The 5 Best Wet/Dry Vacuums To Clean Up All Kinds Of Messes

When you have both dry and liquid messes to clean up, a wet/dry vacuum comes in clutch. The best wet/dry vacuums don’t just suck up dust and dirt but also liquid spills. Fortunately, there are many options on the market for you to peruse: From hefty utility to compact handheld models (and even a vacuum/mop hybrid), it’s just a matter of selecting the right one for the job. As you shop, check if the vacuum comes with any attachments or special filters, as they can help you get even more out of your appliance by tackling various hard and soft surfaces, as well as difficult-to-reach areas of the home.

Utility models (aka shop vacuums), which feature a hose and a canister, are some of the most common wet/dry vacuums available, and they have varying waste capacities and horsepower. If you’re constantly faced with intensive cleaning projects, large options can hold as much as 20 gallons of debris and feature motors with 6 or more horsepower. Wheels, a sturdy top handle, and a drainage spout can make bulkier utility vacuums easier to maneuver and empty of liquid waste. While big jobs are best left to larger vacuums, a utility vacuum with a 2-gallon tank capacity and 2-horsepower motor can make quick work of lighter messes around your home or car.

Upright and handheld vacuums tend to have smaller waste tanks (think: ounces rather than gallons), and they’re typically measured by different units of power. A battery of around 16 volts is ideal for cordless handheld vacuums, and these can be great for spot cleaning small messes as they arise. Corded upright vacuums often specify amps as a measure of power — the upright vacuum/mop hybrid you’ll find on this list may be less powerful than the average vacuum (which can range up to 12 amps), but that’s a tradeoff you might be keen on making to combine vacuuming and mopping into one easy step.

Whether you’re looking for a powerful shop vac or a more portable model, below you’ll find the five best wet/dry vacuums you can score on Amazon.

1. The Best Utility Wet/Dry Vacuum Under $75

The Armor All AA255 wet/dry vacuum weighs in at 7 pounds and features a 2.5-gallon tank capacity and a 2 horsepower motor. Since the utility vacuum is super portable, it isn’t a drag to carry between your home or use in the car. It features a 10-foot power cord, which means you won’t have to stand by an outlet, and a 6-foot-long hose for tackling hard-to-reach spaces on both hard and soft surfaces.

The vacuum comes with five attachments, many of which are handy for cleaning up debris in the corners, nooks, and crannies of your vehicle. It uses two reusable (and replaceable) filters — one cloth filter for dry waste and a foam filter for wet waste. To keep it running optimally, reviewers have advised that you clean the filters frequently.

• Comes with: Utility nozzle, car nozzle, blower nozzle, crevice tool, and detail brush

Positive Amazon review: “I love this item. Less bulk than the standard wet/dry vac. Excellent for small jobs, easy to carry from room to room and easy to store.”

2. The Best Handheld Wet/Dry Vacuum

At about 3.5 pounds, this handheld wet/dry vacuum comes in handy when you want to clean up dirt and spills lickety-split. The cordless vacuum comes with three attachments that allow you to clean various areas of your home. While it only runs for 30 minutes on a charge and has a 20-ounce (0.16-gallon) dust cup capacity and 3-ounce tank to collect liquids, that should be enough for spot-cleaning. Another thing that differentiates this vacuum is its washable, replaceable HEPA filter. HEPA filters can trap most airborne particles, making them a nice option if you’re prone to allergies — and this model comes with an extra refill filter to get you started.

Holife’s 14.8-volt handheld wet/dry vacuum is a solid bet for routine light use on hard surfaces and soft ones like upholstery, according to reviewers. If, however, you want a handheld vacuum with a larger capacity and higher voltage, you might appreciate DeWALT’s 20-volt cordless vacuum. It is heavier, especially when the 0.5-gallon tank is full, but could be a better fit if you need something more powerful yet still portable.

• Comes with: Brush nozzle, crevice nozzle, and liquid nozzle

Positive Amazon review: “A great companion to my heavy duty vacuum for quick cleanups. Also it picks up liquid spills, which is amazing for my family. I’ve had about eight months very happy with it and would buy it again.”

3. The Best Midsize Wet/Dry Vacuum

This DeWALT utility wet/dry vacuum boasts a 5.5 peak horsepower motor with a 12-gallon tank. It offers both power and portability: The 24.9-pound vacuum has a sturdy top handle and travels around on rubberized swivel casters and power cord reaches up to 20 feet. It has five attachments and a 7-foot hose with a wide opening to suck up waste without requiring you to kneel or tiptoe, a drainage spout, and the option of using it as a blower. While the manufacturer recommends it for hard surfaces, shoppers have successfully used it on carpet, too.

It uses a washable pleated cartridge filter that is suitable for dry and wet debris, and comes with a dust bag to keep dry debris from entering the drum, making it easier to clean. Plus, you can keep all your vacuum’s accessories in the removable storage bag.

• Comes with: Utility nozzle, crevice nozzle, floor nozzle, and two extension wands

Positive Amazon review: “After multiple months of use from: running tablesaw, sanders, cleaning cars, cleaning garage floor, removing water from xmas tree stand, cleaning pine needles, using the blower function to clear sand/leaves and the list goes on. It's one of the best shop vacs I've used in a long time. The wheels are a huge plus. I will never by another vac without wheels. My friends already want to purchase the same unit.”

4. A Wet/Dry Vacuum With An Extra-Large Water Tank

With a 20-gallon tank capacity and 6.5 peak horsepower, this CRAFTSMAN wet/dry vacuum is the largest utility option on this list. It holds a lot of waste, meaning you shouldn’t have to empty it as often as smaller models. Weighing in at nearly 30 pounds, it’s a heavy vacuum — but four swivel casters, a 20-foot power cord, and an oversize drainage spout all make it easy to maneuver and empty. The vacuum can be used on hard and soft surfaces, and it comes with five attachments and a 7-foot hose with a wide opening to suck up everything from debris to pools of water. As a bonus, it works as a blower, too. It comes with a pleated filter and a dust bag for dry cleanups, both of which are easy to replace — but to use it on large liquid messes, you can snag a reusable wet application filter separately.

• Comes with: Utility nozzle, wet nozzle, car nozzle, and two extension wands

Positive Amazon review: “This shop vac is big. Really big. But I can’t conceive of a job it can’t handle. Sawdust? Gone. Sand and gravel? Seeya! Rocks? Gobbled up. Transformed my basement and garage like a trooper. Did I mention it’s big?!”

5. The Best Wet/Dry Vacuum-Mop Hybrid

If you want to reduce the job of vacuuming and drying your floors to just one step, look no further than this upright Bissell wet/dry vacuum. The all-in-one vacuum mop has 2.2 amps to leave your surfaces cleaner — not to mention, fresher smelling. It picks up dirt, spills, and pet hair while dispensing a Febreze-formulated solution to remove unwanted odors and wiping floors clean. It also rolls seamlessly over various types of flooring, including rugs and carpet, and the 11-pound model and its 25-foot power cord lets you maneuver it over large areas.

It features a washable vacuum filter and two separate tanks — one 14.5-ounce (0.1-gallon) tank for waste and a tank for the solution — so there is no backwash of dirty water while you’re cleaning your floors. It also features a pet hair strainer to separate pet hair and other bulky waste, making emptying out the vacuum’s contents quick and easy and clogs less likely. It doesn’t feature any detailing attachments, but its replaceable multi-surface brush roll is ideal for a variety of messes and designed to keep hair from wrapping around it. Plus, the vacuum comes with two 8-ounce bottles of Multi-Surface Pet Formula with Febreze.

• Comes with: Two tangle-free brush rolls

Positive Amazon review: “I have three children with a fourth on the way and two dogs. I would sweep and mop once a day and the floor would be filthy by the time everyone went to bed. This is so easy to grab and go around the kitchen and living room (small house). I will never go back to all that work I did before. The floors are always clean now just because it so easy to just grab and go. I use it like three to four times a day to pick up food and spills the kids make. Definitely a five star item.”