Can You Vacuum Your House With A Shop Vac? [It Depends!]

Vacuum cleaners save us so much time, but buying multiple vacuum types for different purposes is expensive.

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For example, you may already have a shop vac but not a regular vacuum cleaner and wonder if you can use the shop vac to vacuum your house.

Well, it depends on what you are going to use it for!

You can vacuum your house with a shop vac only for heavy-duty cleaning, such as cleaning out the fireplace, vacuuming metal shavings and sawdust in your garage, and cleaning up wet spills. However, shop vacs are heavier and noisier than regular vacuums and are not designed for carpet cleaning.

Let’s take a deeper look at when you should use a shop vac and why you should still get a regular vacuum for your house.

Can You Vacuum Your House With A Shop Vac?

Shop vacs are specifically designed for heavy-duty cleaning.

Generally, they are used in commercial environments or to clean up messy garage projects, such as:

etc.

However, shop vacs are also perfect if:

  • There is a clumsy person in your house who often breaks things, such as glass
  • You have children who always leave dried playdough, broken crayons, etc. on the floor
  • You often find yourself cleaning up wet spills

And so on.

But you should not rely on a shop vac to clean your entire home!

Here is why:

1. Shop Vacs Are Noisy

Shop vacs have a higher suction power compared to regular vacuums.

As a result, they are much noisier, making regular house cleaning chores really unpleasant!

You could, of course, fix this by buying ear muffs… 

Not sure how happy your neighbors would be, though, especially if you live in an apartment! 

2. No Brush Roll For Carpet Cleaning

Shop vacs do not come with the rotating brush needed to vacuum carpets and rugs.

You can, however, buy additional attachments and spot clean each carpeted area.

3. Shop Vacs Are Harder To Store and Heavier 

Shop vacs feature a larger gallon capacity than regular vacuums.

As a result, they are bigger and heavier, making it more difficult to move them around, lift them up and store them in your home.

In addition, shop vacs do not come with a detachable bin that you can unclip to empty, and you will have to lift and tip the entire shop vac instead.

How To Use a Shop Vac To Clean Carpet

To clean carpets with a shop vac, you will need to purchase extra attachments that enable you to vacuum carpets and rugs one area at a time.

It is not ideal, but if you only have carpet on the stairs, then buying this brush kit will help you achieve your goal.

FAQ

u003cstrongu003eCan You Use A Shop Vac As A House Vacuum?u003c/strongu003e

Using a shop vac as a house vacuum for regular day-to-day cleaning is possible. Still, it will make cleaning awkward due to shop vacuums being louder and heavier than regular vacuums. Shop vacs do not usually come with a HEPA filter, meaning that your household will be more at risk of developing allergies.

u003cstrongu003eWhat Can You Vacuum With A Shop Vac?u003c/strongu003e

A shop vac is perfect for heavy-duty cleaning, including vacuuming wet spills, broken ceramic and glass, metal shavings, sawdust, unclogging sink and drains, cleaning out a fireplace, and cleaning out a BBQ pit.

Conclusion

Although you can vacuum your house with a shop vac for heavy-duty cleaning, shop vacs can make regular cleaning awkward.

If you care about having a perfect carpet, using a lightweight vacuum, and hate loud vacuums, consider purchasing a regular vacuum cleaner instead 🙂 

Author

  • Brenda Pearlman

    My name is Brenda Pearlman, and my friends always joke about the “pearl” part. Why? Because I am a clean freak, who likes to see everything shine like a pearl, lol. With years of using my vacuum to clean almost everything in the house, I have discovered tips and tricks that I want to share with you! I am looking forward to helping you make your home shine 🙂

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