What Each Vacuum Attachment Is Actually For

Chances are that your vacuum has a bunch of different attachments on it. If you’re anything like me, you’ve never used a single one of them. Popular Mechanics shows off how they’re supposed to be used.

Almost every vacuum comes with at least four attachments, and they’re each made for different tasks:

1. Crevice Tool

With its skinny shape and angled tip, this one gets into the tight spots: corners, along baseboards, around radiators or vents, between sofa cushions, and more. You can also use it for cleaning refrigerator coils or de-linting the inner workings of your dryer.

2. Dusting Brush

Round with long, soft bristles, it helps whisk windowsills, bookcases, framed art, lampshades, and blinds. If your vac is equipped with variable suction, you can also use it for more delicate tasks, such as cleaning around knick-knacks.

3. Upholstery Tool

This attachment is wide and sometimes has a lint-catching fabric strip perfect for coaxing dust from sofas, chairs, mattresses, and cushions.

4. Extension Wand

This gives you more reach, and nabs dust dangling from high ceilings and corners or buried deep behind appliances. Or try this neat trick: If you’ve dropped something lightweight in a spot you can’t reach, stretch a piece of nylon pantyhose over the end of the wand, secure it with a rubber band, and use it as a tool to retrieve your item.

Sometimes, you’ll also have attachments for bare floors, a turbo brush, a mattress attachment, or pet grooming. Of course, all this info is probably in your manual too, assuming you actually have your vacuum’s manual sitting around. Head over to Popular Mechanics for more on maximising your vacuum.

Every Vacuum Attachment, Demystified [Popular Mechanics]