Quick answer: A regular Henry isn’t designed to vacuum water, and you will damage your vacuum if you use it to suck up spills. However, Henry’s brothers George, Charles or the Henry Wash, are very capable wet vacs, and can be used to suck up water from your floors.
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We’ve all been there – we see a spill on the carpet and our instinctive reaction is to reach for paper towels or a dishcloth. Some of us might spot our trusty Henry vacuum cleaner in the corner and wonder “Henry’s incredible at cleaning – perhaps he’ll have a go at this spill?” Well, Henry may be the main man for cleaning carpets and floors, but one thing he isn’t is a wet vac, and if you use him to vacuum up water you’re likely going to be buying yourself a new Henry in the near future.
In this article, we’re actually going to show you why this is such a bad idea, and also which of Henry’s brothers can help you clean up spills and stains off your carpets and flooring.
Why vacuuming water with Henry is a bad idea
First off, let’s look at the most basic principle of mixing electricity and water, and how dangerous this is. Henry is not a wet/dry vac, and he isn’t designed to ingest water. As such, if you use Henry to suck up water, the most likely scenario is that water gets into the bearings of your Henry’s motor, and the motor won’t spin.
Additionally you’ll find that if you take the top of the hoover off to investigate, you’ll likely see water in or around the vents. Your filter will also be damp, and given the dirt and dust that passes through the filter, this is likely going to encourage mould and mildew, which will in turn encourage bad smells. In fact, this is the most common reason people complain about a smelly Henry hoover – because they’ve used him to suck up water and now the internals are damp. This can also be caused by not changing the bag often enough.
While Henry’s pretty tough, he’s not indestructible. Fortunately, in most situations, Henry is very fixable, and even if you have used him to suck up water, you can read on to find out what you might need to do to save him.
What should I do if I’ve used Henry to suck up water?
Firstly, if you’ve used Henry to suck up water and either you’re noticing a bad smell, reduced performance or perhaps the motor sounding strange, you need to stop using Henry and unplug him immediately. As we’ve said, water and electricity don’t mix, and you need to ensure you switch Henry off before anything dangerous happens.
What I would suggest now is that you follow the below steps based on what your issue actually is.
If you just sucked up water, but didn’t notice any difference in performance
You’ve likely not done any terminal damage to Henry. The important thing now is that you unplug and don’t use Henry again until he’s fully dry. Remove the motor from the top of the machine so that the drum is exposed. Remove the bag and dispose of it. Give the inside a wipe out with a damp cloth and leave the drum in a warm, dry place for at least 48 hours to dry.
Inspect the filter. If your filter is damp, throw it away and buy a new one. Henry filters aren’t washable, and this will likely be the cause of bad smells in the future if you don’t replace it now. If it’s a relatively new filter, you could leave it to dry and hope for the best, but it would be my advice to replace it – you can pick up a genuine filter for not very much money.
You also need to inspect the motor. Check for any signs of water or water damage. If there are none, leave the motor in a warm, dry place for at least 48 hours. It would be a great idea to run a dehumidifier in the same room to make absolutely sure Henry is dry. I wouldn’t suggest running a space heater or portable radiator – although if you have an airing cupboard this is the perfect place to put Henry’s motor.
You could give the motor a quick spray with WD40, but only do this if you know what you’re doing. Don’t attempt to dismantle the motor – this should be left to a trained professional.
If the motor sounds different or gives off a high pitched whine
This likely means the motor is working harder than it did before for whatever reason. It could be because the filter is waterlogged and therefore the motor is straining to maintain the level of suction, or it could be because water has got into the motor and caused damage to the bearings.
The first thing to do is to dismantle the hoover and put the motor in a warm, dry place for at least 72 hours. Again – run a dehumidifier if you can.
You should also inspect the filter. If it is damp or it smells, throw it out and buy a new one.
If your Henry won’t suck
Your filter is likely clogged – and this is probably because it’s soaking wet. Make sure you replace the filter – and follow the other steps we’ve outlined about drying the motor and the drum just to make sure.
Make sure also that you change the bag – this is of critical importance because if you don’t change the bag, there’s a chance that water can seep out (these bags aren’t watertight) and undo all the repair work you’ve done to get your wet Henry back to working order.
Henry’s a tough little guy and there’s not much you can do to kill him. Even if you’ve used him to suck up water, if you follow the steps above, he’ll probably be OK. However, if you’re sure a particular part has completely died and isn’t salvageable, don’t panic – in my experience, there’s very rarely a need to buy a brand new Henry for one failed part. Numatic are excellent at providing spare parts, and they provide spare parts for every vacuum they’ve ever made. It’s up to you whether it’s worth doing this, however, or just buying a new one.
Alternatives to Henry that can suck up liquid
Numatic make several models that are very capable wet and dry vacs. These suggestions are primarily focused towards the consumer market, however – Numatic do make specific professional wet and dry cleaners such as the WV370 and the WV470, but we won’t be discussing these here.
Henry Wash
Henry wash is both a carpet cleaner and wet vac. He isn’t also a dry vac – he is only a wet vac, so he won’t be able to replace your regular Henry, only supplement it. Henry Vac is probably one of the most capable carpet cleaners out there, and is capable of cleaning wet and dry floors, leaving your home sparkling clean.
George
George is one of my favourite Numatic cleaners because he does it all – he’s the only man you need for cleaning around the house! George is probably the most capable Numatic vacuum on the market because not only is he one of the best dry vacs out there, George can also vacuum up liquids – meaning he’s a wet and dry vac. However, George’s abilities don’t stop there – he’s also a carpet shampooer just like the Henry Wash – meaning he can clean and revive your carpets and hard floors.
George is super-useful because he can not only suck up spills on carpets and floors, but if you have a leaking pipe, for example, or have had a DIY accident, George can also tackle those kinds of messes.
It’s my personal view that George is by far the most versatile product that Numatic makes, and every home should have a George in it.
Charles
Charles fills the gap left by the George and Henry Wash – a pure wet and dry vac without carpet cleaning facility. Charles is a tough guy and can be used around the home as well as in commercial environments for sucking up tough spills. He’s very easily converted from dry to wet – just by changing the filter and removing the bag.
Interestingly it looks like Numatic have started to phase out the Charles in favour of an identical looking model called Henry Wet & Dry. As far as I can tell they are identical in terms of the attachments and specification you get – just that one has “Henry Wet and Dry” written on it and the other has “Charles” written on it. It may be that you need to get hold of a Charles pretty quickly as they may not be around for long! Interestingly Numatic did this with both Harry (now the Henry Pet) and Edward (who became the Henry XL).
Hopefully this has helped you if you’ve got water in your Henry or if you’re considering using Henry to suck up your next spill (don’t!). We’ve written loads of articles on the Henry – so check some more out here.
Susie Greene
Susan Greene is a busy mother of two who has worked in the cleaning and vacuum industry for twenty years. Having used Henry hoovers for almost all that time, she's a passionate advocate of Numatic products and this is what led her to start henryhooversonline.com. While she's not seeing which Numatic model picks up dirt the best, she can be found travelling the country with her children and two dogs.
