According to Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company, "Wet/dry vacs and mops are all better suited to clean hard floors, while vacuuming is better suited for rugs or carpets. If it's just a quick clean-up, then wet/dry vacs are better since they combine the functionality of both vacuuming and mopping."

Some wet-dry vacuums can be used on low-pile rugs, but most of them can't be used on carpets. So, if you have carpet, you'll absolutely need to keep a vacuum on hand. Vacuums are also multi-functional and can be used to clean cobwebs from the ceiling or used as a hand vacuum to clean messes on your couch. They're also perfect for cleaning up debris quickly, compared to a wet-dry vacuum that takes time to set up and use.

A wet-dry vacuum will not replace the best carpet cleaners, and we don't recommend using the wet-dry vacuum for cleaning medium and high-pile carpets. There are some models that can be used on low-pile area rugs like the Bissell Crosswave, Shark HydroVac Messmaster, and the Ecowell Lulu Quick Clean P05. They're designed to not soak the rug but rather to use water and cleaning solution to clean the top fibers and suction some of the water into the dirty water tank. Quick pro tip: clean the rugs first before using the wet-dry vacuum on your hard floors to ensure that you're not moving dust and debris from the hard floors to the rugs.

It's hard to say if a wet-dry vacuum is better than a mop — it's just different. With a mop, you have to expend a lot more energy and strength to remove stains on the floor. With a wet-dry vacuum, it does the work for you. Some, in fact, have ultra or max modes that expel more water and solution to help break down a tough stain. As Mock suggests, look for wet-dry vacuums with "higher wattage or horsepower, [as it] generally indicates better performances when dealing with wet messes."

That said, she advises folks not to get rid of their mop, as she believes it can provide a deeper clean than a wet-dry vacuum. "For a more thorough cleaning, vacuuming first and then using a mop can be more effective since vacuuming removes debris and dirt, and a mop can focus on removing stains and grime," she explains. 

Now to be clear, wet-dry robot vacuums aren't going to give you as deep of a mopping experience as a regular wet-dry vacuum, but they'll keep your house fairly clean between deep cleaning sessions.