3 Things You Should Never Vacuum

One common vacuuming mistake people make is trying to vacuum up liquids such as water or essential oils, says Theo Jones, a design engineer at Dyson. By doing so, he warns, you run the risk of damaging the vacuum’s motor.

Speaking of essential oils, that and other flammable or combustible liquids, including gasoline, cleaning fluid, and perfumes, are a no-go because fumes from these substances can create a fire hazard or explosion, says Chris Kobrick, director of product management at Kenmore.

You should also avoid vacuuming wet messes such as soggy cereal with a dry vacuum because you could clog up the hose and other parts of your vacuum, says CR’s senior test technician Tyler Ivester, who evaluates our vacuums.

What to do instead: For wet debris, such as spilled cereal, you can use wet floor cleaners, Jones says. For flammable liquids, follow the instructions on the container label, which instructs users on what to do in case such liquids are spilled, Kobrick says.

If you’re looking for a wet-floor cleaner, consult our ratings for combo vacuum-mops, which can both vacuum and mop your floors. Or, if you value convenience, check out our ratings for robotic mops. See below for recommended models from both categories.

If it’s cigarettes, matches, or hot ashes that are still burning or smoking, don’t pick them up with your vacuum cleaner. The damage they could cause is multifold: They could burn through your vacuum’s paper or canvas bag or melt your vacuum canister. Other items that have already been sucked into your vacuum could also mix with these burning items and ignite, Kobrick says. 

What to do instead: The key is not to be hasty. Instead of immediately vacuuming up burning or smoldering materials, Kobrick says, extinguish them fully first before attempting to clean them up.

This category might be the one that people slip up on the most. As tempting as it might be to vacuum up objects like glass shards, nails, pins, needles, paper clips, and small, hard toys, you have to resist the impulse because they could wreck your vacuum cleaner. 

Sharp objects could potentially damage or cut your vacuum’s brush roll, hose, and receptacle. If your vacuum is a bagged model, these objects can also cut open the paper or cloth bag inside, allowing sharp objects and other materials that you’ve vacuumed up to escape the bag and enter other parts of your vacuum cleaner, Kobrick says.

What to do instead: Sometimes the good, old-fashioned way is the best way. For small, sharp objects, use a broom and dustpan. It’s also recommended that you wear gear such as gloves and protective eyewear when you clean those items up, Kobrick says.

You can also use a shop vacuum, which typically has a wider hose than regular vacuums. This allows debris to flow more freely into the receptacle inside and is less likely to be damaged by sharp objects, Kodrick suggests.