Does Dustaclean handle ash or is that too fine for it?

I’ve used mine mostly for ash from a little backyard fire pit that I bring inside to cool, so it’s seen a fair amount of it. It does pick it up fine, but I wouldn’t say it’s super happy about it. The filter gets a bit of a white coating pretty fast, and you do have to tap it out or give it a quick rinse more often than with regular crumbs.

The thing that surprised me is that it’s more about the ash being warm or damp that makes it stick. If it’s fully cool and dry, it’s not bad at all. I made the mistake once of vacuuming up ash that still had a little heat in it and that was a mess, it kind of clung to everything inside. So as long as you let it sit overnight, I think you’ll be okay. Just expect to empty it right after.

I’d probably skip using mine for fireplace ash unless I had no other option. Not because it can’t pick it up, but because the filter gets that gray haze pretty fast and then it’s all you smell for a while. I learned that the hard way after cleaning a candle wax disaster and thinking ash would be similar. It’s not.

If you do try it, I’d tap out the filter right after and maybe do a quick blow through it before you put it away. Otherwise the next time you grab it for crumbs or pet hair, you’ll get a little ash cloud puffing back out. That part is annoying.

For occasional ash cleanup it’s fine, but if it’s a weekly thing you might end up replacing filters more often than you’d like. I’d keep a dedicated shop vac or just a dustpan for the fireplace and use the Dustaclean for the stuff that’s less messy.

I keep mine in the car and use it for ash after camping trips, so it gets that fine gray dust pretty often. It picks it up fine, but I do have to tap the filter out afterwards or the suction drops noticeably. Takes like thirty seconds, so not a big deal for me.

Ash is one of those things where it works, but you have to be ready to clean the filter right after. I’ve done it a few times and it picks everything up, but that gray dust coats the inside pretty quickly. If you’re okay with tapping the filter out over a trash can, it’s manageable.

I get the worry about ash being too fine for it, but for me it’s more about the mess factor than the clogging. I’ve used mine a few times on ash and it picks it up no problem, but that fine stuff does get everywhere when you open it up to empty it. Just make sure you do that outside and you should be fine.

It works fine on ash, but I don’t push my luck with a full canister. I just give it a quick empty and tap the filter outside before I put it away. It’s not a huge hassle, just part of the routine.