Very large particles, such as chunks of paper and plastic, would be best to be picked up before running the Narwal vacuum. In a test to see if it would pick up a significant amount of spilled rice or grains, the Narwal will suck up some but scatter most of it. It would be best to use a dust bin to clean up those kinds of messes first. It does successfully suck up items such as a strayed cheerio or two. Keep in mind, larger particles may jam up the filter or require you to empty more frequently.