Can you vacuum a wet carpet? Will you damage your vacuum cleaner if you use it on wet surfaces such as your carpet? We are going to look into this matter and establish whether you can use a vac on a wet carpet.
Before I go in-depth, the short answer is that you cannot use your regular vacuum cleaner to vacuum a wet carpet. For this job, you need to use a wet and dry vac or shop vac.
These are designed to handle both wet and dry substances. Can you vacuum a wet carpet? Will you damage your vacuum cleaner if you use it on wet surfaces such as your carpet?
Can you vacuum a damp carpet?
Technically speaking, you can vacuum a wet carpet but not with a regular vacuum cleaner. Your normal everyday vacuum cleaner is only meant for dry substances and not wet ones.
As a matter of fact, you can damage your waste bag and the vacuum cleaner itself in the long run. For wet carpets and other wet surfaces, you need to use a wet and dry vac or a shop vac which gets its name from being used in workshops.
A shop vac is high powered and is often cheaper than your regular home vacuum cleaner. If you are shopping for a vacuum cleaner, it actually makes sense to buy a shop vac that is not only durable and affordable; it will also give you better cleaning results.
Since it is made for workshop environments, it has a more powerful motor and is more resistant to wear and tear.
Can vacuuming a carpet with water ruin a vacuum?
As already stated, using an ordinary vacuum cleaner on a wet carpet is not a good idea. If, you are trying to vacuum a wet carpet because a room is flooded, placing the vacuum cleaner on a flooded carpet such that it is partially submerged will most likely lead to shorting.
It also introduces the risk of electrocution to whoever is in contact with that water. You can also put the vacuum motor under a lot of undue stress trying to vacuum water. When it is not designed for that, you may end up blowing the motor.
Can I vacuum my carpet with a wet filter?
A wet filter is used in wet/dry vacs to prevent debris in liquids from getting into the working parts of a vacuum. It helps protect the vacuum cleaner as well as filter the air that is exhausted into your environment from the vacuum cleaner.
For this reason, not only can you use a wet filter when vacuuming a wet carpet, it is actually necessary for you to do so. It will increase the lifespan of your vacuum cleaner as well as protect you from any fine contaminants being expelled into the air leading to risks.
Should you remove the filter when using wet vac on the carpet?
When you are using a wet vac on a wet carpet, make sure that you clean the filter first especially if it has been used for dry vacuuming over a long period of time.
In order to do this, you will need to take it out and tap it against a waste container to get all the dust-out. You may even need to hose it down and then let it dry before putting it back into the vacuum cleaner.
You always need to make sure that the filter has no tears in it. If it is damaged, you will need to replace the filter. Can a wet/dry vac pick up water from the carpet? A wet/dry vacuum cleaner is the only one you should consider using for vacuuming a wet floor. It is specifically designed to handle both wet and dry vacuuming.
There are basically 2 types of wet/dry vacuums that can be used. These are your standard home vac and a shop vac. Shop vacs are mainly designed for the workshop environment.
As we are well aware, a workshop environment is a place where a lot of cleaning happens and the nature of the cleaning jobs will vary from workshop to workshop. To put it in short, a shop vac is able to handle a wide range of cleaning jobs with relative ease.
A household wet/dry vac is designed to take care of most household cleaning needs but it comes with a less powerful motor meaning that it has less suction power.
Even though the shop vac is more powerful and capable when compared to the home vac, it is usually a cheaper comparison.
It’s a good investment to get a shop vac. You’ll be thankful that you did the next time you have to vacuum a wet carpet.
Conclusion
You definitely can vacuum a wet carpet with relative ease. Just make sure that you use the right vacuum cleaner and take the necessary precautions as we’ve described in this article.
