Normal vacuum cleaners can have difficulty with some kinds of household messes, especially if you happen to have stubborn dirt caked on a surface. Conventional vacuum cleaners also can't clean up moist or wet messes.  For these situations, you'll need a wet / dry vacuum cleaner. Like the name says, this type of vacuum cleaner can clean up not just dry dust and dirt, but even wet spills – you could clean up the shards of a broken glass as well as the drink that was in it. These little machines are real all-around tools: you can even easily clean your carpets with a wet-dry vac. Some of the most popular wet / dry vacuum cleaners are made by brands like Shop Vac and Craftsman, so they're more like tools for your home than cleaning supplies. The following buying guide will explain how wet / dry vacuum cleaners work, how you can use them in your home, and what you should look out for when you're making a purchase. Wet / dry vacuum cleaners basically work just like traditional vacuum cleaners.

There is a motor inside the machine that drives a fan. This creates a low pressure environment inside the housing. Air flows through the nozzle and through the suction hose into the machine to balance out the low pressure. electrolux vacuum cleaners canisterIt also brings in dust and dirt and keeps it out of the fan itself. hoover vacuum cleaner commercialThere is a vacuum cleaner bag or some other kind of container inside the machine to catch dirt while allowing clean air to pass through. vax vacuum cleaners on saleWet – dry vacuum cleaners don't have a vacuum cleaner bag inside the body of the machine; instead, they have a filter cartridge. The filter cartridge is responsible for separating moisture and fluids from the air and keeping it out of the fan.

If the moisture did infiltrate the fan, of course, it would stop the machine. Wet / dry vacuum cleaners also have a centrifugal separator which helps the filter cartridge separate moisture from the air. Air moves in a cyclonic pattern inside the vacuum cleaner. Circular air flow patterns push droplets of moisture outwards while allowing the air to pass through unhindered. Fluid collects on the walls of the machine and runs into the grey water tank. This is the same principle used in common vacuum cleaners without bags. These are usually called either canister vacuums, cyclonic, or bagless vacuum cleaners. This type of vacuum uses much quicker rotational movements to separate even very fine dust from the air. A carpet shampooer or a carpet steamer is, essentially, another type of wet / dry vacuum cleaner. Like other wet / dry vacs, they are able to suck in not only dirt and dust, but also fluids. The difference with this type of machine is that it doesn't just remove dirt and deposits, it is also able to clean the surface it's working on and leave it even cleaner than it was initially.

The principle works like this: the carpet cleaner has a tank filled with a cleaning solution and water, a mixture it applies to the surface you want to clean. Then, the device sucks up all of the fluid it applied to the carpet or floor, leaving it cleaner than if it had only sucked in the dry dirt or dust from the surface. Most steamers and shampooers are used exclusively on carpet. The difference between a steamer and a shampooer is that the steamer only emits hot steam; it does not suck up material from the carpet. Using a wet / dry vacuum cleaner is fairly straightforward. You can use this type of vacuum cleaner to suck up dust and dirt, no matter if it's wet or dry. You can even use a wet / dry vac to quickly clean up the bathroom floor if your tub overflows; this is a great way to avoid hours of mopping and drying the area. You should use caution, however, with non-water soluble materials like spilled paint. This type of material could damage the vacuum or the filter cartridge in some cases.

In the worst-case scenario, you might damage the machine beyond repair. There should be information on which fluids you can and can't clean up with the wet / dry vac in the user instructions. Some wet / dry vacuum cleaners don't have a filter cartridge. This allows them to vary between cleaning wet and dry materials without any intermediate steps. If your wet / dry vac doesn't have this feature, you may need to exchange the filter cartridge if you want to clean up a wet spill. You should also be sure there's no moisture or fluids left in the hose when you put away the wet / dry vacuum, since they could run out while it's in storage. Also be sure to empty the machine after every use to avoid the buildup of unpleasant smells. If your wet / dry vacuum also has a washing function, it's easy to use it to clean carpets and rugs. As we've already discovered, carpet cleaners have specialized nozzles for this purpose which make the process especially simple. These push fresh water into a tank full of a cleaning solution, creating a shampoo which they then inject into the carpet.

You will shampoo the carpet as you push the machine forwards. Pulling the machine backwards allows the machine to dry the carpet by sucking in both moisture and dirt. If the machine has a rotating brush, it will significantly improve the cleaning effect. Of course, you can also use wet / dry vacs to clean difficult dirt deposits off of hard flooring. You just need to be sure the surface isn't sensitive to water – older wooden floors, for instance, can be damaged by exposure to water. Which wet / dry vacuum cleaner you need will depend on what you intend to use it for. There are even small, cordless wet / dry vacs for smaller accidents that have a tank which holds less than half a gallon. These are a quick way to easily remove fluids you've spilled on your sofa or a glass that's broken on the kitchen floor. Most normal households will be satisfied with a wet / dry vacuum that has about 5 gallons of capacity. They are still lightweight enough to be relatively easy to transport, even with a full tank.

If you need to clean larger surfaces, you might want to look for an industrial wet / dry vacuum cleaner with a capacity of 15 or 20 gallons if needed. All industrial wet - dry vacuum cleaners will have a large central tank and wheels. There will also be a hose and nozzle attached to the main tank. Besides the vacuum's capacity, which functions it offers will also play a role in which wet / dry vacuum you should choose. If you just want to be able to pick up different kinds of messes in your home, a typical wet – dry vac will probably satisfy your needs. Check which kind of filter cartridge it has before you buy. You should be able to make a seamless transition between cleaning up wet and dry messes. Also look for washable filter cartridges, which can save money over the long term. Another great feature to look for is an automatic switch-off function. It will turn off the vacuum when the tank is close to overflowing. If you want to shampoo or steam a floor or carpet, you'll need a vacuum with two water tanks.

One will be for the cleaning fluid, and one for the grey water. These should be easy to remove and fill. Some vacuums even have a tap on the side for draining dirty water, so you don't even need to lift up the heavy, full tank. In general, your wet / dry vacuum should be as stable and maneuverable as possible. Machines that have wheels which are very close together will be easier to tip over. Look for one with a wide wheel base. Manufacturers will also provide power levels for different machines. You'll normally see levels between 1000 and 2000 watts for household wet / dry vacs. Just because a machine has a higher power level doesn't mean it will actually clean your floors more effectively. In many cases, the nozzles the machine is equipped with will play an even more important role than the motor's power level, since it determines how much suction force is actually applied to the floor. Just as for common vacuum cleaners, there are lots of accessories for wet – dry vacuum cleaners which can make cleaning your home easier.

You can buy specialized nozzles and attachments for cleaning upholstery or hard floors. Attachments which allow you to clean windows with your wet / dry vac are also a great choice. And of course, there are also attachments designed for cleaning tile and other surfaces. You can buy replacement parts like hoses if the ones on your vacuum cleaner are defective. Filter cartridges aren't exactly accessories, but they're absolutely necessary if you want to operate your wet / dry vacuum cleaner. You will probably be buying these from a third party instead of from the manufacturer itself. Third-party cartridges should be just as high quality as original replacement parts, even though they are much cheaper. One specialized form of wet – dry vacuum cleaners are robotic wet - dry vacs. These function just like other robotic vacuum cleaners. They are able to recognize the dimensions of a room and clean it independently. They also recognize and avoid obstacles and dips. A robotic vacuum cleaner is a great choice for any hard flooring surface like tile or laminate.