Their peak popularity refers to the end of the last century, when the healthy lifestyle has become a fashion trend. The desire to control the microclimate in the apartment stimulated the demand for various devices with these functions. Of course, companies adequately reacted to the demand by offering, for example, humidifiers of various types. Wet / dry vacuums have become a very successful solution to this problem. Today these models successfully compete with canister vacuums, upright vacuums and robotic vacuums.
They are on the market in a wide range. For example, Ridgid, Craftsman,, Shop Vac and Vacmaster specialize in the production of such models and are among the main leaders in this segment.
But their functionality has some key features that must be taken into account when choosing the optimal vacuum.
Main pros
This list contains:
– absence of dust bags.
This saving amounts a few dollars per month depending on the frequency of cleaning.
– aquafilter effectively filters garbage that good is dissolved in water;
– vacuum further moistens the air;
– possibility of using detergents that are effective for cleaning the difficult pollutions;
– many models provide aromatization, deodorization, cleaning of mirrors and glasses;
– these vacuums can collect liquid from the surface and clean the sinks or baths in case of their clogging;
– choice of filtering ensures their versatility.
Many such models can also use dust bags.
Main cons
This list contains:
– low cleaning efficiency from debris with water-repellent properties.
Such garbage very quickly clogs the filter. For example, a greasy wool, feathers of waterfowl, pieces of fabrics with water-repellent impregnation, trimming the polymer, plastic and other synthetic materials are water-repellent.
– dust in air bubbles is not filtered.
Dusty air in the bubbles passes through water without filtration and returns at explosion of the bubbles.
– reducing the water level in filter significantly reduces air cleaning quality.
The rate of water evaporation is proportional to the air flow rate.
– large amount of debris increases the water level in the tank.
This can be accompanied by splashes during moving. Companies recommend replenishment of water from 2 to 5 times per every 10 square meters of cleaning to maintain the optimal level. Of course, this complicates the cleaning, especially if water and sewage are located far, for example, in a large private home, hotel, office, on warehouse or in industrial premises.
– presence of warm, moist air and a large amount of organic waste in aquafilter promotes active growth and multiplication of bacteria, fungi and mold.
The micro-organisms spread throughout the room at using the vacuum with such filter. Therefore, washing all parts and filters is necessary after every cleaning. Unfortunately, this is a laborious process.
– addition of cleaning and washing agents may be accompanied by foaming, the formation of splashing and water leakage from the vacuum.
But the addition of a special agent for the quenching foam into aquafilter solves this problem. The cost of such additives is commensurate with the cost of traditional dust bags.
Additional cons
This list contains:
– drops and splashes of dirty water quickly clog filters behind the aquafilter.
The cost of these filters varies from $10 to $100.
– relatively high price compared with other vacuums;
– big weight and dimensions.
These vacuums usually have a greater housing height, low maneuverability and propensity to overturn.
But they are very effective at cleaning a large area.
– wet cleaning is not optimal for cleaning the carpets on the natural base, especially with a long pile.
The pile dries too long, that creates an additional problem of drying and airing.
– wet cleaning is not always appropriate for the parquet.
The water can penetrate deep inside between the planks. Of course, the constant humidity can provoke the process of rotting wooden planks. But parquet treatment with a special waterproof coating eliminates this problem.
However, most of these disadvantages are particularly pronounced in the models from little-known manufacturers with price from $ 200 to $ 300. Models with a complete or partial solution to these problems usually have a complex design, large sizes and relatively high cost from $ 400 to $ 1,000.
The possibilities of modern wet/dry vacuums are perfectly demonstrated in the video.
