Nowadays, most of us are too busy to sweep our homes, meaning that more households than ever now rely on vacuum cleaners.
But what if you already have a shop vac and not a regular vacuum?
Can you use your shop vac as a regular vacuum to do your daily house chores? And are there any major differences between the two?
The difference between a shop vac and a regular vacuum is that shop vacs are more powerful and are designed for heavy-duty cleanings, such as picking up metal shavings, sawdust, and wood chunks. There is also a substantial difference in their capacity and emptying process.
Let’s look at the differences in more detail to understand when you can replace your regular vacuum with a shop vac.
Difference Between Shop Vac And Regular Vacuum
Shop vacs are built differently than regular vacuums, both with their own specific purposes.
Usually, shop vacs are used for commercial reasons in an environment where health hazards must be kept at bay.
Here are the 5 main differences between a shop vac and a regular vacuum:
1. Usage
Shop vacs are used in commercial environments to vacuum up large debris such as metal shavings, sawdust, wood chunks, screw nails, etc.
In contrast, regular vacuums are the kind of machines that we see daily in our homes.
They are used to clean up crumbs and all the sort of dirt that we are used to seeing in a home environment.
However, these days shop vacs have been revamped to make them more “household friendly” and can be used to do some house cleaning.
We cannot say the same about regular vacuums, which, to this day, are still not built to pick up heavy debris, water, or debris that could clog up a regular vacuum filter.
2. Capacity and Ease of Use
When dealing with heavy-duty cleanings, you need a vacuum that has the ability to pick up a large amount of debris without emptying its content every 5 minutes.
Shop vacs are perfect for that since they come with a larger gallon capacity.
For this reason, shop vacs are also heavier and bigger than regular vacuums, making it more difficult to lift them up and store them in your home.
3. Power
Shop vacs feature a powerful enough motor that allows them to suction heavy debris.
In fact, they are also able to pick up liquid as well as large amounts of fine dust.
Regular vacuums are limited to picking up the small particles we are used to seeing in a home environment.
4. Emptying Process
Shop vacs are heavier, so using them to clean your home means you will have to lift a heavy machine each time it needs emptying.
Regular vacuums, on the other hand, come with detachable canisters that are easy to unclip from the machine, empty, and clip back.
5. Shop Vacs Are Not Suitable For Carpets
Although you can buy extra attachments to use your shop vac to clean carpets, shop vacs do not come with the roller brush that allows you to clean up carpets all in one go.
You would have to switch between attachment and clean carpets and rugs in small sections.
Is A Shop Vac Better Than A Regular Vacuum?
There is no “better vacuum” when comparing the two since they are built for different purposes.
Shop vacs are designed to pick up large debris such as sawdust, screw nails, metal shavings, and even water.
But regular vacuums come with the tools you need to clean hardwood flooring as well as carpets and rugs.
In addition to suctioning large debris, some shop vacs also come with a blower function.
You may want to consider purchasing a shop vac for the following reasons:
- To blow up mattresses and pools
- To retrieve items that you may have dropped down a drain
- Unclog a drain
- Vacuum storage bags
- Pick up liquids
- You regularly work on metal projects or woodworking and need to pick up the large debris they produce
Is A Shop Vac More Powerful Than A Regular Vacuum?
Shop vacs come with a more powerful motor than home vacuums.
Such powerful motors allow shop vacs to pick up heavy debris.
These motors come with powerful lifting and suction capabilities, allowing the machine to remove both dust particles and liquid with ease.
Can I Use A Shop Vac As A Vacuum?
Although shop vacs have a higher suction power, they are not built to clean up rugs and carpets.
That is because shop vacs do not come with the powerhead or beater-bar floor brush you need for proper carpet cleaning.
Furthermore, shop vacs do not usually come with a HEPA filter, resulting in dirt particles being blown from the exhaust stream into your home and causing allergies.
In addition, shop vacs are heavier and noisier, making the house cleaning process a bit awkward.
The only time you may want to use a shop vac to help you with your house chores is if you have spilled a large amount of water.
A shop vac will make picking up water easier than if you were to use several towels to do the job.
Can You Use A Shop Vac To Vacuum Carpet?
Shop vacs only have hose attachments and do not come with the beater bar that allows them to roll over carpet and rugs.
They are simply impractical for vacuuming an entire carpeted room.
Nonetheless, if you don’t own a regular vacuum, you can still switch between the hose attachments of your shop vac to clean your carpets, as well as purchase attachments that are more appropriate for carpet cleaning.
Conclusion
Shop vacs and regular vacuums are both some of the greatest inventions around, but they are simply built for different purposes.
To recap, here is the difference between shop vac and regular vacuum:
- Shop vacs are used for heavy-duty cleaning, while regular vacuums are used for everyday household cleaning
- Shop vacs have a larger gallon capacity compared to regular vacuums
- Shop vacs come with a more powerful motor and higher suction power
- Regular vacuums are easier to use, lighter, and easier to empty
- Regular vacuums come with the attachments and the brush roll you need to clean carpets and rugs
