Just some fun tips.

[Go4fun]

While at the hardware store pick up some of that magnetic tape with the sticky back. Put a line across the front of your vacuum cleaner just above the sweeper head.
Now instead of listening to those screws, nuts, bolts, ear ring clasps, nails, tacks and other small metal things you drop on the carpet and can't find grinding and clunking into the works of the vacuum they will probably be picked up by the magnet.
ALSO a piece of an old hose or pantie hose trapped in the junction of the hose where it plugs together will pick up other small objects that are easy to lose but hard to replace. Or just put the hosiery over the front of one of the 'wands' and tuck a pouch inside. Tie it on with a rubber band. You can pick up that tiny piece the Carpet Monster ate and save it!
Your welcome.

[NARSES2]

ALSO a piece of an old hose or pantie hose trapped in the junction of the hose where it plugs together will pick up other small objects that are easy to lose but hard to replace. Or just put the hosiery over the front of one of the 'wands' and tuck a pouch inside. Tie it on with a rubber band. You can pick up that tiny piece the Carpet Monster ate and save it!
Your welcome.

That was the subject of a cartoon in one of the modelling mags a few years ago.  Involved the wife coming home early 

[Rheged]

There's a a great hefty (ex TV) magnet in our garage.  If the carpet monster gets hungry, we pop the magnet into a poly-bag and sweep it over the drop-zone.  No good for non-ferrous escapees, but it's saved us much grief over the years.

[Captain Canada]

I prefer the down-on-all-fours hand sweep method. Probably running at 50-50 

[kerick]

I'm afraid the stocking over the end of the hose trick wouldn't work at my house. What ever gets picked up would still be lost in the giant wad of dog hair that would also be trapped there. I call her the four footed fur flinger.