9 Unusual Uses for Your Wet/Dry Vac

Your wet/dry vac can be a lifesaver to have around the house. But are you using your wet/dry vacuum cleaner to its full potential?

We’ve listed nine creative but unusual uses for a wet/dry vac:

1. Clean up after pet grooming

Pet grooming can be a messy process, and there’s usually more mess to clean up once your furry friend has been washed.

Your wet/dry vacuum cleaner is the perfect tool for the job. It can vacuum up excess water, sand, mud, and hair trimmings, but also doubles as a hairdryer for your dog or cat - simply switch the setting on your wet/dry vac to blower.

2. Vacuuming up LEGOs

Sets of LEGOs contain hundreds of pieces, so it’s not surprising when they get everywhere. Your wet/dry vacuum cleaner is the perfect tool for getting LEGOs out of nooks and crannies around the house. Just make sure you empty out previously collected dust and debris first.

3. Condensation

Condensation occurs when warm air meets a cold surface. In winter, condensation on windows can be a real problem as the humidity in your home builds up when your heating comes on and it’s cold outside.

If left, condensation can lead to long-term problems such as damp and mold, which can damage your walls and furniture - tackle the problem early and vacuum up condensation with your wet/dry vac.

4. Drying your deck after washing

Power washing your deck can really bring it back to life. But too much water can also do more harm than good.

Before cleaning your deck, set your wet/dry vacuum cleaner to blower, and blow away any leaves and debris (it makes a good substitute for a leaf blower).

After you’ve power-washed the deck clean, vacuum up any leftover water and residue, or the dirty water will sink back into your deck.

5. Removing dents from your carpet

Rearranging heavy furniture often leaves behind unsightly carpet dents.

To remove them, place ice cubes over the dents and wait for them to melt. This will loosen the carpet fibers. Next, vacuum over them with your wet/dry vacuum cleaner to return the carpet fibers to their normal position.

6. Clean your fireplace or fire pit

Fireplaces and fire pits can be a nightmare to clean out, and there’s a high risk of making even more mess when trying to clean up leftover ash and soot. Some wet/dry vacs can be equipped with a fine dust filter to capture cold ash. Make sure your fireplace and any fire remnants are completely cool before cleaning.

Particularly with fire pits, if you have not cleared out your pit and are left with damp leftover ash, this could make your fire pit unusable until it completely dries out. Your wet/dry vac can vacuum up damp ash easily.

PLEASE REMEMBER: Vacuuming up ash requires the use of a fine dust filter or high-efficiency dust collection bag to prevent ash from being ejected into the air. Never vacuum warm or hot ash.

7. Dry your car

A popular use among car enthusiasts is to use a leaf blower to dry their cars after a wash, but using your wet/dry vacuum cleaner on the blower setting is perfect for the job too.

8. Removing stains from car seats

It’s not uncommon after years for use for your car seats to become stained or dirty. Using your wet/dry vacuum cleaner with your preferred auto-cleaning solution will make your car’s interior look like new.

Apply the cleaning solution to the affected area, follow stain removal instructions as directed by packaging, and use the wet/dry vac to extract the stain and solution from the upholstery fibers.

9. Clean your hot tub

The wet/dry vac is the perfect tool for emptying remaining water from fish tanks, hot tubs, or small ponds when cleaning.

Most hot tubs will empty to a certain point, and you’ll be left with water at the bottom. This means you’d have to empty the rest manually – but a wet/dry vac easily cleans up the remaining water.