3 USES FOR A WET/DRY VAC THAT YOU HAVEN’T THOUGHT OF

There are more uses for a wet/dry vac than simply cleaning up the mess in your garage or workshop. Although these heavy-duty vacuums excel when used as directed, their unique design also makes them handy for a few unexpected chores, ones that you might not have considered possible without the use of specialized equipment.

To Blow Out Leaves And Dust

One of the most simple “bonus” uses for a wet/dry vac is to reverse the unit’s hose so that it blows instead of sucks. This is actually fairly easy to do: take the hose, detach it from the entry point of the vacuum’s canister and re-attach it to its exhaust port. The vacuum will still function normally once you flip the switch, but this time when air is pumped out of the canister, creating a pressure differential, and you can harness that exhaust to blow out leaves, cobwebs, dust and anything else you might be trying to clear. Just make sure that the vac canister is clean inside, because you don’t want to end up making an even bigger mess by blowing extra dirt all over the room, if you can avoid it.

To Retrieve Fallen Objects From A Drain

Dropping a piece of jewelry down the drain doesn’t mean saying good-bye to it forever. In fact, there’s a strong chance it’s caught in the sink’s trap, which is a bend of pipe intended to retain water in a bid to prevent sewer smells from entering into your home. Make sure all the other drains in your bathroom are covered (for maximum suction) then seal the vacuum hose at the top of the drain. Run the vacuum, and voila — your jewelry has been rescued.

To Dry Out a Wet Cell Phone

Because of the amount of air these machines pull in, there are other uses for a wet/dry vac you can employ. Namely, it can be used to dry out a cell phone that’s gotten wet. Regardless of whether you left it out in the rain or dropped it in the bath tub, you need to make sure you get the water out from inside the device before it has a chance to corrode any circuitry. One of the quickest ways to do this is to aim your wet/dry vac at the phone’s ports and points where the plastic frame meets, and then use it to suck air past them. This will pull water out and, leave your phone dry.

Your wet/dry vac is a more versatile tool than you probably realized, and now you’re armed with the know-how to tackle a few additional jobs you might never have thought this particular piece of equipment could handle.

Check out all the tools & equipment available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on wet/dry vacs, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.