I have no experience with paper shreds, but in general coarser parts are also vacuumed, including hair (in my case dog). Water is always very black and dirty.
Empty in the toilet in any case, washbasin only for washing up.

Hello Adrian,
I can highly recommend this vacuum cleaner. High suction power, good workmanship.
Even large pieces of paper and long hairs are no problem. It is best to pour the dirty water through a sieve into the drain and the remaining dirt in the sieve into the waste bin. Works perfectly.
The only disadvantage of this water vacuum cleaner is that it should always be cleaned immediately after use, otherwise the water starts to develop a bad smell over time. That means sucking up something briefly and then putting it back in the corner like with a conventional vacuum cleaner is unfavourable. Another disadvantage is the small water tank if you want to vacuum a carpet wet, for example.
Nevertheless, we are very satisfied and would buy the product again.
Greetings