I have a science degree, but I really only use it once a year—when I turn a conference room into a makeshift lab to test some of the products for our annual Clean House Awards. Through testing, I’ve learned a lot about different ingredients, materials, and sustainability factors, but also the best methods for using a wide array of spritzes, sprays, and machines. Now that I’ve probably read a novel’s-worth of cleaning instructions, here are four things that I didn’t always do but now incorporate into my cleaning routine.

1. Don’t Overfill Your Vacuum Canister

My biggest grievance with stick vacs is their canisters: They’re super small. Sometimes, a spill of dirt, popcorn, cereal, sprinkles, baking soda, and glitter—one of my in-office tests—is all it takes to completely fill the little plastic vessels. And I don’t mean in a way that not even one more popcorn kernel could fit, because technically, that would be overfilled. Instead, these receptacles should really only be filled to the “max” line printed on the canister. These lines may go unnoticed (they can be faint or in small print!) or are taken as a suggestion instead of a “must-do.”

Unfortunately, I’m here to report that you should be following these guidelines. Emptying your canister when it’s full (and not overfull) will help it maintain strong suction and prevent clogs. When the canister is too full, airflow is restricted, which greatly reduces the vacuum’s performance and efficiency. 

So how often should you empty your vacuum canister?

It varies from model to model, but the best practice is to empty your vacuum’s canister when the dust is about to hit or is right at the “max” line. If there’s no line, read the vacuum’s manual, or fill it up only about halfway. You should also empty your canister after each use, even if it isn’t full. You don’t want to let gunk sit in there and continue to get gross—it will cling to the canister and be more difficult to remove later. Following these tips will help extend your vacuum’s life. (And make sure you’re also regularly replacing or cleaning the vacuum filter!)

2. Pre-Clean Your Messes

To test out spritzes, sprays, and wipes for the Clean House Awards, I create stains with things like ketchup, syrup, raw egg, peanut butter, and melted cheese, let them sit overnight, and then see how products clean them up the next day. (Whatever smell you’re imagining, it’s worse.) But in order to actually test the products, it’s important to wipe the stains with a dry paper towel first. The cleaners are meant to clean the surface, not the spill. You’ll be wasting product and time trying to get rid of the mess itself if you don’t do a pre-clean. This also helps reduce the amount of gunk you’re moving around and lets you get right to the true cleaning. 

3. Let Disinfectant Sit

Did you know that most disinfectants shouldn’t be wiped dry right away? In fact, in order for disinfectants to work, they need to stay visibly wet for a certain amount of time. Unfortunately, there isn’t a hard and fast rule for how long all disinfectants should remain on the surface (also called dwell or contact time). Read the package directions closely to determine the contact time to get all the disinfecting benefits of your cleaning solution. If a surface starts to look dry before the contact time is up, add more product. If you’re using a disinfectant on a surface that food also touches, you need to rinse the surface off with water after it’s been properly disinfected to ensure it’s food-safe. 

4. Don’t Forget About Water

The Clean House Awards is all about the newest cleaning products on the market, but this year, I cleaned with an age-old resource: water. In my spritz and spray tests, one of the cleaners was just a spray bottle filled with water. This was my control (results pictured above). Throughout the test, I counted how many swipes it took to clean the stains with each bottle, and if anything performed the same or worse than water, it was an immediate no. So let this be a reminder that sometimes you don’t need a fancy cleaner!