Vacuuming your carpet with a poorly maintained vacuum cleaner is like spinning your wheels. You put a whole lot of effort in but do not get very good results, To avoid this, keep your vacuum in good shaoe by following these simple and easy tips. First of all you should make sure to change your vacuums bag or clean out your dust cup often. This seems obvious but you may not know that you start to dramatically lose suction on your vacuum when the bag gets only half full. Because of this you should change it before it gets over half full. Another tip is to check your vacuums hoses often for clogs. It is easy to pick up a toothpick or some other object which can clog your hose dramatically cutting down on vacuum power. If your hose is removable, take it off and insert a long stick to make sure that it is clear and free of obstructions. Finally you should make sure that your vacuum cleaner belt is in good shape and spinning the brush efficiently. Remove the lower cover and makes sure the belt has no rips or tears. Replace it if necessary. Also while you are down there, clean off the vacuums agitator bar and the post that the belt is driven by.

That is all there is to it. Perform this check every month to have a vacuum that will perform well on a regular basis. Remember, regular vacuuming with a good vacuum is the single most important thing you can do to increase the life of your homes carpeting.