Caring For Your Cleaner
Look after your vacuum cleaner and it will not only work at maximum efficiency day by day, but
it will continue to keep your home looking and feeling beautifully clean year after year too.
It makes sense to keep your vacuum cleaner working at its best performance, not only for your
peace of mind, but ultimately, its makes economic sense as your cleaner will not only last longer
but it will save on electricity too.
To achieve optimum suction and performance, fit a new bag or empty a permanent bag or bagless
dust container as soon as it is full.
- Some cleaners have a 'check bag' indicator
- Use only Hoover Original bags for your Hoover vacuum cleaner
- If you suffer from asthma or any sort of allergy, use a high filtration bag, a PureFilt bag or a HEPA bag
- Re-useable bags save money, but shouldn’t be re-used more than once or twice. Always check
the bag carefully for any slits of damage.
- Never, ever use a plastic bag or use the machine without any bag at all.
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Care Checklist
- Clean the activator brushes regularly to remove hair and thread that may become wrapped
around them.
- Check that the activator on an upright cleaner rotates freely.
- Check the hose for blockages and if necessary remove it and carefully use a blunt rod to
push out any obstructions.
- Keep the filters clean: the foam filter should be removed, washed in warm soapy water and
re-fitted; the carbon filter should not be washed, but replaced with a new one every three
months: the microfilter should be replaced after every five full bags of dirt have been removed.
- On upright cleaners you need to replace the belt from time to time, so it’s worth keeping
a spare – again, remember to use a genuine spare.
- Check from time to time that the flex isn’t damaged, especially if you run over it when
vacuuming. If it is damaged, it is best and safer to have the flex replaced.
- It is worth considering a manufacturer’s annual maintenance contract which will give regular
service just like a car.
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Looking After Your Flooring
With regular cleaning and proper maintenance, your floor coverings – be they hard floors, carpets
or both – will last for longer.
Carpets
Regular vacuuming, with the right kind of cleaner, is essential, as trodden-in grime and dirt will
gather deep in the carpet pile damaging the fibres and causing the carpet to discolour and wear more
quickly.
Carpets are broadly split into deep pile, short pile, and loop. As a general rule of thumb most
carpets, particularly deep pile, will benefit from vacuuming with a cleaner with an agitator or a
cylinder with a turbonozzle (like Hoover Pets ‘S’ class cylinder with turbo Vario Nozzle).
This action grooms the pile to its original position and also loosens deeply embedded dirt and grit
which is then effectively sucked away. It will also remove threads and hairs more easily. Certain
carpets, such as thick loop pile carpets or natural fibres (e.g. jute, coir or sisal) floor covering
may require suction-only vacuuming, as the rotating brushes may catch in the loops or cause fraying
and fibre damage.
All carpets may need some form of deep cleaning at some time or another – depending on the degree
of dirt. Specialist products like the Hoover Brush ‘N’ Wash and Jet ‘N’ Wash have been designed
for deep cleaning of carpets and rugs – as well as hard floors, upholstery, curtains and stairs.
Hard Floors
Most hard floors can be vacuumed, before being washed or polished as per manufacturer’s instructions.
Hard floors are best vacuumed using a cylinder cleaner or upright with the appropriate hard floor tools.
At a Glance Floorcare Chart
| Carpet |
Vacuum regularly. Deal with spills and stains immediately. Shampoo occasionally. |
| Cork |
Vacuum regularly. Damp mop with mild washing up liquid solution and rinse. May be
polished occasionally with an emulsion or solvent based polish. |
| Hardwood |
Vacuum regularly. Mop or wipe off dirty marks with a damp cloth; may be polished but
check with suppliers' instructions. |
| Lino |
Vacuum and then damp mop with a mild detergent. Use a solvent based polish
occasionally. |
| Natural Matting |
Vacuum latex based types. Others will need to have the floor vacuum cleaned underneath
them. |
| Hard flooring |
Slate, stone and marble should all be sealed at the time of laying. Vacuum, wash,
steam and polish if advised by supplier. |
| Vinyl and Ceramic |
Vacuum, then damp mop with a mild detergent solution. Rinse with fresh water. |
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Emergency Carpet Care
Always deal with stains and spills immediately:
- Use a spoon or blunt end of a knife to scrape off solid materials e.g. candle wax.
- Blot up spills with a paper towel or cloth – don’t add more liquid.
- Most water based stains such as tea, coffee, fruit juice or urine should be cleaned with
a carpet shampoo.
- Most grease-based stains will need a brand-name dry cleaning solvent from a chemist or
hardware store.
Candlewax
Wait until it is hard, then scrape off as much as possible. Cover the remains with kitchen
paper and press with the tip of a warm iron. The wax will melt and be absorbed by the paper.
Chewing gum
Place a bag of ice cubes on top to freeze it, then break off as much as you can. Clean off
the remainder with a little white or methylated spirit on a cloth.
Chocolate
Scrape off any solid chocolate pieces, then treat with a spot carpet shampoo, if a greasy
mark remains treat carefully with a grease solvent.
Ink
Rub with a cloth of moistened with methylated spirit for ball-point and felt tip pens; cold
water to shift fountain pen ink.
Lipstick
Carefully scrape off any excess with a knife, then treat with a carpet shampoo; if any
colour remains use a little methylated spirits on cotton wool.
Milk and Ice cream
Sponge with warm soapy water, rinse then treat with a grease solvent.
Scorch marks
Trim lightly with a pair of scissors.
Shoe polish
Scrape off as much as you can, treat with dry-cleaning solvent, then methylated spirit.
You may also need to finish off with carpet shampoo.
Wine
Blot fresh spills then use a carpet shampoo. Don’t sprinkle with salt as it may change the
colour of the carpet. On old stains try rubbing in a mixture of equal parts glycerine and water.
Leave for an hour, then rinse off.
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Hoover Floorcare Tips
- Use entrance mats at both front and back doors to prevent mud and dirt being brought
into the house on shoes and boots.
- Turn rugs to even out their wear. In rooms with fitted carpet move the furniture around
instead.
- Always fit a good underlay below carpet as it evens out the wear, fills in uneven floors
and makes your carpet last longer.
- Before vacuuming, pick up small objects and debris.
- Move all furniture and vacuum entire carpet about once a month.
- Eventually carpets may need to be shampooed with a multi-purpose machine or shampoo/polisher
designed for the job – heavy traffic areas may need to be done twice a year.
- Vacuum a new carpet from day one. It will shed a certain percentage of loose fibres from
manufacture and regular vacuuming is the best way to remove it. Do remember to check the dust bag after each session.
- Pet hairs are particularly difficult to remove as they contain natural oil. An upright
cleaner is best for shifting them but also vacuum your pet’s favourite spots regularly to prevent
the hair becoming embedded in the carpet pile.
- Use an upholstery nozzle, brush attachment or hand-held cleaner to clean stairs.
- How often should you vacuum? Heavy traffic areas should be vacuumed daily, light traffic areas
perhaps only once a week.
- How many strokes of the vacuum cleaner? Seven strokes for heavy traffic, three-four for
light-traffic areas.
- To minimise the indentations left by heavy furniture, use the edge of a coin to rub the pile.
- Protect your floor when moving heavy items by using a set of slide-under castors, or on smooth
floors, slip an offcut of carpet pile side down under the item to be moved.
- When polishing a floor, always apply the polish sparingly – a thick application attracts dust and
is difficult to buff to a shine.
- Apply only one coat of polish to the entire floor, then apply subsequent coats on high-traffic
areas only.
- Encourage your family to wear slippers about the house as high grip soles and metal-tipped high
heel shoes may twist and pull the pile.
- For easy-cleaning, choose a carpet with a built-in proprietary stain protector.
- Keep a copy of any new floor care instructions to refer to later, for cleaning and stain removal
advice.
- When washing hard flooring, especially tiles, avoid over wetting the floor, as water may seep
between the tiles and cause them to lift.
- Never vacuum the fringes of valuable or delicate rugs as they may get caught in the cleaner.
Use a hand-brush instead.
- Empty the container (if bagless) or change the dustbag as soon as necessary to keep the vacuum
cleaner working at its best.
- Check the agitator for snagged hairs or threads which may restrict or reduce the roller action.
- Steam cleaners are great for getting out stains and spills – from atomising candle wax and
chocolate on carpets, to blasting away grease and sticky items like chewing gum.
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