. A vacuum cleaner not only captures all dirt and dust particles but keeps them locked giving you cleaner and healthier living.
- Pick Up Objects Lying: Remember that your vacuum cleaner should not be used for picking up large objects (such as toys). Trying to pick up such objects with a vacuum would damage your hardwood floor and the vacuum would leave scratches, so avoid that. Before you begin to vacuum on stairs, make sure that the entire passage of stairs is free from any large scraps or objects.
- Vacuum Corners Well: In order to make effective cleaning possible, you should have a canister vacuum suitable for hardwood floors. On stairs, dirt usually accumulates around corners and thus you need to give more time and attention vacuuming to all the corners of your stairs.
- Use Rotating Brushes: Vacuums that have rotating brushes are capable of reaching all the corners well so they are ideal for eradicating hidden dirt and nesting dust particles.
Also read: How to vacuum your hardwood floors?
Conclusion
Committing yourself to regular cleaning of stairs is important both in the case of hardwood or carpeted stairs in order to get the best results with vacuuming.
In order to maintain a beautiful-looking staircase, you need to work on its cleaning and maintenance on a daily basis which is not difficult with the presence of a vacuum cleaner.
It is best to have a canister vacuum as these are light in weight, easy to move, and versatile vacuums with varied attachments for complete household cleaning. Make sure to maintain your vacuum well in order to get better cleaning done.
