Buying New Carpeting? Check Your Vacuum First

Don't splurge on new carpeting before reading this.
Don't splurge on new carpeting before reading this.

Luxurious, super-soft carpeting has recently become popular, but it comes with one huge caveat: Your vacuum cleaner might not be able to clean it. That's right, after you shell out thousands for new carpeting, you might also need to fork over more money for a new vacuum. Let me explain why.

Related: 5 Biggest Mistakes You Make Vacuuming

What to Know
These new carpets are made with longer fibers (and more of them) than traditional carpets. This makes them soft underfoot, but also more challenging to clean. For a vacuum cleaner to glide easily on a carpet, air must flow into the nozzle and through the machine. Block the air flow and the vacuum seals itself to the carpet and is hard to push. And, unfortunately, that's what many consumers have discovered when their new carpeting is installed.

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Before you buy, check the websites of carpet brands you're considering, like Mohawk and Shaw, to see which vacuum cleaner models are recommended. For its soft Caress carpeting, Shaw recommends Oreck's Magnesium, a top performer in our Good Housekeeping Research Institute test of lightweight vacuums, and several models from Panasonic that carry the Good Housekeeping Seal. Other recommended brands include Hoover, Miele, Bissell, and more.

Related: 10 Surprising Things You Can Clean in Your Dishwasher

Do You Have the Right Kind of Vacuum?
The best vacuums for plush carpeting are lightweight, have large wheels for easy maneuverability, and have adjustable speeds and brush height settings. Set the height so the rotating brush just skims the top of the carpet. You know you've got the right setting if the vacuum is fairly easy to push and leaves "clean" tracks on the surface of the rug.

- By Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping Research Institute

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