Published by Ahmad Jamal on May 22, 2023

Most of the time when you’re vacuuming, you’re thinking about that last mistake you made at work, or what you’d want to get your partner on their next birthday, and not really giving 100% of your thought process to vacuuming.

This can sometimes lead to vacuuming stuff you don’t really want to vacuum, such as large debris, water, or even poop.

In this CleanersAdvisor guide, we’ll help you work things out if your shark vacuum got wet, and you started panicking as you weren’t fully focusing on vacuuming, and a minor mistake has just happened.

Don’t worry, we’ll take you around every fixing step possible once you start wondering what should I do if my shark vacuum got wet.

Table of Contents

Can a Shark Vacuum Get Wet?

Yes, shark vacuums can get wet, but more often it is an accident, since it’s not suitable for wet vacuuming.

You’ve left it underneath an open window in the winter, and the rain has got it wet.

Or you’ve mistakenly vacuumed the kitchen or bathroom floor when there was water on it.

Anyway, most of the time shark vacuums shouldn’t be used to vacuum wet materials or water, as only shop vacuums or wet/dry vacuums are created to vacuum water safely.

Can a Shark Vacuum Get Wet — Even Dyson Vacuums Hate Vacuuming Water

What Happens If Water Gets Into a Vacuum Cleaner?

There are multiple risks you can run into if your shark vacuum got it.

Those risks include being electrocuted, or damaging the vacuum’s motor to a huge extent.

Additionally, if you’re lucky enough and haven’t encountered either of those potential damages, the dust bag will potentially turn into a “mold farm” to say the least.

Those are the main concerns when water gets into a vacuum cleaner.

Shark Vacuum Got Wet… What to Do?

If your shark vacuum got wet, immediately disconnect the vacuum from electricity, take apart the whole vacuum, and let every component dry up on its own, and replace damaged parts, then you can reassemble afterward and start cleaning again.

Here’s how to do it in a step by step manner:

1. Turn off the vacuum and disconnect it from electricity

To avoid running the risk of being electrocuted, you’ll need to turn off the vacuum as soon as you spot the water you’re vacuuming on the floor.

Afterward, disconnect the power cord from the wall socket as soon as possible as well.

Turning off the vacuum isn’t enough to protect against electrocution, disconnecting it from the electricity source will be.

2. Take apart your vacuum

Now you’ll need to diagnose how deep has the water reached inside your vacuum, and to do so, you’ll need to take apart your shark vacuum, part by part.

This will allow you to inspect every part aside, and dry them accordingly.

Some parts like the hose would be dried manually and naturally, using a clean cloth then drying it using natural air.

Every external part should be dried accordingly, before attempting to reinstall it.

3. Bag/less vacuum? Time to interfere

If you have a vacuum cleaner that isn’t bagless, you’ll need to buy yourself a new bag for the vacuum as water will have ruined it by then.

However, if you have a bagless vacuum, then you’ll need to empty the dust bin, let it dry, then get back to it after 24 hours of drying.

4. Replace/Wash the filters

Similar to what we did with the bag/less part, you’ll now get to the filters.

If the filters are washable, you’ll need to just wash them properly, let them dry for 24 hours, then get ready to test them.

However, if you have filters that aren’t washable, they will suffer the way the bag inside the vacuum suffered, in which you’ll need to replace them with new ones as well.

5. Reassemble

All that’s left right now is to make sure every single component inside and outside your vacuum are fully dried out, and not a single drop of water resides anywhere on them.

Afterward, reassemble the vacuum back together, and test if it works properly.

How to Safely Vacuum Water

The best vacuums that are made specifically so you can work on dry and wet dirt alike are the wet/dry vacuums, or shop vacs.

Those are built, manufactured, and prepared to deal with water, pee, and any spillage or wet dirt you may encounter at home.

Additionally, you won’t be running the risk of electrocution or the potential to damage your vacuum’s motor.

Water filtration vacuums work heavenly on water as well, check this buying guide if you’d like to purchase one yourself.

We’ve also had a full guide prepared on the potential of vacuuming wet carpet, and what the repercussions be, read the full guide here.

To Wrap Up

This concludes our guide on what you should do if your shark vacuum got wet, and how to avoid the risks of electrocution or damaging the motor.

We’ve also provided you with a list of steps you should carry out to get your vacuum back together, without needing to replace it and buy a new one once it encounters some water.

Feel free to share your experience in similar cases in the comments section below.