Can Car Vacuum Cleaners Be Used At Home?

You would be lying if you said the thought of you using your car vacuum cleaner at home has never crossed your mind! I mean, isn’t it economical and serves a dual purpose?    

Although there are a few intricacies you would face using your car vacuum cleaner for home. But if you ask, is it doable? Absolutely, yes. 

It is actually a smart idea to use your car vacuum cleaner at home! Quite time-consuming but witty. But you have to keep in mind that car vacuum cleaners are powered by DC, whereas AC powers your house. 

Car vacuum cleaners are plugged into a cigarette lighter power supply in your car, which is a source of 12V DC output. 

Suppose you are planning to use your car vacuum in your house, where every household has a source of 220V AC output. You first need an AC-DC converter. You don’t want to go through the hassle of cutting the wire or splicing the wires, whereas you can easily buy an adapter that can be used in your main power supply at home. 

Before you go to the hardware and electrical store, read the label of your car vacuum. Know the wattage, voltage, and amperage of the device. The specific wattage, voltage, and amperes of your vacuum would be printed on the chord or would be provided in the user’s manual. 

If you don’t have your device’s user manual, then you can do your own calculations with the help of the given data printed on your device’s chord. 

Let’s say, for example, you have a 120-watt vacuum, the maximum output from your car’s power outlet is 12V. So if you divide power by Voltage, you will get Ampere. 120 watts/12V equals 10A. Most car vacuums are either 100 watts or 120 watts. So it would be best if you bought an adapter that is more than 10A.


What should you look for in an adapter that is suitable for converting DC to AC? It would be best to always look for an adapter that provides the right amount of amperage to your device. Anything below 10A would render the vacuum cleaner less efficient. 

Another important thing you should keep in mind is to look for a power adapter that is designed in a way that can be plugged into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter. In contrast, the other end should be a normal plug that can be used in your house’s main power supply. So shop for the one which has both for easy usage.

Now that you’ve purchased your adapter, we are only one step away from converting our car vacuum cleaner into a home vacuum cleaner. 

Plug the adapter with the end that is shaped like a cigarette lighter to your vacuum cleaner, plug in the AC standard power supply plug into the power outlet at your home. Voila!

Bravo! You did it. You can now start cleaning your house with your car vacuum cleaner. And you can do this whenever you want, and it’s easy-breezy! 

Although using a car vacuum cleaner for cleaning your home may not be as effective as a vacuum cleaner designed specifically for your house. It can do 70% of the job of a usual vacuum cleaner, still effective but Time-consuming. 

You can always rely on this as a last-minute savior or a survival kit for emergency purposes. But if you ask, can you use car vacuum cleaners at home? Oh yeah! And if it’s doable? Yes! How? You know how! Finally, the mission is accomplished!