How do you do it and what do you call it??

vacuum - vacuum cleaner also called a sweeper
@ebsharer (5515)
United States
November 18, 2008 9:11am CST
Dust / Vacuum that is ... Do you dust then vacuum or vacuum then dust? Why? I dust then I vacuum because I know that all the dust is going to fall all over the place and I will have to vacuum again. I know some people that vacuum then dust and I just don’t get it. Also do you call it a vacuum or a sweeper? In Florida we called it a vacuum here in Pennsylvania they call it a sweeper. To me a sweeper is a broom, I guess its different every where. What do you call it??
6 people like this
22 responses
@angelia286 (2029)
• Singapore
19 Nov 08
Is there a need to dust and vacuum? It kind of makes sense to dust first and vacuum later, as what you have mentioned, vacuuming first and dusting later will just make all the dust fall all over the place. However, for me I used neither. In Singapore now, there is something called the 'magic cleaner' which has a piece of cloth attached to it.. So, for dusting we used the dry suction paper that will suction all the dust and hair and those stuff to the paper. When we are done, we throw it away. It's much more convenient. HOwever, in the past when we are still using the vacumm cleaner and a broom, I would usually wipe all the places that have dust with a wet cloth first, and then vacuum the floor. After which, I don't dust. Perhapes it is different from where you come from? Well, in Singapore, we call a vacuum cleaner just that, and for dusting and sweeping, it's called a broom.
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
They came out with some thing like that here recently I don't know what its called. They also have a vacuum that goes itself. You put it on the floor and hit the "go" button and it goes. It goes every where!
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
20 Nov 08
Here is a link for one of them I have seen http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8467296
1 person likes this
• Singapore
20 Nov 08
Is that the robotic helper or something? I think I have read it in the news about it being available in America, and I remember reading it with envy because we don't have that here in Singapore~ Lol, I am just somebody who is so lazy and just hates to do housework. Even if I do, it's with minimal effort. So you have a room that looks messy but strangely neat at the same time!
2 people like this
@whittby (3072)
• United States
21 Nov 08
Okay I dust first and vacuum last. I know some people have told me they think the vacuuming stirs up the dust and it's in the air again to settle down on the furniture. And we call it a vacuum. I've heard it called a carpet sweeper too - but that was in Pennsylvania also.
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
21 Nov 08
LOL yes I did. I have been typing the word vacuum you would think I could do it with out thinking about it but I can't I litteraly slow down and type out v a c u u m and still end up having to back space LOL
1 person likes this
@whittby (3072)
• United States
21 Nov 08
And did you ever notice how hard it is to spell vacuum?
2 people like this
@makingpots (11915)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Hi, ebsharer. I'm just pleased if I get to do them both on the same day. I've never been on to have a cleaning day, I clean as I go. Dusting especially I do on an ongoing basis, while I'm talking on the phone or whatever. I call it a vacuum that I use on carpets and the thing I use for the tile and wood floors I call a sweepter, sometimes a vacuum sweeper.
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
I understand that! Getting all done in one day is an accomplishment for me too!
1 person likes this
@parvezjs (422)
• India
19 Nov 08
We swipe daily with a sweeper and for us a sweeper is a broom. We vaccum once every week and here a vacuum is called as a VACUUM....lolz
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Right now your the last response and I have heard it called a Vacuum, Sweeper, and Hoover. I wonder how many other words there are for it!?!?
1 person likes this
• Singapore
20 Nov 08
Why not start a whole new discussion to find out what other names they have for that equipment!? It would be fun to find out what different people from different cultures are calling the thing we always known it to be the vacuum?
1 person likes this
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
19 Nov 08
We call it vacuuming. I don't really use it often, because we have hard wood floors and it's much easy to sweep it with a broom then mop it with water, that surely will cleanse the floors nicely. Vacuuming just scatters dust all over, it's only good for our areas with carpet. =)
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
I use a "stick vacuum" for my tile which is like your hardwood. I love it! It works better then a broom but isn't heavy like a regular vacuum and also doensn't throw the dust around! http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2276042
1 person likes this
• Germany
19 Nov 08
I call it hoover. I agree, i dust first and then hoover. My father makes this in this way, i think i'm influenced by him. :-) But for me, dust first and then hoover sound more logic. In my room, there are always many dust, perhaps the house is just nearby the highway.... so i have to dust first, otherwise, it will fall down everywhere. But if we use the wet tower to dust, i think the dust won't fall everywhere. ;-)
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
A few people on the first page called it a hoover too!
1 person likes this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
24 Nov 08
That's exactly how I do my dusting and vacuuming and call it the same thing too. Makes more sense to do it that way than vacuum and then dust. To me a sweeper is a broom as well, which I do use in the kitchen.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Its funny how many different items are called different words! I use a broom in the kitchen or I use my little vacuum that is for tile floors.
@gemini_rose (16264)
18 Nov 08
I am in UK and I call it a hoover, so I will hoover up with the hoover!
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Do you dust before or after you "hoover"?
@gemini_rose (16264)
19 Nov 08
Before!
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@gemini_rose (16264)
30 Nov 08
Thanx for BR XxX
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Nov 08
No... Translation I don't dust much, the kids usually do, and I don't vacuum, the husband does, how they do it is their problem. But if I were doing it, I'd dust first, then vacuum.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
GOOD FOR YOU!!! I like the idea of having some one else do it! My husband normally does the vacuuming I dust before he does it.
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@dawnald (85129)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Nov 08
So do I lol. Actually he does it because it hurts my stupid back.
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@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
21 Nov 08
I tend to dust and then sweep rather than vacuum most of the time because have linoleum and rarely bring the vacuum up from the basement (unless its to vacuum the dog or cat - they love it). I call the vacuum an vacuum and i have a little electric "sweeper" that i call a my pretend vac because it picks things up it doesn't really sweep. ps i have trouble spelling vacuum i always want to spell it vaccum.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
23 Nov 08
HAHA the poster above you said the same thing about spelling vacuum! I think I am gonna wear my back space button out on trying to spell it right. I type pretty fast but every time I come to the word 'vacuum' I slow down LOL!!
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@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
24 Nov 08
LOL I never thought of it that way! And I thought I was the one with the dirty mind LOL shame on you Saundyl!!! LOL
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@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
23 Nov 08
I try to remember by thinking vacuum is a CLEAN word not a "dirty" word (thinking of the last three letters in the word) if i forget im so glad i have a spell checker plug-in!
1 person likes this
@redkathy (3374)
• United States
18 Nov 08
I dust, starting from the highest point, then vacuum... But you knew that already Yes it is a vacuum and not a sweeper. I have always called a vacuum a vacuum and a broom, which is used to sweep with, a broom!
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
What about in Philly? Was it a "vacuum" there too??
@redkathy (3374)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Of course silly. I may look like a Floridian but I still sound like a Phillian LOL
1 person likes this
@Erssyl (617)
• Philippines
21 Nov 08
Whatever they call them vacuum or sweeper it is just the same.They have the same meaning,to clean and remove dust.Whatever comes first sweeping or vacuum it does not matter either because we perform both thay our main idea is to clean.But for me I also sweep after I vacuum.
2 people like this
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
19 Nov 08
I guess you could say I alternate. I vacuum this month and then next month I dust.
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@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
okay
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Nov 08
I always dust first, then use the vacuum. If the dust falls, then vacuuming before dusting would have been a fruitless task indeed. It just makes more sense to let the dust fall to the floor without care, then vacuum it all up afterward. Regarding what I call a vacuum, usually I refer to it as just a vacuum or a vacuum cleaner. Occasionally I have called it a sweeper when in the presence of someone else who refers to it as such, but that's not my norm. However, it is amusing - I call it a sweeper rarely, but I say I'm going to sweep the floor rather than vacuum it quite often.
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
They say that here in PA all the time. "sweep the floor" When I hear "sweep the floor" I think of using a broom not a vacuum! Funny how different regions call things different things!
1 person likes this
@sunshine4 (8703)
• United States
18 Nov 08
I definitely dust then vacuum. I agree with you. The dust gets on the ground so you would have to revacuum. But then some may argue that vacuuming creates more dust~ who knows! Here in Western NY I call it a vacuum. I think of a sweeper as one of those things that you just push along the carpet and they don't plug in.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
18 Nov 08
So many different things in so many different places. Here they call thin ham chipped I call it shaved. To me chipped is like chunks. They all look at me funny when I ask for shaved ham LOL.
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
18 Nov 08
Being a single male, I don't do it as often as I should. I call it vacuuming and I vacuum first since my older vacuum will stir up dust that settles on the furniture so it is best to dust after vacuuming.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
I have heard that before. My vacuum is pretty new so I don't have to deal with that!
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
18 Nov 08
I live in Canada and we call it vaccuuming. For me sweeping is done with a broom. I never knew they called it anything else depending where you live. hmmm I clean houses for a living and my daughter works with me. She does the vaccuuming while I wipe down the kitchen and bathrooms and then we both do the dusting together. The dust doesn't really fall on the floor or stay in the air and fall on the furniture. Not if you are using spray or even just a damp cloth. The dust goes on the cloth. Alrighty then, talk to you later my friend, Your friend Chris
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
18 Nov 08
I guess it depends on how you dust.
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
18 Nov 08
I dust first and then vacuum, because like you said the dust falls to the groud, and it is better to just suck it all up when you are done dusting. We call it a vacuum cleaner here. The only person I know of that ever called it sweeper was my grandmother. But she also called a couch a davenport. So she had a very old fashioned way of saying things. Bless her soul. That was very endearing thing about her.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
18 Nov 08
A lot of different words are used for the same thing. Here they call a refrigerator a fridgid air.
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
21 Nov 08
Well I don't have my own house to keep house in, but when I did chores at home, it always seemed we vacuumed then dusted. I think it's so that next time we could vacuum what we dusted?... er, I have no idea... We call it a Vacuum by the way, a broom is a sweeper, or the swiffer sweeper's are sweeper's...
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
23 Nov 08
I don't know when you did it but you changed your avatar! I like it but I didn't know you were you! Warn me next time LOL! Put your old as an image or some thing LOL!! Anyway as I said I dust then vacuum but every one is different!
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
18 Nov 08
I use those Swiffer dusters that (in theory) hold onto the dust do it doesn't fly everywhere. I think they do to a point but you still end up getting it everywhere. Other than that I use a damp microfiber cloth so it keeps the dust down and doesn't scratch surfaces. My last two steps are vacuuming (that's all I've every called it) and then washing the floor. And it's all so exciting I can hardly stand it!
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Nov 08
I use them too but I don't think they "hold" the dust as good as they say it will.