By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Step1
Empty the machine of any debris. Remove the lid on the tank. Place a trash bag over the tank base and dump the tank contents into the trash bag. Seal the bag and throw it away. Don't let the dust particles escape.
Step2
Place the tank outside and fill it with warm water and dish soap. Add a cup of bleach and let the tank sit for 1 hour.
Step3
Clean the top of the Shop Vac. Use another vacuum and vacuum out the top. Replace the filter or wash it in warm soapy water. Use cleaning wipes and wipe down the top of the machine. Use wipes like Clorox Wipes or the Franklin Brand found at Costco. These wipes kill 98 percent of the germs. Leave the lid to dry out.
Step4
Remove and clean the hose and attachments. Spray water through the hose in the bathtub or outside with a garden hose. Spray a cleaning product that kills germs into the hose. Then spray the hose down and through and leave outside to dry in the wind.
Step5
Clean the tank that is soaking outside. Put plastic cleaning gloves on your hands to protect them from the bleach. Scrub down the inside and outside of the Shop Vac with a disposable sponge. Spray the tank down with a hose several times to remove left over soap residue. Use a garden hose sprayer to spray off hard-to-clean stuff left in the tank.
Step6
Replace old and worn parts, filters and cartridges before using your clean machine.
Comments
Bickwiz said
on 5/8/2008 Can I clean my paper shop vac filters with water and use again and again?
Thanks.
Bickwiz said
on 5/8/2008 Can I wash out my paper filters and use many times?
MrBillG59 said
on 4/9/2008 This is a crazy level of cleaning. I guess it would be appropriate if you were using the vacuum to clean crime scenes or medical waste, but for home use, just dump the dry waste in a garbage bag and if you've been vacuuming wet waste, hose it out and let it dry. Knock on the filter a few times to shake it clean and re-use it a couple of times.