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Wrap a Paper Towel Around a Shop Vac Filter to Catch Fine Dust
Fine dust packs deep into the pleats of a shop vac filter and is almost impossible to clean out. Wrap the filter in a paper towel first — the towel catches the dust, and you toss it instead of buying a new filter.
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The Problem
Vacuum up drywall dust, sanding dust, or any fine powder and it works its way deep into the folds of the shop vac filter. Once it's packed into the pleats it's almost impossible to get out — tapping and blowing the filter only does so much — and a clogged filter chokes the suction. Replacement pleated filters aren't cheap, so a few dusty cleanups can cost real money.
The Technique
- Wrap a length of paper towel around the outside of the filter, covering the pleats.
- Tape it to itself with painter's tape, or whatever tape is handy, so it stays put.
- Vacuum as you normally would. The paper towel intercepts the fine dust before it can reach the filter's folds.
- When you're done, peel off the towel and throw it away. The filter underneath stays clean.
Pro tip: This is for dry, fine dust only — pull the towel before any wet pickup. For really heavy dust loads, a dedicated dust-collection bag or a cyclone separator ahead of the vacuum does the same job on a bigger scale, but the paper-towel trick costs nothing and takes a minute.
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