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7 best wet & dry vacuums to buy in Australia in 2025

The wet dry vacuum is the latest gadget shoppers are absolutely loving, with many impressed with how well its leaving their home “fresh and shiny.

Roborock's latest budget wet dry vacuum packs serious bang for buck. Picture: Roborock.
Roborock's latest budget wet dry vacuum packs serious bang for buck. Picture: Roborock.

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It feels like only yesterday many of us transitioned from the powerful but literal heavyweight that was the traditional barrel vacuum, switching to a more lightweight and (finally) cordless cleaning solution. Then came robot vacs, a smart hands-free alternative that’s constantly redefining what it means to be a vacuum.

Now, it’s time for wet and dry vacuums to shine. Dust and dry debris aren’t the only things we often find on our floors, and many homes contain a mix of tiles, hard floors, rugs and carpet. So, it makes sense to have a convenient all-in-one gadget that can handle both liquids, solids and anything in between.

Sure, two-in-one robot vacuum and mops exist. But sometimes you can’t beat a stick or barrel vacuum, especially when it comes to corners and hard-to-reach spaces.

Need more inspiration for your next ‘clean-vestment’?

Tackle mopping and vacuuming in one go with the new Roborock F24 wet dry vacuum. Picture: Roborock.
Tackle mopping and vacuuming in one go with the new Roborock F24 wet dry vacuum. Picture: Roborock.

We’re currently loving Roborock’s latest budget wet dry vacuum, the Roborock F25. We took it for a test drive and it left our floors looking and feeling super fresh, and helped save a chunk of time by vacuuming and mopping everything in one go! It even has hot air washing and drying capabilities to help prevent bacteria from growing and spreading around the home.

For those who prefer the hands-free route, the Dreame L20 Ultra also left us incredibly impressed – and it’s now $700 off (now $1299, down from $1999)!

OUR TOP PICKS

BEST OVERALL WET DRY VACUUM

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Cordless Vacuum*, $1549 at Myer

tried and tested

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Cordless Vacuum

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine. Picture: Dyson.
Other ways to buy:

Tried and Tested by Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito, Senior Shopping Writer Tech, Homes & Appliances

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine has been hands down one of the best vacuums I’ve used by far, impressing on efficiency, runtime, manoeuvrability and all-round convenience. The Submarine wet roller head was the star of the show and I haven’t been able to look at a regular mop the same again. It handled fresh milk spills and day-old coffee stains (including the coffee puck) so smoothly, although what really impressed me was how simple it was to clean the mop head itself. Dirt on a damp surface, especially in a warm climate, isn’t an ideal combo. But being able to easily maintain the wet roller head made me feel much more at ease about potential cross contamination and bad smells.

There's a lot to love about Dyson's first entry into the world of wet-dry vacuum cleaners. Pictures: Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito/news.com.au.
There's a lot to love about Dyson's first entry into the world of wet-dry vacuum cleaners. Pictures: Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito/news.com.au.

When it comes to vacuuming, you can expect the usual Dyson special – powerful suction, three power modes, and a hygienic no-touch bin emptying system.

(Disclaimer: I tested the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Complete, which is essentially the same model but the only difference is that it’s a Dyson exclusive and comes with a few extra accessories including the Fluffy Optic cleaner head.)

Read my full review here.


BEST BUDGET WET DRY VACUUMS

Roborock F25 Wet Dry Vacuum*, $699 at Amazon Australia

tried and tested

Roborock F25 Wet Dry Vacuum

Roborock F25 Wet Dry Vacuum. Picture: Supplied/Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito.

Tried and Tested by Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito, Senior Shopping Writer Tech, Homes & Appliances

Roborock’s F25 wet dry vacuum cleaner packs a few premium features in a fairly affordable design, giving decent bang for buck. It saves time by mopping spills and vacuuming dirt at the same time, and does an incredible job at picking up debris despite looking more like a mopping-focused appliance. I was actually surprised how quickly and cleanly it vacuumed edges considering it didn’t come with a crevice tool. The Roborock F25 is also pretty comfortable to use and easy to manoeuvre, even when cleaning under furniture.

Testing the Roborock F25 wet dry vacuum. Picture: Supplied/Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito.
Testing the Roborock F25 wet dry vacuum. Picture: Supplied/Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito.

The way the wet dry vacuum ‘drives’ itself forward was a bit of a love-hate feature for me. I felt like it made the appliance more tiring to use, but was so impressed by the powerful suction and the way it sucked up everything in one sweep while leaving floors fresh and shiny. The tiles and hardwood floors dried quickly, and there was none of that sticky or overly wet nonsense some other wet gadgets produce.

I also particularly loved the self washing and drying dock. These are common for robot vacs and have been spotted in some new stick vacuums, but you usually need to spend some decent coin (especially if you’re hoping to get the hot water and hot air drying capabilities). I tend to use the vacuum and mop setting on my robot cleaner since traditional mops always leave me feeling ‘icky’, so it’s wonderful to have the same perks in a vacuum that I have better control over and can use to clean rooms in a much shorter time.


Shark MessMaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum, $239 (down from $299.99) at Amazon Australia

What You Need To Know

Shark’s MessMaster is a portable cleaning solution for spot cleaning, tackling small messes or any wet spills and crumb explosions in the car. The self-cleaning handheld vacuum cleaner also comes with a few handy accessories not often available with other robot vacs or stick vacs, including a squeegee tool and carpet tool.

One reviewer even says it’s “the vacuum you didn’t realise you needed in your life until it arrives in your home”.

“It comes perfectly packaged, super easy to assemble and does the job fast. The MOST AMAZING feature is not having to get your hands dirty cleaning any filters or washing out dirty stinky containers,” they reviewed, giving it five stars.

“As a pet owner I struggle to find a vacuum that is powerful enough to remove my dog’s hair which always seems to get stuck and embedded into the upholstery but let me tell you this vacuum performed and did the job perfectly with such ease. This wet/dry vacuum is so powerful that it even unclogged my bathroom drains!! Absolutely love this product and definitely recommend it for it’s performance and versatility,” another wrote.


Bosch Home & Garden 1000W Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner & Blower (UniversalVac 15), $115 (down from $155) at Amazon Australia

What You Need To Know

Whether you need to handle messes in the living room, patio or garage, this Bosch vacuum cleaner can handle it all. It even has a universal adaptor that can be connected to Bosch Green DIY Power tools, allowing you to clean up as you go.

Many shoppers love how the Bosch wet and dry vacuum is “thoughtfully designed”, from the convenient on-board storage to the way the appliance can easily suck up dust and dirt in tricky or awkward areas like under the bed.

“Very, very pleased and impressed with this Bosch vacuum!! The features are great! I particularly like the extra long hose – it’s so light and so convenient to use. I can park the vacuum in one spot and reach such a long way (including) up high for cobwebs! I like to use this for bathrooms, laundry etc. where things may be damp/wet…,” raved one Amazon reviewer, rating it five stars.


BEST WET DRY ROBOT VACUUM AND MOP

Dreame L20 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop*, $1299 (down from $1999) at Amazon Australia

tried and tested

Dreame L20 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop

 4
$700 OFF
Picture: Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito/news.com.au.

Tried and Tested by Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito, Senior Shopping Writer Tech, Homes & Appliances

The Dreame L20 Ultra is worth investing in if you’re after a true all-rounder. The robot cleaner offers decent vacuuming and mopping functionalities, although the auto-emptying, auto-refilling and self-cleaning docking station makes the appliance stand out. I love how the mop pads are automatically washed and air dried after each task, helping reduce cross-contamination and prevent bad odours. The fact there’s a dedicated slot for a hard floor cleaner between the clean and dirty water tanks is another bonus.

I also really like how the mop juts out to get that extra reach. With most robot vacs being round, corners and sometimes edges aren’t the easiest to sweep and usually need to be done with a stick vacuum afterwards. It’s a handy feature that doesn’t exist on most robot vacs (at least to the extent this model does).

Dreame's L20 Ultra premium robot vac left our floors with an
Dreame's L20 Ultra premium robot vac left our floors with an "unbeatable clean". Picture: Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito/news.com.au.

Overall, this Dreame wet and dry robot vacuum really did give an “unbeatable clean”. It also provided probably the best objective avoidance and anti-tangle technologies I’ve experienced, having only needed to pull out cord and a newspaper pullout on the floor – items that would trip any vacuum or broom. This might make the Dreame L20 Ultra the closest to a ‘true’ hands-free robot vacuum and mop (aka a robot cleaner requiring minimal human intervention).

Read my full review here.


BEST CORDLESS WET DRY VACUUM

Tineco FLOOR ONE Switch S6 Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner*, $638.96 (down from $999) at Amazon Australia

tried and tested

Tineco FLOOR ONE Switch S6 Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner

$360 OFF
Tineco FLOOR ONE Switch S6. Picture: news.com.au/Claudia Coy.

Tried and Tested by Claudia Coy, news.com.au checkout Social Media Producer

Having already tested its main competitor (the Dyson Wash G1), I was excited to see how the Tineco Floor One Switch 6 measured up. Plus, I knew Tineco was rated ‘Number 1’ on Amazon Australia in the ‘Wet-Dry Vacuums’ category three years in a row, mind you – so the expectation was already high.

My first reaction? You certainly get bang for your buck – the unit is a ‘five-in-one Smart Multi-Function Cleaner’ which basically means it comes with a range of attachments to make it easy to go from cleaning your hard floors to your rugs, to your lounge, to your car seats.

The LED display and headlights. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.
The LED display and headlights. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.

The standout features of the Tineco Floor One Switch 6 are the LED Screen Display which tells you exactly how much battery you have left and which mode you’re in (auto or max). And the iLoop Smart Sensor which basically identifies when there’s extra debris on the floor and it needs to provide a deeper clean.

Before (left) and after (right) cleaning raw eggs. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.
Before (left) and after (right) cleaning raw eggs. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.

For the testing phase, I used two raw eggs on my tiles and tested both the ‘auto’ mode and the ‘max’ mode to see how much of a difference there is between the two. Interestingly, both modes needed two passes at the egg before all the residue was gone, however the ‘max’ mode only had a very small amount of yolk to pick up on the second swipe.

While the mop needed a few passes during the testing phase, the pros of this unit (namely: the five-in-one capability, the vacuum light, the different modes to choose from and the ease in which it manoeuvres) were enough to make up for the added seconds it took to swipe again.


Dyson WashG1*, $779 (down from $999) at Dyson

tried and tested

Dyson Wash G1

$220 OFF
This is a beautiful machine. Picture: news.com.au/Claudia Coy.
Other ways to buy:

Tried and Tested by Claudia Coy, news.com.au checkout Social Media Producer

The Dyson WashG1 can wash hard floors and pick up dry debris so you can spend less time and effort pre-vacuuming your home.

Dyson WashG1. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.
Dyson WashG1. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.

It also has separate water tanks, including a generous 1L clean water reservoir, to help prevent cross contamination. Plus, there’s a removable debris tray for any dirt and hair.

The wet dry unit from Dyson additionally has two motors, one on each microfibre roller, allowing the cleaner head to clean in both directions. And of course, you can adjust the water flow levels to suit different surface types.

The Dyson WashG1 separates liquids and solids. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.
The Dyson WashG1 separates liquids and solids. Picture: Claudia Coy/news.com.au.

While it is undeniably pricey, the Dyson Wash G1 should be viewed as an investment. It both mops and vacuums, it’s powerful and efficient and – bonus – it vows it won’t produce any unpleasant odour, which can often occur over time with traditional vacs that use suction.

In my opinion, the Dyson Wash G1 is well worth it, the features of this wet and dry vac justify the splurge. It’s easy to manoeuvre, it’s great on tough stains, it separates debris from dirty water and it self-cleans.

Read our full in-depth review here.


Price isn't the only thing that can make or break a wet and dry vacuum. Picture: Dyson.
Price isn't the only thing that can make or break a wet and dry vacuum. Picture: Dyson.

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A WET DRY VACUUM?

Ready to buy a wet and dry vacuum? Here are a few factors to think about before checking out.

Runtime: Longer runtimes (i.e. at least 180 minutes) are great if you have a large house or plan to use the appliance for deep cleaning, while models with a maximum of 60 minutes runtime are better for lighter, daily tasks.

Capacity: The bigger the container, the less frequently you’ll need to empty your dustbin and refill the water tank. Reservoirs smaller than 1L are fine for quick jobs, while more time-consuming and tougher cleans may need at least 2-2.5L.

Filtration: Filtration systems trap dust, debris and moisture which can potentially trigger pollen and dust mite allergies.

Manoeuvrability and portability: The portability of cordless wet and dry vacuums make cleaning more ‘comfortable’, especially since they’re typically more lightweight, but the runtime isn’t always distributed equally between the two functions and choosing stronger settings can shorten the cleaning time by a fair bit. Corded vacuums have less reach but are ideal for large houses and extended periods.

Cleaning solution: Not all wet and dry vacuums can be used with a cleaning solution, particularly robot vacuums, and potentially corrode the appliance from the inside. Many brands also typically require you to use their own brand of floor cleaner to prevent any damage, and not doing so may void your warranty.


HOW WE CHOOSE PRODUCTS

With many models available, it’s impossible to test every model out there. To help you find the best wet dry vacuums, we tested several well-known brands at different price points. In addition, our shopping team read hundreds of customer reviews and looked at test results and ratings from product review sites to find the best wet dry vacuum from premium to budget to help you find the right one for your home.


Are you interested in getting a wet and dry vacuum for your home? Picture: Dreame.
Are you interested in getting a wet and dry vacuum for your home? Picture: Dreame.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ARE WET AND DRY VACUUMS WORTH IT?

Wet and dry vacuums are a great investment for anyone who wants to cut down their cleaning time, particularly if you regularly vacuum and mop. They’re versatile, more powerful than standard vacuums and can be used outside (depending on the model). If you’re worried about using a dirty mop, wet dry vacuum cleaners also often have washable and removable parts that let you deep clean every nook and cranny.

WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF WET AND DRY VACUUM CLEANERS?

Noise and size

Wet and dry vacuums are known for being bulky and loud, although there are exceptions. This is partly because they tend to be more powerful than traditional vacuum cleaners.

Need to manually change cleaner heads

Not all wet and dry vacuum cleaners can automatically switch between vacuuming and mopping, which can be inconvenient. Although some reviewers say they prefer to perform these tasks separately for better results, especially for rooms with dried-in debris or areas where the focus is on getting rid of dirt rather than sanitising the floor.

Doesn’t clean carpets like a carpet cleaner

Unless the appliance is specifically designed to work as a carpet cleaner, the ‘wet’ portion of a wet-dry vacuum cleaner functions more like a mop. It’s ideal for surface-level cleaning, not deep cleaning (i.e. removing stains on rugs). It’s why stick wet-dry vacuums like the Tineco Floor ONE S3 Smart Wet Dry Vacuum and robot mop vacs such as the Dreame L20 Ultra automatically stop mopping whenever it detects rugs and carpet.

Might be good at one thing but poor with another

If robot mop vacs taught us anything, it’s that some wet and dry vacs offer great suction power but lack as a mop (or vice versa). This is why we always recommend reading reviews before handing over your cash.

Expensive

While there are budget friendly options, products designed for wet and dry cleaning are generally pricier than regular vacuum cleaners.

Get more dirt on how to find the best cleaning appliances for your home with our guides on everything vacuum related, plus articles on best front load washing machines and more. Plus, stay up to date on the latest deals and trends by signing up to our free weekly shopping newsletter.

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*Product was loaned by Dyson, Roborock, Dreame and Tineco for a 100 per cent independent, honest review.

Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito
Tahnee-Jae Lopez-VitoSenior Shopping Writer

Tahnee-Jae has years of reviewing experience, specialising in all the appliances and products that can help improve your home and life. From finding the best budget sheets to the mattresses that can help you get a better night’s sleep, she does all of the research to save you time and money.She previously worked as a content producer for one of Australia’s top comparison sites Canstar Blue, where she spent her days learning what Australian shoppers really think by translating detailed national survey data into hundreds of highly respected consumer ratings – helping shed light on how well brands offer value for money and more.Armed with a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the Queensland University of Technology, she knows that detail matters and is dedicated to creating in-depth shopping guides to help you find the right product.

Read related topics:Best Of: Cleaning

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/checkout/home-and-garden/cleaning/vacuum-cleaners/best-wet-and-dry-vacuum/news-story/79f8917b2871a2bb4659a1f017e8f5ff