If your home is filled with tile, hardwood, or LVP, you’ve probably considered purchasing a wet-dry vacuum. These cool devices are built to streamline the entire floor cleaning process — saving you time while also keeping your hands dry. With a wet-dry vacuum, gone are the days of dealing with dirty mops and soaking wet floors. Many models are also capable of self-cleaning, so you won’t have to worry about troublesome maintenance or the buildup of nasty odors.
But are wet-dry vacuums worth their hefty price tags? Even budget options can cost hundreds of dollars, while high-end models often soar above $500. By comparison, a premium mop and all your other supplies can be had for well under $50.
Unfortunately, there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. You’ll instead need to carefully consider your budgetary constraints, how much of your home is comprised of hard floors, and your own personal preferences. Here’s a closer look to help you decide if a wet-dry vacuum is a wise investment.
Wet-dry vacuums are expensive
If you’re on a tight budget, we’d recommend sticking with a traditional mop. There’s no doubt wet-dry vacuums are appealing, but they often come with eye-watering price tags. For example, models from Tineco and Roborock climb over $500, with some clocking in at $700. And when you can clean your floors for much less, that’s a difficult price to justify.
If you have some disposable income and want to cut back on time spent keeping your home clean, then keep reading. Just because you can afford it doesn’t mean a wet-dry vacuum is the ideal fit for your household. In fact, some layouts might be better suited for one of the best robot vacuum and mop combos, or a traditional mop and premium cordless vacuum.
Wet-dry vacuums offer a superior clean
Because wet-dry vacuums can both vacuum and mop at the same time, they often result in a superior clean than standard mopping. As they glide along your floor, they’ll suck up any debris while also laying down a thin layer of water — which can be mixed with detergent, depending on your model. They’ll also scrub your floors to remove tough stains.
Best of all, premium wet-dry vacuums come with an array of sensors to detect the dirt levels in your home and optimize their settings. Gone are the days of oversaturating your tile and waiting hours for it to dry. With a wet-dry vacuum, you’ll have a trusty companion that figures out exactly how to clean your home and saves you a bundle of time.
Speaking of saving time, the fact that these devices vacuum and mop in a single pass has made them wildly popular. This essentially merges two time-consuming chores into one unified process. And if you’re tired of spending hours cleaning, they’re bound to offer a wonderful escape.
Wet-dry vacuums eliminate maintenance tasks
Sticking to the topic of saving time, wet-dry vacuums are much easier to maintain than a traditional mop and vacuum. This is because the vast majority come with their own self-cleaning docking station.
When you’re done cleaning for the day and have placed your device back on its dock, you can simply press a button to have it run a self-cleaning cycle. For example, on the Roborock F25 ACE, it will wash its roller with warm water, send any leftover debris to a dirty water tank, then send warm air through its water line to ensure everything dries (preventing the build-up of bad odors).
With a traditional mop, you’d have to deal with wringing out the dirty water, emptying the water bin, and letting it all dry before stowing it away. Not only is it time-consuming, but it’s also messy. Wet-dry vacuums excel at freeing up your time and ensuring your hands stay dry during all aspects of daily maintenance.
Consider your lifestyle and floor plan
Wet-dry vacuums aren’t designed to work on carpet, so homes with a mixture of hard floors and carpet will still need to invest in a traditional vacuum. And depending on how much of your home is carpet, it could be difficult to justify the price of a wet-dry vacuum. Should you really pay $500 if you’ll only be using it in the kitchen and bathroom?
Homes with only a few spaces featuring hard floors should strongly consider purchasing a budget wet-dry vacuum. Yes — premium models might offer a bit more versatility or power, but if you just need them for the occasional mess in the kitchen, an entry-level model should fit the bill.
Conversely, homes solely composed of hard surfaces like tile, wood, and LVP will find a premium wet-dry vacuum like the F25 ACE to be a wonderful companion. They’ll save you serious time when it comes to floor-cleaning chores, and they often come bundled with a mobile app to help you keep tabs on your investment.
Are wet-dry vacuums worth it?
Depending on your situation, a wet-dry vacuum could be a smart investment. If you live in a space comprised solely of hard floors, they’re an easy recommendation. With models now offering heaps of suction, self-cleaning capabilities, sensors to automatically adjust its settings, and slim designs that can slip under most furniture, they’re a powerful (and streamlined) way to keep your home clean.
If you have a mixture of carpet and hard floors in your home, consider how much time you’d actually save from a wet-dry vacuum. You’ll still need to buy a traditional vacuum to handle your carpets, and a $500 investment might not be worth it for cleaning small sections of your home. Folks on a budget would be better off picking up a luxurious vacuum that can be used throughout the home, then picking up a budget wet-dry vacuum.
Another option is a robot vacuum. These devices are highly automated and can clean all types of surfaces without any manual intervention. They’re pricier than a wet-dry vacuum, but they’re a wonderful alternative for folks seeking to cut down on their time spent indoors cleaning their floors.
