Cordless or corded, bagged or bagless – whatever vacuum you use, help is at hand to tackle blockages, trapped hair and loss of suction

• The best cordless vacuum cleaners, tested

No household gadget works harder to keep our homes spick and span than the vacuum cleaner. Most models can deal with all manner of everyday household dirt, but as with any tool or appliance, you can give yours a longer and more fruitful life by performing a few regular maintenance jobs.

Iwan Carrington, author of Clean in 15 and the cleaning expert from BBC’s Sort Your Life Out, explained to me that you should “give your vacuum a quick check before each use to avoid problems such as clogging or low power”. We’ll go through the list of things to look for below.