Choosing the wrong vacuum for cleaning the garage or woodworking shop can culminate in regret and loss. It’s easy to pick up a wall mounted garage or a conventional option that doesn’t do the job as you’d hoped. Or end up with something that pumps out loads of raw cleaning power — more than you need. In these best garage vacuum reviews, I assess 5 options that clean garage floors and cars really well.
None of my carefully selected picks is lame, falls apart regularly, costs too much, or takes up too much storage space. And if you’re wondering whether I have included garage vacs that double as powerful leaf blowers or new home cleaning pros, YES.
But before we jump into the reviews and shopping guide…
What Is a Garage Vacuum Cleaner?
The typical garage cleaner is a wall-mounted vacuum that saves floor space without in any way sacrificing cleaning performance. They stay mounted onto the wall during and after use, and their long hose ensures there’s no nook, cranny, or cobweb you can’t reach. Provided you choose the right vacuum, no garage mess will ever prove too tough to tackle.
The best garage vacs are either dry vacs or wet dry shop vacs. And every vacuum technician agrees shop vacs are the most powerful floor cleaners ever built. Wet dry vacs normally come with two chambers, one for wet messes and the other for dry messes.
These cleaning monsters look pretty rugged. But they need you to use and maintain them properly to insure consistent performance and longevity. Tthe best ones last a long time.
A good garage vacuum cleaner not only speeds up your garage cleans but also filters out allergens so you can breathe better.
Garage Vacuums vs. Regular Vacuums
What’s the difference between garage vacuums/shop vacs differ and regular or home vacuums? And can you use a garage vacuum for everyday house cleaning?
The biggest difference between shop vacs/garage vacuums and household vacuum cleaners is that they’re incredibly more powerful. And because they have bigger motor capabilities and suction power, garage cleaning vacuums have a greater dirt-lifting ability compared to regular carpet cleaners and other home vacuums. While everyday vacs can suck up anything from dry messes, small spills, and even particles, shop vacs can handle everything from wet spills, flood water and construction debris to wood chips, sawdust, and a lot more without smelling or developing other problems. Shop vacs can even blow pine needles and leaves off the driveway and even unblock clogged toilets and other drains.
Various attachments such as a dusting brush or an upholstery tool can help you convert a shop vac into a relatively good home vacuum. And you can use the machine for cleaning inside the house. However, that’s not where wet and dry shop vacs show their mettle best. Plus, these vacuuming vampires can easily damage your premium-quality Persian rugs and carpeting.
What Is the Best Garage Vacuum Cleaner?
The best vacuum cleaner for a garage is typically a wet/dry option, also known as a shop vac. It can be bagged or bagless, and its dirt bag or bin shouldn’t fill up too soon. Portability may not be an extremely important consideration if it’s a wall-mounted model purposely for garage use. Some can be quite heavy and that can make moving a tad challenging. If you need to, choose a portable option. Price-wise, stay in the $100-$500 range and you’ll be fine. For more information on how to choose a suitable vacuum for your garage, jump straight into the buying guide below the reviews.
5 Best Vacuums for Garage Cleaning
First off, how did I pick these garage cleaners for review? How did I decide the mounted and non-mounted garage cleaners I recommend below deserve your attention or money?
I spent hours scouring the web looking for wet dry shop vacs homeowners and apartment livers seemed to like. Then, I pored through loads of positive and negative reviews from real users. Don’t worry; I have a little nifty system that helps me sniff out shills a mile off.
Once I had 10 candidates ready for assessment, I struck out those that were too expensive and those that seemed crappy. What remained is a neat little list of 5 garage vacs that have decent reviews online and elsewhere.
I have tested some of these machines at various times. By “tested” I mean I use vacs around my house and at my parents’ home from time to time. Plus, I have tried out a quite a few vacuums in-store over time. As a result, I have developed certain impressions and opinions that might help your shopping journey.
If there’s any quirk my hubby and I noticed while cleaning our garage, valeting the car, or helping my parents clean up their house, I’ll let you know.
And if you want to learn how to pick the right mounted or conventional garage vac, there’s a handy guide right after the reviews.
Let’s go!
1. 14-Gallon Ridgid WD1450 6HP Corded Shop Vac (Most Powerful, Best Rolling Vacuum)
Ridgid vacuum cleaners are venerated cleaning beasts that last years. And the extremely rugged 14-gallon Ridgid WD1450 is no exception.
It’s large and clunky. But its narrow tall design coupled with its smooth-rolling wheels greatly helps navigation around the house and storage. With this noticeably slim design, getting through doorways shouldn’t be a hassle.
The unit’s sturdy side handles make lifting it more convenient. Its 20-feet cord is long enough, and it easily wraps around the pull handle after use. The hose is good, but flexibility and quality could be better.
This 25-pound corded unit has a solid build, and nothing about it seems cheap or flimsy. My grandpa’s owned this Ridgid since 2004. He purchased it to replace a Craftsman he’d used for 25 years. Many years later, the WD1450 is still running great. Heck, it’s even better than the Craftsman. And at that performance level, it’s surprisingly quiet.
To be clear, the WD1450 is not a wall-mounted option. And lifting up its full 14-gallon canister is never fun. But this Ridgid with a 6 Peak HP cleans exceptionally well. It’s every new homeowner’s dream. And with its matchless vacuuming powers, it’s great for commercial use, too.
Whether you throw chunky wood chippings, workbench sawdust, construction debris, or tornado cellar water at it, the WD1450 sucks up the materials with fiendish determination. The extremely powerful suction this beast spews out could be overkill for small and medium size garages.
The Ridgid WD1450 offers plenty standard and optional attachments. My husband uses the car tool to valet his sedan and clean upholstery inside the house. But while the floor attachment is good, the suction seems to overwhelm it.
The dust canister is easy to empty. Your workshop’s dry debris or dig hair from your car won’t spill onto your garage floor. Consider upgrading to a better filter, though. I recommend the Ridgid VF5000 Reusable HEPA filter. It takes less than a minute to snap this cleanable filter into place.
Comes with a Leaf Blower, Too
We use the Ridgid’s powerful exhaust airstream as a leaf blower to sweep off our backyard in the fall. If your toilet ever gets clogged up, don’t contact your plumber. Instead, remove the cartridge filter and wheel your WD1450 to the problem spot. It clears clogs in seconds.
Your Sump Pump Broke? Use the Ridgit WD1450 Instead
Can you use the Ridgid WD1450 to drain a pool or clean up flooding? Emphatically yes. Remove the filter before starting, though, unless you like mold. It works most conveniently if the water isn’t too much.
But if there’s too much water to drain, you won’t enjoy the activity very much. Because you must turn off the vac every time the dust canister fills up. Even when you have a pump accessory, you still must shut down the vac to pump out the water.
Are you planning to buy one Ridgid? I suggest using a submersible sump pump to drain your adult pool or wading pool.
Consider the Suggestions Below
Get a smaller, portable, lightweight vac for cleaning inside your house. Also, invest in a handheld option for cleaning car interiors. One more thing: consider upgrading the filter because the original one is pretty basic.
If you do any kind of wet work with your beastly Rigid, take the bag and filter off, then dry out the unit completely before closing the thing back up. If you ignore this suggestion, don’t act all surprised when mold makes the interior of your Rigid WD1450 its new home.
Overall: This is the best rolling vacuum for cleaning garages and workshops I know. Whether you’re a professional cleaner, moving into a new home, or remodeling your house, the Ridgid WD1450 won’t disappoint you.
Pros
- Extremely powerful motor
- Features casters/swiveling wheels
- Easy to wheel around
- A super powerful blower
- Many homeowners satisfied with the vac
- A great jobsite cleanup companion
- Features an easy-to-remove cleaning accessories bag
- Reusable filter
Cons
- Large and clunky
- Filter could be better
- Lasts many years
- Hose may need upgrading
2. Bissell Garage Pro 18P03 Wall-mounted Vac (Best Wall Mounted)
The corded Bissell Garage Pro 18P03 is a 4-gallon bagless wet dry workshop and garage cleaner many homeowners love. It offers 2-stage HEPA filtration while delivering decent cleaning power. If you can mount a bracket to a wall, you’ll set this Bissell up in no time with the provided wall mount kit.
This product arrives with 7 attachments including a crevice tool that enables you to reach tight spaces in your garage. An extension wand (with an appropriate attachment) helps you suck in cobwebs. And the car tool helps you keep your car’s interior’s nice and clean.
With this thing, sucking up grit or crumbly snacks in the backseat is a snap. There’s also an attachment for cleaning garage floors plus other tools.
The Bissell boasts a 12-amp motor, but it’s not like car wash vacuum powerful. Performance is good rather than impressive. Also, this Bissell isn’t the quietest garage vac, but I don’t need to plug my ears. My smartphone decibel meter showed 75dB at 5″ — not too bad.
It’s massive, sticking out roughly 14″ and taking up about 27″x15″ of your garage wall space. And that is before loading up the attachments and looping the hose around the unit to save space.
The hose has an outside diameter of 1 ½”, but it cleaned up dry debris including sawdust and drywall dust impressively. It also took on wet spills on my garage floor like a champ. I expected clogging, but that hasn’t happened, yet. But the hose could be more flexible.
The 32 feet long hose helps me reach every corner in my 600 square feet garage easily. Cord length is just 6 inches, but that’s enough.
Other features: Blower so you can quickly clean up leaves and pine needles on your driveway or even unblock your sink. There’s also an LED tank-is-full indicator so you won’t have to guess tank capacity.
What’s not great: Replacing the filter can be tricky and messy. So, learn how to operate the unit’s filter-ejecting loaded mechanism. Also, few reviewers griped about quality issues.
The Bissell Garage Pro is an OK-ish mounted shop vac. Nothing special. And don’t expect it to last 20 years. Be sure to have this repaired at an authorized service center so you won’t void the warranty.
Pros
- Relatively long hose
- Not too noisy
- Pretty powerful
- Converts into a leaf blower
- Clears wet messes and dry messes
Cons
- Hose could flex better
- Filter removal tricky
- Hose could be longer
- Bulky
3.VacuMaid GV30PRO Wall Mounted Garage Vacuum (Best US-Made — Dry Vac)
The bagged VacuMaid is pricier than the Ridgid WD1450. But that isn’t because it offers more powerful suction. Perhaps the VacuMaid is pricier because it’s a made-in-the-US product. Unlike the others, the GV30PRO is a dry vacuum and won’t clean up wet garage messes.
It’s pretty much like the cheaper Vacumaid GV30, except it’s more powerful, plus it has a solid metal extension wand that stands up to all kinds of abuse.
Another big advantage is that this vac comes with every attachment you’ll ever need. You get a crevice tool, a wand, a car tool, a floor brush — everything. At that price, you’re getting what you’re paying for — premium quality attachments that no dirt-cheap shop vac has ever owned.
Whether you want to blow out your garage, demolish cobwebs, suck up wood chippings from woodworking machines, this US-made garage vac got your back.
The 30″ hose is sufficiently long, but you can choose the 50″ hose option if necessary. The 30″ hose should access every corner of a two-car or three-car garage without a problem. But you won’t clean much else outside of the garage.
Mounting it requires simply screwing the provided wall mount bracket into the stud. Then, hang the vac. There’s a hose mount, too.
Like the Bissell Pro, the VacuMaid GV30PRO features a 6-inch cord. That’s short, but sufficient for any wall-mounted model.
If you attach the hose at the outlet port and plug the air entry, you’ll have a truly decent leaf blower. This thing sucks up dry messes like a pro. Fine sawdust, crumbly food in the crannies of your car seat, massive workbench chippings, and name it.
But the VacuMaid is NOT built to clear blocked sink drains or toilet drains. Nor can you use it to clean up messes from leaky pipes. It’s strictly a dry mess garage vac. That seems like a big limitation.
With this product, there’s no messy canister to empty. Only a tightly sealed HEPA bag that allows little to get out when dumping it out. Price could be lower given that this machine is a dry mess only vac. Luckily, there’s a budget version of the VacuMaid Pro, the VacuMaid GV30 wall mounted vac.
Pros
- Great suction
- US-made
- A HEPA-style bag that dumps out with little mess
- Can serve as a leaf blower
- Super easy to mount + hose mount
- All attachments included
- An attachments bag included
- Surprisingly quiet
Cons
- Can’t suck up water or wet messes
- Pricey
4. Vacmaster VWM510 Remote Control Garage Vacuum (Best Value)
The 5-gallon Vacmaster VWN510 represents decent vac power at that price. It’s solidly built, and it wall mounts easily. Also, taking the shop vac down to use it elsewhere is a cinch. Simply press a clip in and lift the unit off the wall mount bracket.
This 25-pound unit comes with a nice assortment of cleaning tools that store neatly in the tool caddy at the vacuum’s base. The package included a floor brush, a dust brush, a crevice tool, car nozzle, extension wand.
Then there’s a blower noise dampener, and the handle offers effortless on/off remote control. That’s tons of value, huh? Note: the remote power handle comes with a 23A 12V battery in the expanding wand. You might have trouble finding new batteries in the future since it’s non-standard.
The machine comes with two hoses that unite into a complete secure hose. The manual said nothing about the correct way to couple these hoses, but I finally figured it out.
So, start with the 10-foot 1 7/8″ standard hose and attach it to the base of the Vacmaster VWM510. Then, grab the 11-foot 1 7/8″ flexible hose and add it to the attached bottom hose. That adds up to 41″ of hose, not too bad, but you’ll struggle to reach beyond the garage.
If you reverse the hose setup order, you’ll soon hate how much the flex hose constricts during use. Maybe Vacmaster should start packing two standard hoses instead.
In terms of suction, it’s fairly good — nothing spectacular. My husband attaches this garage vac to his table saw. And the unit demonstrates virtuoso performance when clearing the table saw dust generated. This thing easily converts into a blower so you can effortlessly blow yard leaves.
This vac lacks wheels, but the canister is pretty thick. I imagine you can bore holes into the base and bolt on wheels. But why not buy a wheeled Vacmaster instead?
Air filtration? The unit relies on a washable catridge filter so you can save money. Noise levels? This Vacmaster isn’t too loud, plus you get a blower noise diffuser.
I have one little gripe though. It’s a tad hard to tell how much debris tank capacity you still have before emptying it. Vacmaster can solve that issue by incorporating a clear-sight window somewhere on the base bucket.
Pros
- Quite affordable
- Multiple tools included in built-in caddy
- Includes leaf blower function
- Clears table saw dust really well
- Easy to wall mount and take down
- On/off remote power handle
- Washable cartridge filter
- Blower noise diffuser
Cons
- Combined hose limited lengthwise
- Joining flex hose to standard hose tricky
- Hose wraps awkwardly
- Wand battery model non-standard
- Heavy and bulky
5. GarageVac GH120-E Wall-Mounted Garage Vacuum (Most Compact)
Looking for a highly portable mounted garage vacuum that you can use to clean your garage, boat, workshop, sewing room, RV, or even boat? The dry-debris-only bagged GarageVac GH120-E is what you need.
This compact model occupies the least wall space of all 5 recommendations here. Its sleek design looks good on the wall. And the hose stores neatly on the mount thanks to the built-in hose rack. At just 9 pounds, moving it around should be a breeze.
How do you wall mount the GarageVac GH120-E? Don’t worry. Just hang the cleaner wherever you wish.
Don’t clean wet spills with this unit, though. It’s designed for cleaning up dry messes. And the included 10″ bare floor attachment cleans garage floors satisfactorily. Other tools included are an adjustable 24″ crevice tool, a dashboard brush, upholstery tool, and a metal wand.
Note: the built-in tool caddy won’t hold all the included tools. So, hang the wand on the provided wall clamp.
What HP is the GarageVac GH120-E? I posed that question to the company, and they said 5 Peak HP. When I tested this unit out in-store, it didn’t feel like 5HP powerful.
Honestly, this isn’t the quintessential vacuuming workhorse. One reviewer couldn’t even get her unit to clean consistently without the motor heating up and the vac powering off. On the flipside, it’s relatively quiet.
So, don’t expect Ridgid or Bissell like vacuum performance from this GarageVac. I suggest picking up every large thing with your hands before putting this unit to work.
The build wasn’t terrible, but it’s nowhere near solid. It seemed like cheap plastic when I touched it at the shop. But the 40″ hose is expandable, and that’s nice.
This model packs debris into a bag, but the bag is smallish and isn’t convenient for large cleans. The upside is that this filtration bag stays sealed up tight. And dumping the full dust bag out causes little if any re-contamination.
Overall, the GarageVac is good for cleaning the garage floor or car. But woodworking enthusiasts with tons of wood chippings and sawdust should pick something else.
Pros
- Built-in hose rack
- Highly portable
- Not as noisy as most garage vacs
- Lightweight
- Very easy installation
- Several tools included
Cons
- Dust bag relatively small
- Suction could be better
- Pricey at that vacuum performance
- Not very sturdy
- Dry only vacuum
- Built-in tool caddy could be more spacious
How to Choose the Right Garage Vacuum
A decent garage vac is a big purchase, so stay sharp when buying a vacuum cleaner. In this garage vacuum cleaner buying guide, I point out everything you should consider before swiping that card.
9 Things to Consider When Buying a Garage Vacuum Cleaner
Let’s roll.
1. Consider Suction Power and Noise Levels
Garage floors tend to have tough messes that refuse to budge when coaxed by weak-motored cleaners. That’s why you must choose a vacuum cleaner that pumps out tons of suction.
When reviewing vacuum specs, to learn each option’s stated horsepower. Choose a garage cleaning machine with enough suction to lift dirt, debris, fine cement dust, construction debris, fine sawdust, and wet spillages. Note: not every one of my recommendations clears wet messes.
For the most part, the greater the horsepower, the costlier the garage vacuum cleaner. Now, you don’t want to pay more for what turns out to be overkill for your space. And you should stay away from choices that suck at suction while roaring like a jet engine. There’s plenty of crappy vacs out there.
How much horsepower does a shop vac need? Shop vacs with 3.5-5hp should be enough for most people. But if you want extremely powerful cleaning, go for an option with a 6.5HP+ electric motor.
While you can use horsepower ratings to compare similar vacuums, it’s not always a reliable way to gauge motor capabilities. Note that the horsepower rating vacuum manufacturers indicate is actually the cleaner’s Peak HP. And Peak HP can be up to 7 times more than the actual running horsepower according to Trident Compressor Air.
A cleaner with higher HP is generally noisier than one with lower HP. Admittedly, the typical shop vac tends to be relatively noisy, noisier than most regular vacs. But there are quieter shop vacs, too — vacs that won’t necessitate ear protection.
Some vacs come with a muffle attachment or a noise diffuser that reduces noise. However, muffling a vac slashes suction a tad. Alternatively, soundproof your garage or use noise-canceling headphones. But why not choose a garage cleaner you can tolerate right off the bat?
2.Pay Attention to the Debris Bin Size
If you pick a vac whose tank is too small, you’ll soon hate how quickly it fills up. You’re going to need to empty the bin mid-cleaning in some cases.
To avoid that, go for an option with a relatively large holding tank. But what size should the holding tank of a shop vac for garage use be?
What’s the standard shop vac size?
A 2-5 gallon shop vac is considered a small size vacuum. And a 14+ gallon shop vac is too big for medium or small garages. A 6-14 gallon shop vac is in the medium size territory. That’s what I suggest you go with provided the unit checks all the other boxes.
A 14-gallon garage vac won’t fill up fast. But if you ever use it to clean up a puddle, you’ll learn how heavy it can be when full to capacity with filthy water.
3. Vacuum Weight and Portability
Unless you’re looking for a rolling garage vacuum, portability shouldn’t be a critical consideration when buying a garage vac.
If you’re always moving and need to carry your unit, pick a compact vacuum cleaner that installs effortlessly while reasonably packing well.
4. Vacuum Hose Length Matters As Does Hose Quality
Hose length is one aspect you must keep your eyes peeled for when shopping for a wet/dry or dry garage vac.
A mounted garage vacuum stays stationary the entire time — during use and the rest of the time. Once you wall mount the vacuum, that’s where it’ll remain until it’s time to take it down for a clean, move, or use elsewhere around the house.
Whether you have a small or large garage, having a relatively long hose is a good idea. But how long does the hose need to be for a convenient clean? Hose length should be 30 feet or longer for hassle-free cleaning. And if the hose is expandable, that’s even better. Most garage vacs come with a 30-foot to 60-foot hose. With that hose length, you should reach every area of your garage and car.
Did I hear you ask whether a garage vac kills spiders? I live with arachnophobia myself. But I have yet to see any of these crawling creatures come out once the vac sucked it in.
As for hose quality, be sure it’ll withstand crushing and can take as much abuse as your cleaning frequency throws at it. When pressure piles on a good-quality hose, it bounces back up from compression in no time.
5. Know What Kind of Filter the Shop Vac Features
Chances are there’s tons of pet allergens, fine dust, and odors suspended in your garage air. For that reason, get a cleaner with good air filtration capabilities.
Both bagged and bagless vacuums filter air, but vacuum experts say bagged vacuums offer better quality filtration, especially if they have HEPA filters. Bagged vacuums have the bag as the main filter. Provided you change the bag out immediately it’s full, you’ll have clean air in that space.
Why HEPA filters? Because HEPA air filters take out 99.97% of allergens 0.3 microns in size. That includes pollen, pet dander, course dust, fine cement dust, saw dust, mold, and whatnot. For odor removal, having filter with carbon filtration helps a whole lot.
Another advantage of bagged options is that they release fewer contaminants back into the air compared to bagless ones. While bagged vacuums tend to outperform bagless ones, maintenance costs are typically higher because of bag replacement.
If the description says two-stage filtration, it usually means that the filter media tackles odors — to some extent. Even the best dedicated air purifiers can’t eliminate odors completely.
Some people dislike having to keep extra replacement bags on hand. And no one likes needing to put in a new replacement bag halfway through a large clean.
For the most part, bagless garage vacs use either disposable HEPA or washable filters. Washable filters are more common, though, and they help keep maintenance costs low. However, you have to clean them regularly.
Plus, once a bagless vac maxes out tank capacity, you have to take it out and empty it. And that can and does get messy. Generally, emptying the canister releases more allergens into the air versus dumping out filled-up HEPA-style dust bags.
6. What Attachments and Accessories Does the Garage Vacuum Have?
The vacuum market reels from cleaning attachments and accessories that make each option versatile to some degree. So, understand what the deal offers. Different vacuum attachments help you complete different cleaning tasks.
You need at least a floor brush, a car nozzle, and a crevice tool. A crevice tool enables you to access hard-to-reach spots in the garage such as tight gaps between tools.
Can you put a dusting brush on a garage vac for household carpet cleaning? Can you attach an upholstery tool on the unit for picking up cat hair and dog hair from sofas? Yes, you can. However, the odds are your unit won’t impress you the way a good pet-centric or deep carpet cleaner would.
But you can use your shop vac to clean up your car, sweep off garage floors, and pick up different kinds of materials.
You can fit an upholstery tool onto your shop vac for cleaning the interiors of your car. But many people like the convenience of a small handheld vacuum for cleaning car interiors. But how do you clean up an extremely dirty car seat? No vacuum does it better than a wet/dry vacuum.
7. What Is the Best Shop Vac Brand Today?
If you think the brand Shop Vac makes the best shop vacs for garage use, think again. I don’t mean to disparage this brand, but honestly, their shop vacs aren’t great.
I grew up interacting with my grandpa’s shop vac, and 17 years later, that thing still works like a dream. It was a Ridgid, and Ridgid shop vacuums are the best vacs I have ever sucked up stuff with. And in terms of longevity, Ridgid vacuums lastdecades. I can’t think of anything I have ever hated about Ridgid shop vacs.
Craftsman shop vacs are also good, but it’s Ridgids all the way through for me.
Modern shop vacs aren’t built to last. But many are cheap or at least affordable, cheaper than shop vacs have ever been since invention.
Everywhere I look, there’s heaps of product complaints regarding some $35 big-box shop vac that broke or died after only 1 year or 2 years of use. But you know what? These vacs work. And they offer certain features that promote convenience.
Other brands to consider include Bissell, Vacmaster, and US’ very own VacuMaid among other. I have reviewed some models from these brands.
Shop Vac Warranty: What’s the Warranty Look Like?
I have always thought that warranty length correlates with product quality. If a garage vac provides a lifetime warranty, chances are that the company expects their product to last years.
What do you think a 1-year warranty on a cheap wall-mounted garage vac means? I have recommended a Ridgid with a lifetime warranty.
8. Buy the Best Garage Vacuum Your Budget Permits
Garage shop vacs cost anywhere between $40 to $over $400. Generally, the more powerful the motor, the pricier the vacuum.
Expensive doesn’t always equate to better build or performance. That said, the typical decent garage shop vac lives in the $170-$400 neighborhood. My advice is to buy the most powerful vacuum in your budget’s range and take good care of it.
9. Any Extra Features Offered?
Some full-featured wet dry shop vacs come with a detachable leaf blower so you can blow leaves from your garage in the fall. I’m talking about those leaves that extremely strong winds blew into your garage yesterday.
Another way to use a leaf blower is to clear clogged drains. A good wet dry shop vac should help pull that stubborn ball of hair that your snake won’t remove.
You can either blow the clog down or pull it, but pulling it up is almost always the best approach. Because blowing the clog out sometimes pushes it further down, worsening the problem.
Other uses you can put a powerful garage shop vac to:
- Cleaning up flood water after a storm
- Draining a storm shelter
- Sucking up basement water that came in through a broken window
- Draining a water bed when moving house
- Doing a jobsite cleanup
- Cleaning up wet spills
- Sucking up larger stuff such as wood chippings and even gravel from an aquarium
In some situations, you can’t use a wall-mounted vac without taking it down and carrying it to where you need it. That’s why some people prefer wheeled shop vacs.
Tip: When using a wet dry vacuum to clear flood water, remove the filter first. If you don’t, you’ll soon start inhaling mold.
Happy vacuuming!
