Vacuuming is easy, right? Just push the thing around on the carpet? Kinda like mowing the lawn?

Now so fast. Turns out there are a lot of things you can be doing better when it comes time to push the vacuum. Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to have a cleaner, happier home.

Here’s your ninja guide to vacuuming.

A clean vacuum is a happy vacuum

Take a quick look at your equipment before putting it to use. Too often people just set out to vacuum without checking their machine. It’s important to empty your vacuum bag or chamber before every use.

Also take a look underneath your vacuum and check for clogs and debris. Often pet hair can tie up the rolling mechanism and clog things up. Check the connections between your hoses and main chamber for any clogs as well. Many vacuums make it easy to take apart the main components for easy cleaning.

Slow your roll

Don’t vacuum like you’re pushing a shopping cart. Going too fast means your vacuum doesn’t have a chance to actually pull up the base layer ofd dust and dirt. Try vacuuming at half the speed you’re used to. Sure, it will take longer. But you’ll thank yourself when your carpets are cleaner than they ever have been. And when you do this, future vacuum trips will be easier, now that you’ve actually taken the time to get that base layer out.

Dust first

Prepping a room properly can make all the difference when you vacuum. And any professional house cleaner will tell you that order of operations means a lot. Dust your room ahead of time. This makes sure you don’t kick up and spread around a bunch of dust after you’ve already vacuumed the floors. After you dust, let the dust settle a bit before running the vacuum.

Stick to a schedule

The best thing you can do for your floors is to be consistent. You can’t tend to them once a year and expect things to be beautiful. Likewise, you don’t want to spend every day of your life cleaning. Trying making a schedule and sticking to it. Start with every two weeks. See how that looks and go from there. It’s important to keep your rugs clean on a regular schedule. Clean rugs last longer and look better. You’ll be less tempted to want to throw them out if you keep them clean. Many people think their carpets and rugs have worn out, when they really have just not gotten enough care and cleaning. This creates a base layer of grime that can take professional help to get out.

Send the work to the robots

Maybe all this isn’t quite exciting enough for you. Maybe the real ninja move is to forgo vacuuming altogether. Or at least pushing the vacuum. Maybe it’s time to consider upgrading to a robotic vacuum cleaner. These are great devices that can make your cleaning life a lot easier.