Caring for and Using a Vacuum Cleaner "You can avoid many problems with a vacuum cleaner by knowing practical points about its care and building these points into your cleaning routine." Today's Almanac reading is about being smart with your vacuum cleaner. We had a small entry about this in the March Mix blog where I definitely said don't use your vacuum to clean out your fireplace. So let's go over a few more vacuum care tips. Before vacuuming your floor: Make sure you pick up any objects that could damage the vacuum. Pins, clips, or sharp objects. It might be tempting to vacuum up a lego that your kid has left on the floor for a week but maybe you shouldn't. Also, don't run your vacuum over the cord. You risk ruining the power cord and making a dangerous situation for yourself. Additionally, unless you have a wet vac, you should never try to vacuum up water or wet surfaces. Empty the container. You can overh...