Dad’s short answer: Yes, and it's one of the best things about owning one — but use suction-only mode first. Running the wet cycle straight into a big spill adds more liquid to a mess the machine is already trying to lift.

The workflow that actually works

Put the machine in suction-only or dry mode and pull the bulk of the liquid up first. Most machines have this mode and most people never find it. Then switch to a normal wet cycle and go over the area again to clean what's left behind.

Two passes, thirty seconds, and the floor is genuinely clean rather than wet and sticky. If you go straight in on max wet, you're putting fresh water down on top of a puddle and asking the suction to lift all of it at once.

For anything with solids in it — a dropped bowl of cereal and milk, a knocked-over dog bowl — the same order applies. Suction first, then wet.

What not to put through it

Large solids will clog the suction tube. Broken glass, big food chunks, anything stringy. Pick the solids up by hand and let the machine handle the liquid and the residue, which is what it's actually good at.

If something does clog, most machines ship with a long thin brush specifically for clearing the suction tube. That tool in the box is telling you something about how often this happens. Keep it somewhere you'll find it.

Dad’s Take: Suction-only first, then wet. That one habit is the difference between this machine being impressive and being disappointing.