How to Use a Shop-Vac

Just like any other vacuum cleaner, the Shop-Vac comes in all shapes, sizes and horsepower. Be sure to purchase the right one for the job. Unlike conventional vacuum cleaners, Shop-Vacs pick up almost anything, including water or liquid spills with a simple change of a filter. Shop-Vacs are versatile, easy to use and can be used to replace the conventional vacuum cleaner for any household.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Owner's manual

1. Read the owner's manual for the Shop-Vac you chose and assemble the machine. This will educate you on the different functions the model offers and its purposes.

2. Clean an open room without many obstacles to get used to your model's power. After time and possibly some troubleshooting, you'll learn to keep the nozzle away from such obstacles such as the curtain bottoms and bed skirts.

3. Practice using the options of the Shop-Vac. Some have suction and blow switches. You do not want to select the wrong option and blow dust, dirt, and debris into a room that was sucked out from another. One way to use this feature is to suck up obstacles or liquids and then purge it out into another area. Pick up the marbles in a child's bedroom and purge them into the storage container. Suck up a water spill and purge it out onto the back lawn or into the sink.

4. Switch filters before before vacuuming liquids. Many Shop-Vac models come with this multipurpose function, but you'll need to change the filter from dry to wet. The amount of the fluid it can suck up is equivalent to the size of its chamber.

Tips & Warnings

• Like any vacuum cleaner, the higher the horsepower, the better the suction power. Maintain the Shop-Vac according to the recommendations in the owner's manual to optimize its performance for many years of service.
• The wet-vac option should not be used to suck up combustible fluids, carcinogenic fluids, pesticides or any other hazardous materials.