How Often Should You Hoover?

Vacuuming is a key part of caring for your carpet. While it may not be your favourite task, it's important in extending the life of your carpet and maintaining the general cleanliness of your home.

The term "hoovering" is a common colloquialism in the UK for vacuuming. It originates from the Hoover Company, a prominent manufacturer of vacuum cleaners in the early 20th century. Hoover became synonymous with vacuum cleaners in the UK due to the popularity of their products. Over time, the brand name "Hoover" was widely used as a verb to describe the act of using a vacuum cleaner, much like "to vacuum" in the United States. This linguistic phenomenon is similar to how brand names can become generic terms for their respective products, like "Kleenex" for tissues or "Xerox" for photocopying.

How often you should vacuum/ hoover your house will depend on many different factors, and they're not always the most obvious ones.

Who lives in your house?

The inhabitants of your home can be a major factor in how often you should hoover. The more people in your house, the more traffic your carpets will get, and the more often you're likely to need to hoover.

Pets

Pets drop dander, which can become embedded in the fibres of carpets. They're also likely to bring dirt and debris from outside. This means that pet owners benefit from hoovering at least once every 2-3 days.

Babies

If you have babies at home, they are very vulnerable to illness and are also liable to put things in their mouths. As they spend a lot of their time crawling or rolling around on the floor, you'll want to keep it as clean as possible. For this reason, people with young babies should hoover at least every other day.

People with allergies

Similarly, if you or someone in your household suffers from allergies, you may want to vacuum more often. Especially during hay fever season, all sorts of irritants and allergens get embedded in the carpet. Some people find that vacuuming as often as every day is helpful in reducing their symptoms.

Messy people!

Particularly messy household members also mean more frequent cleaning. If you live with small children, people who work outside or just messy eaters, you may see that your carpet visibly needs cleaning more often.

What type of flooring do you have?

Different types of flooring need maintaining in different ways.

Carpets and rugs benefit from being hoovered at least once a week, as their fibres cling onto dust. It's also recommended that carpet owners wet vacuum once a month to clear out anything stuck deep in the fibres. Each carpet has its own needs – longer carpets may need more hoovering and may also need brushing to avoid matting and shedding.

Hardwood, laminate and tile will need less vacuuming, but also require mopping and sweeping. If you stay on top of these other tasks, hoovering once a week should be enough.

Which rooms need hoovering?

High-traffic rooms will need more attention than those not used often. Hallways, living rooms and playrooms are best hoovered twice a week, while bedrooms and studies may only need once a week.

Any room that people eat in will need the most hoovering, as food crumbs can attract pests.

Maintain your carpet with expert help

If you've fallen behind on your hoovering or your carpet just needs a deep clean, it might be time to call in a professional. The National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA) has a directory of accredited carpet cleaners throughout the UK.

Search our directory to find a carpet cleaner near you.