Should a garden rake be used to clean carpets?

A woman on the social media platform TikTok has claimed that people have been cleaning carpets wrong – instead of a vacuum cleaner, she recommends using a garden rake.

The woman, who is known on TikTok as cleanhappyco, says that she is a professional cleaner. In her short video on TikTok, the woman is seen raking the carpet. Afterwards, she reveals that the rake is full of hair. The clip has impressed many, as it has been viewed 6.7 million times, with over half a million likes and thousands of comments.

Many viewers said that the rake solves the problem of hairs clogging up their vacuum. One commentator wrote:

“I think I'd rather do this than disassemble my vacuum and remove a horrifying amount of my own hair from the brush roll once a month.”

Another said that they used a rake normally used for pet hairs, saying it also works well for human hair.

The video and comments focused on the problem of removing hair from carpets. A rake is not perhaps the best solution for keeping carpets clean, however, as it does not pick up dust and small debris. Owners of carpets in the Wrexham, North Wales and Chester region should continue to use a vacuum as their main carpet leaning tool. It is recommended that carpets are professionally cleaned at least once a year.

For removing pet or human hairs, a garden rake could be useful, but people shouldn’t use a dirty one that has recently been used in the garden.