Tips on Using a Car Vacuum Cleaner

You’re running behind leaving the house on your way to a date, and the passenger seat is littered with little crumbs from the French fries you had three hours earlier.

You’re on your way to meet with a client and drive them to lunch, and you just noticed that your kids left a layer of Fruit Loops all over the back seat.

Your mom is coming to visit and you have to pick her up at the airport, but you only now realised that there’s a layer of unidentifiable crud on your dashboard, your console, everything—you just got so used to it, that only imagining your mother’s more critical eye made you take notice!!!

Car Vacuuming Made Easy

Anything sound familiar?

What do all these situations have in common? You’re on a time crunch. You need to vacuum your car now, but you can’t really afford to go on an adventure and drive around looking for reasonably-priced gas station vacuum cleaners—and worse, idle there waiting for your turn if it happens to be a popular one.

While you’re waiting for your date to come out of the house, or your client to show up on the curb, or you mother to emerge from the airport exit, you could have popped your trunk, grabbed a portable car vacuum (the kind that plugs into the cigarette lighter), and given your upholstery a once-over: It may not be perfect; it may only be a quick-fix that will never cure your fry-eating and Fruit Loop-spilling habits, but it works. Everyone should have a vacuum in their car, ready to be used.

But maybe your mind isn’t open to the possibilities yet. That’s fine; here are some tips on how to use a car vacuum cleaner, and maybe it’ll begin to sink it:

1) Always keep the vacuum in the car at all times.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but never take the vacuum out of the car. The way that life works is that if you ever take it out and forget to bring it, that will be the day that you’ll most need it, and you don’t want to be caught blindsided by fate.

A Car Vacuum Cleaner will always come in handy!

2) Remember the crevices.

Some vacuum cleaners for cars have little attachments that can fit inside all the crevices of your car. Don’t neglect getting these areas that may be unreachable by hand; this is where organic matter like food can build up, and stuff like this can either produce a disgusting smell that will permeate your car and that no little pine-scented paper tree can cover up, or it can attract vermin, which isn’t any fun either.

12v re-charge

3) Always pick up valuables by hand first.

Don’t be taken by surprise when your laundry money or other valuables are jiggling around inside the vacuum’s inner compartment. Nobody wants to stick their hand in there and fish it out. Avoid vacuuming blindly, and before you start, take a moment to crawl around and make sure nothing important is lying within harm’s reach.

With just these few tips, you should easily become a car vacuuming success; so get a vacuum cleaner for your car and avoid those awkward situations immediately.

See our in depth cordless vacuum buying guide here

This is a continuation of Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Terms – Explained for everyone. You may be interested in reading part one too.

Jump to the Reviews Here

8. Vacuum Power Ratings

This is a much confused subject. Power is measured in Watts and refers to how much power the motor uses. This is a rough indication of how powerful suction will be but does have some caveats. Firstly, different vacuums use different motors, and some will be more efficient than others. For example, Dyson have incredible electric motors that are very efficient, where as other manufacturers might have a much poorer quality motor which will produce less suck for the same power input.

Dyson DC34

Secondly, a higher power rating (W) means that the battery life will quite often be shorter, or that the vacuum will need a bigger and heavier battery to achieve the same run time as a less powerful motor. So hight power vacuums are almost always going to be heavier and larger, and do not always provide more suction power.

Some people confuse volts with the power rating of a vacuum. Volts is related to the battery being used and does not affect the suction ability of the vacuum. Although, saying that, generally a higher voltage battery will be required by a higher power motor that draws more power so has a high wattage.

9. Docking station

Many handheld cordless vacuums come with a docking station. This is where you can place the vacuum when it is not in use and the docking station will charge it. Therefore the docking station needs to be plugged into the mains somewhere.

Black and Decker Lithimum Flexi Vacuum Cleaner

Black and Decker Lithium Flexi Vacuum Cleaner

Docking stations can be wall mounted and offer a convenient place to store your vacuum, especially since it will always be charged and ready to go.

10. Charge Indicators

Some cordless vacuums include some sort of charge indicator on the device. This is a really useful feature as you can easily see how much battery life is remaining and can therefore judge whether to start on the next project or put the vacuum on charge first. There’s nothing worse than only getting half a job done!

11. Attachments

Most cordless vacuums come with a selection of attachments. these attachments go on the suction end of the vacuum allowing the appliance more versatility. for example, a crevice attachment for getting into small corners, or a brush attachment for soft furnishings. When buying a vacuum always check what is included, you may find that the attachments are some of the most useful things that come with you vacuum.

12. Pet Specific Vacuums

Some cordless vacuums come with attachments specifically for pet hair removal. These pet hair vacuums usually consist of a special attachment that is designed to pick up pet hair from a variety of surfaces. Some attachments are designed so that the pet hair does not clog the nozzle and are easy to clean.

If you have a hairy pet or partner, then the pet hair removal tool can be an essential part of your cordless vacuum. If you intent on using your vacuum for mainly pet hair removal then you may want to choose a more powerful model that has the capability to suck up stubborn hair from around your home.

13. Wet and Dry Vacuums

A wet and dry use cordless vacuum is a real bonus. You can use these vacuums to suck up spills, such as coffee or water around your home. They work equally well for normal vacuuming and the dirt and water is collected in a removable collection bin. You may find that you have to rinse out the collection bin when you empty it as the dampness will have caused the dust to encrust itself on the inside. This isnt a very fun job but the ability to suck up spilt cereal and milk for example is pretty handy.