I pay a lot of attention to my car, and when cleaning it, I find a number of vacs fall short of my expectations of a car vacuum, that is until I found the ArmorAll AA255 Utility Wet Dry Vacuum. Unlike most handheld vacuums, this one is designed specifically to clean your car, there is a tool suited for particular parts of the car to ensure it is dirt free and dry.
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Who is the ArmorAll AA255 made for?
This is typically a car vac so it is made for the car owner. This is not to say that it cannot perform other tasks like picking up broken glass from the floor or sucking up spills in the kitchen. It has the suction to do the jobs other handheld vacuums would do but it is particularly suited for cars.
Features of the ArmorAll AA255
Versatile Accessories
This ArmorAll comes with a number of tools needed to clean the interior of the car, it can handle ordinary pickups right down to detailing of the interior. There is the deluxe car nozzle that can be used for sucking up debris, the detail brush, which I find effective for the AC ventilators, that tend to hide dust, the crevice tool for tight spaces and corners and the blower tool which I use for finishing touches like drying up water droplets both inside and outside the car.
Converts to blower
Although many people use the blower tool just for leaves, you can also use it for the car, the vac can be easily converted into a blower by simply placing the blower tool on the back port and you can then use it to blow water off the windows if you do not want to use a rag which may leave marks on the window. The motor is powerful enough to produce enough air to blow the floor mats as well instead of shaking them.
Portable
This unit has a comfortable top carry handle which will not slip off easily even when your hands are wet. The handle balances out the weight of the unit and the weight, by the way, is not a lot. The tank is just 2.5 gallons and is designed to be compact and the motor too is not too heavy, in total it weighs just 7 pounds which I believe is light enough for any able bodied adult. Even without wheels, it is very easy to carry this around.
Auto shutoff
The auto shutoff feature can detect when the tank is full and will shut off to prevent it from overflowing. This feature is especially useful when you are sucking up liquid which can easily fill up without you noticing especially since the plastic tank is not transparent. It will save you from having to clean up spills from an overflow as well as save the vacuum from damage. Usually, if you are dealing with just dry waste, it will not get full quickly.
Onboard storage
There is provision to store all the accessories on the body of the ArmorAll vacuum. I once had a vacuum that did not have onboard storage and I found myself misplacing the tools. With this one however as long as you can find the vac, you will find the tools. However, you may not be able to vacuum comfortable with the wands on the vac since they kind of stick out and poke your arm as you carry it. If you do not want to remove them while vacuuming, then just place the unit on the ground.
Highlighted Features
- 6-foot hose
- 2.5-gallon tank
- 2 peak horsepower motor
- 10-foot power cord
- Weighs 7 pounds
- Versatile accessory tools
- Onboard tool storage
- Converts into a blower
- Automatic off switch when full
Pros
- Comes with all the tools you need for car interior vacuuming
- Lightweight and portable
- Has auto shut-off when full
- Sufficient suction
- It is not expensive
- Durable
- Quiet
Cons
- The cord should have been a bit longer to be able to easily reach all round the car, but you could use an extension cord if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. It looks very small, how strong is the suction?
A. do not be fooled by the size, it is quite effective for vacuuming your car and dealing with messes that need quick cleanup.
Q. Can I use this for fine dust?
A. The manufacturer recommends that you order a fine dust filter if you want to use it for fine dust. I use mine for ash.
Conclusion
Just to emphasize why this may be a good choice of wet dry vac for you, it is designed with your car in mind so most of its features will make it easier to clean your car without issues like some parts of the car not having the right tool. This vac will also save you from having to drag out the big vacuum when you need to do a small job like getting rid of crumbs left on the seat by children. It is generally an affordable and handy tool you may like.