How to Deep Clean 5 Overlooked Areas of Your Home Like a Pro

Now that it’s officially spring, we hope you’re planning on giving your home a well-deserved deep clean—especially considering that it’s been working overtime for the past year. Your space will thank you, and you’ll surely thank yourself. But you’ll need the right tools to get the job done like a pro.

Gearing up for the best spring clean ever means finding a vacuum that can do much more than just clean your floors, which is what the Miele Compact C1 HomeCare Vacuum is all about. It comes with a host of attachments to deep clean every single area of your home, especially those that probably don’t get quite enough attention on a regular basis. Here’s how it can help you have the best spring clean ever.

1. Upholstery

While handheld vacuums are great for picking up occasional crumbs, to really suck up all the fine dust particles and other allergens that collect on upholstery over time, you’ll need a vacuum with a lot more power. The Miele Compact C1 has a 1,200-watt vortex motor for superior suction, as well as an AirClean Sealed System™ that keeps ambient air clean. The included upholstery nozzle is designed to seal in suction and has wide thread lifters that are little experts at grabbing pet hair.

When giving your upholstery a thorough cleaning, don’t forget to vacuum the backs of sofas and chairs, the bottoms of cushions, and under the cushions themselves. A crevice nozzle will come in handy for getting in between non-removable cushions and the frame, as well as any textured details, such as button tufting.

2. Under Furniture

“Out of sight, out of mind” is the approach many of us admittedly take when it comes to vacuuming under furniture like sofas and beds. Having a vacuum with an adjustable telescopic wand makes it a lot easier. The Miele Compact C1 wand extends with the click of a button to reach every baseboard and square inch of flooring underneath furniture.

Start with a crevice tool attached to the wand to tackle any corners first, then switch to a dusting brush to gently dust baseboards. Finally, switch to a floorhead to tackle the floor itself. Miele’s Combination Floorhead has a convenient toggle that lets you easily adjust the height of the bristle strip to clean hard floors or low-pile carpet with the flip of a switch.

3. Windows

Windows, and especially their blinds and drapes, don’t get enough attention during a regular vacuuming session. To thoroughly clean them, start from top to bottom. Avoid tangling blinds or sucking up curtains by turning your vacuum to its lowest setting—the Miele Compact C1 has a suction setting specifically for this—and using the dusting brush attachment.

Start from the very top of any window molding or curtain hardware and work your way all the way down to the sill. It’s easiest to gather dust from blinds if you close them one way, vacuum them all, and then close them in the reverse direction and vacuum that side, too. For curtains, the brush attachment will help you gently brush dust away and suck it up. And don’t forget to get both sides of your curtains—dust knows no boundaries!

4. Cabinets & Drawers

Lots of people wipe down their kitchen cabinets with a wet cloth, but there’s a better way. Pros will tell you that doing so only makes dry crumbs stick to the surface. Instead, completely empty your shelf, cabinet, or drawer first. Then, vacuum it with the crevice tool.

For most cabinets and drawers, a lower setting (such as the Miele Compact C1 upholstery setting) should suffice for cleaning up crumbs or spilled spices. Only after your shelf, cabinet, or drawer is completely crumb-free should you shift to using a damp cloth with your preferred cleaning solution.

5. Rugs

Finding the right suction setting and brush roll rotation speed for different types of rugs takes a little practice. With too much suction, you risk damaging shag and other high-pile rugs. With too little, you may leave dust and dirt behind on a low-pile one. Using a vacuum and floorhead that offer a wide range of settings is the key to cleaning your rugs with care.

The Miele Compact C1 has two separate settings for area rugs and carpeting. You can further adjust the amount of suction and speed of the brush roll by sliding a small bar on the floorhead itself to a low, medium, or high setting. This lets you safely and effectively pick up dirt and dust on any rug without damaging it.

Ready to get your spring clean on? Miele makes it easy to find an authorized HomeCare dealer who can help answer your questions about the Miele Compact C1 or any other Miele HomeCare models you’re interested in. Happy cleaning!

Tim Minerd

Contributor