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[drizzellla]

We have a large mat at our front door. Leaves seem to accumulate at the corner where the mat is placed. My husband cleans it with a broom once in awhile but it doesn't get all the pieces.  The more people walk on the dry leaves, the tinier the leaf pieces become.

I vacuum the inside door mat at least once a day but there are always more leaf pieces brought in all the time, by dog, people and bikes.

So I vacuumed the outside mat with my Dyson canister vacuum. It took forever and really did not do a good job. I then tried my Hoover upright. It did a tremendous job. It cleaned the mat and all leaf bits and stems were gone. THEN the next day was windy. And more leaves filled the corner.

I am tempted to vacuum the outside mat again. Do you think I am harming the Hoover vacuum? I do not care if I ruin the Dyson but it will still take forever and do a so so job. And I don't think using the Dyson is worth the effort. But I like my Hoover and don't want to wreck it. 

Do you think it will ruin the vacuum?

[MickD]

I don't know, but I place a bath towel on the inside rugs at our front and back doors.  I have 2 dogs.  I take the towels off when we have company.

[piperbay]

I would save the vacuum for indoors only and not take chances ruining it. I have Don Aslett's astro turf mat outside of my front door and then I just shake it out to clean.  You could also try his rubber broom to sweep the outdoor mat., it's very  good and you'll pull up any leaves,etc.

[x Hedge]

2 cautions:
*Don't treat it like a Shop-Vac and try to vacuum up nuts and bolts, twigs and sticks, etc. Flexible pieces of dried old leaves should not harm it.
*Don't vacuum the mat if it's damp from rain or snow. Any moisture in the mat will harm the vacuum and, if it's wet enough, possibly electrocute you.

[RedTop]

In the summer, I vacuum my outside mat all the time.   Sometimes my husband uses the leaf blower to clean the mat and porch.   

[jannabelle1]

My DH has a very old Hoover (probably 30+ years old) that he uses in our garage occasionally. It drives me crazy, but I let him do his thing! That said, I definitely wouldn't use one of our new vacuums anywhere but in the house. Outdoor leaves, wet or dry, can have mold or spores on them, and I wouldn't want that to end up in my vacuum canisters. There are probably better choices for taking care of that outdoor mat!

[drizzellla]

Thank you!

I am going to go out and vacuum. The leaves are very dry. And that is why they are breaking into smaller pieces. 

I don't think a towel would work well. The inside mat has a rubber backing and the only way I can move it, is to pick it up. The "guys" move the mat all over the place. If I didn't move it back, the mat would end up 2' feet from the front door. 

Thanks for all you input.

[Tigriss]

Get a 5hp or higher shop vac from your local home improvement center or discount store. You need more horsepower to really get the down deep dirt, plus you can always use a shop vac for vacuuming water and the car and nasty stuff.

[Mominohio]

Just a thought but maybe try a different kind of mat that lets go of the debris easier. 

We have the Don Aslett's Astro Turf mats, the more decorative ones that don't seem to be in stock right now, and for the most part they can be simply shaken to remove the debris. The only thing that sticks a bit is pine needles, and even at that, the few that don't release can be easily picked out when shaking the mat. They grab way more dirt than any other mat we have ever had. 

I'd be worried about using the Hoover in the house on clean carpet again, after using it on outdoor mats. I would think the beater bar and it's bristles would get really dirty from that outdoor mat over time, then transfer that to the carpets indoors.

[drizzellla]

Mominohio - I did take the beater bar off the vacuum last time and cleaned it. I was so surprised that it was relatively clean. It is a "paws" model. So dog fur does not stick to the beater bar. So I think that is what helped keep it clean. It was the first time I ever took the beater bar off.