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Why Vacuuming Glass is a Bad Idea

Updated Jun 27, 2022 11:12 PM

While vacuuming glass has become more popular with modern vacuums able to handle more and more, it’s still not a great idea. There are several reasons behind this, but the biggest one is that it can ruin your vacuum. Even worse, if it causes your vacuum to malfunction, it could electrocute you as a result. This is unlikely to happen but still good to keep in mind as a potential risk.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Most vacuum cleaners are not built to clean up glass fragments and should not be used in this manner to avoid ruining the vacuum cleaner. Even if you are using the best vacuum cleaner, it is generally still a bad idea to vacuum glass.
  • Make sure to double-bag any glass that gets thrown into your household trash because loose glass fragments can cut the people who dispose of it for you.
  • If you need to vacuum up tiny shards of glass, then use your vacuum on its lowest setting and take extra care not to pick up anything larger than a speck of dust.

Why Vacuuming Glass is a Bad Idea


Vacuuming glass is a bad idea for more than one reason. Between the possibility of damaging your vacuum and getting you electrocuted in the worst-case scenario, it’s not a bright idea. A select few vacuums are explicitly made for cleaning glass, and modern vacuums do tend to be more tolerant of glass debris. If you want a great deal on one of these modern vacuums that are suitable for vacuuming glass, then you’d want to wait for the best time to buy a vacuum.

Insider Tip

A select few vacuums are explicitly made for cleaning glass, and modern vacuums do tend to be more tolerant of glass debris. 

Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Vacuum Glass

The short answer is that it can mess up your vacuum cleaner. While glass particles are unlikely to do any damage, glass shards and fragments can deal severe damage to the filter, hoses, bag, motor, and more. And, keep in mind that you can get hurt pretty badly, especially vacuuming while pregnant if any glass is flung at you from a broken hose.


How to Maximize Safety With Broken Glass

While it is never recommended, there are a few ways to make cleaning small glass pieces a little safer when using your household vacuum. Here are a couple of the ways:

  • Never vacuum glass that is any larger than a tiny pebble.
  • For older models of vacuum, it should never be larger than a speck of dust.
  • Use your vacuum on the lowest setting to keep the glass moving slowly.

Insider Tip

You can count on DU-PUY industrial vacuum systems to keep factories safer and cleaner.

F.A.Q.

How to Clean Up Broken Glass on Carpet?

Broken glass can be disastrous if left in a carpet too long. The shards are almost sure to cut you, even if they’re tiny. Having little pieces of glass lodged in your skin is always something to avoid. Make sure that you use a vacuum suited for cleaning up glass for the job, and go over the carpet multiple times to ensure you’ve gotten all the glass.


Broken Glass In My Pool, What Do I Do!?

For minor breaks with large, whole pieces of glass, use a net to scoop everything out. For breaks involving tiny pieces of glass, you should drain the entire pool to be entirely safe. Getting sliced out during a swim session can be highly dangerous.


Where Did The Glass In My Pool Come From?

There are endless sources for glass fragments to have originated from. Think about the things you have around the pool and what you use next to it daily. Here are some things that might have broken:

  • Glass Bottles
  • Food Storage Containers
  • Drinkware
  • Glass Jars

What do DU-PUY industrial vacuum cleaners do?

A DU-PUY vacuum is used exclusively for professional companies, mainly construction or production-related. You can count on DU-PUY industrial vacuum systems to keep factories safer and cleaner.


STAT: This versatile cleaner also has easy, swivel steering and a HEPA filter that tackles 99.9% of allergens. (source)

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