Say what you may, nevertheless carpet flooring has perks—notably for individuals who’re a small child or pet. It provides a young cushion to what would in every other case be exhausting flooring. However, carpet (primarily white or light-hued) will likely be tough to care for with out an accurate carpet cleaner. Whereas the right carpet cleaners are good, usually a conveyable spot cleaner for carpet and material will get the job completed increased (and additional successfully).
As soon as I first seen the Shark StainStriker marketed, I knew I wanted to attempt it. It’s a super-compact, lightweight carpet and material cleaner that tackles spills and messes wherever throughout the dwelling. As any person who has paid tons of to professionally clear their carpets, I was excited to see how the StainStriker would perform. Proper right here’s how testing the moveable cleaning machine went.
What is the Shark StainStriker?
The Shark StainStriker is a conveyable carpet and material cleaning machine that spot-treats and removes stains. It makes use of a dual-activated reply to take care of numerous surfaces all by means of your non-public house, along with carpets, rugs, upholstery, furnishings and additional.
The compact cleaning machine weighs decrease than 10 kilos, so it’s easy to carry to any part of the home. The dual-activated cleaning reply makes use of OXY to scrub highly effective stains like embedded filth, pet messes and meals stains. No premix or pre-treatment is required each. The StainStriker presents immediate stain elimination.
FAMILY HANDYMAN
A wonderful-lightweight cleaning machine
Professionals:
- Compact and lightweight design for portability
- Cleans on moist and dry stains
- Cleans pet messes further fully than by hand
- Helps to reduce odor from messes
- Easy to utilize
- Comes with numerous attachments and cleaning reply
- Machine is simple to scrub, nevertheless must be cleaned after each use
- One-button operation
Cons:
- Noisy
- Won’t work on all stains, notably within the occasion that they’re earlier and set in
Shark StainStriker Product Choices
Twin-Movement Cleaning Decision and Extremely efficient Suction
Shark’s dual-activated cleaning reply is contained in separate tanks on the machine and comes collectively for stain-busting movement throughout the cleaning take care of—no premix or pretreatment important. The hand-held cleaning machine moreover choices extremely efficient suction to boost liquid, filth and particles all through cleaning. The StainStriker works on highly effective odors and stains from pets and even individuals who smoke.
Easy Cleaning and Storage
Weighing merely 8.51 kilos, the StainStriker is certainly moveable. You might take it upstairs or downstairs, wherever you may wish to clear. Plus, you’ll tuck it away out of sight when not in use, and it doesn’t take up rather a lot space. It’s decrease than a foot huge, decrease than 3 inches prolonged and 15 inches tall. The hose measurement is solely over 4 toes, and the ability wire is 12 toes prolonged, so you should have no draw back reaching from outlet to mess in an average-size room!
What’s Inside the Subject
The StainStriker comes with 12 ounces of OXY Multiplier System and 6 ounces of CarpetXpert Deep Clear Skilled reply—the two cleaning liquids that blend to scrub stains and spills. These are every mini sizes of the cleaning liquids, and Shark sells 32-ounce variations of the CarpetXpert and OXY Multiplier for $16 and $14, respectively.
You’ll moreover get the three.5-inch reversible bristle machine, the pet mess machine, an built-in crevice machine for hard-to-reach areas and an instruction booklet.
Transport and Returns
Shark presents free transport on orders of $99 or further, so the StainStriker must ship without charge. There’s moreover a 60-day money-back guarantee.
How We Examined It
I put the StainStriker through a group of exams using real-life, set-in stains and fabricated stains (stains I created solely to examine the machine’s cleaning power). I was surprised by the outcomes.
After unboxing the StainStriker, I examined all the parts to ensure attachments and cleaning brokers had been included per the product description. Whereas eradicating the packaging, I noticed that the skin of the dirty water tank (fabricated from exhausting plastic) was scratched. It wasn’t cracked or broken, and the scratches didn’t impact the machine’s operation.
I’d describe the scratches as magnificence flaws, nevertheless the cleaning machine was very correctly packaged throughout the area, so I’m unsure when the harm occurred. My guess is that the harm was a producing default, not a transport issue. Common, the scratches had been further of an annoyance than one thing.
Subsequent, I crammed the StainStriker Tank with OXY Multiplier. I crammed the CarpetXpert Tank with water and the CarpetXpert Deep Clear Skilled reply. As quickly because the machine was full, I walked it into the consuming room, the place there was a set-in wine stain that had been there for years, and plugged the machine in.
(Even full of water and cleaning reply, the StainStriker was easy for me to carry from room to room.) I was hopeful as I pressed the on/off button and obtained capable of assault the stain. I sprayed the stain using the button on the take care of first, then scrubbed repeatedly, attempting to remove the stain. I did that a few situations and waited.
Sadly, the stain did not budge. In fairness, it is the mother stain of all stains. I had my carpets professionally cleaned not too way back, and the expert carpet cleaner couldn’t get the stain to boost each. So, I went into the lounge, over to a brown stain (on white carpet) subsequent to the mantel.
The stain was each a outcomes of spilled espresso or a pet accident and was disclosed to us by the prior homeowners, who had tried to remove it with no luck. The professionals couldn’t take away it—with their industrial carpet cleaners—each. This time, I wasn’t so hopeful. Nonetheless, I set the StainStriker subsequent to the stain, plugged it in, and went to work. What occurred subsequent was magic.
The sunshine brown stain (which was solely noticeable in certain lighting, perhaps on account of years of tried removals) started to boost! I was shocked. I walked over to the fireplace numerous situations all by means of the day to ensure my eyes weren’t having fun with recommendations on me. The stain was gone.
After that, I tried the StainStriker on upholstery. I had a sample of couch fabric useful from a present furnishings purchase that was good for the job. (Discover: The fabric is delicate tan and weak to staining.) On one facet, I rubbed in used espresso grounds and on the alternative, I smeared ketchup. Then, I let each stain sit for about 4 hours. After that, it was time to scrub. I couldn’t pretty take away each stain totally. I am going to have rubbed in all sides just a bit too eagerly after my luck within the lounge.
The StainStriker quickly pulled the espresso grounds and ketchup away from the fabric, nevertheless sadly, there have been nonetheless shadows of the stains left on the fabric after it had dried from the cleaning. Only a few parts had been working in the direction of the StainStriker. First off, how often will you violently rub in a stain if you happen to make a large number in precise life? Most probably not often–or ever. You’re increased off getting the StainStriker on a stain sooner than it’s pressed into carpet or upholstery fibers. Furthermore, darker and effectivity supplies are easier to take care of and clear.
No matter a few letdowns, I was nonetheless impressed with the StainStriker whole for numerous causes. 1) It’s easy to maneuver, operate and clear. 2) Every stain is totally completely different, and the StainStriker was able to increase a stain that even expert carpet cleaners couldn’t. 3) The cleaning reply smells wonderful. Whereas the StainStriker didn’t completely increase the stains I created to examine it, it eradicated the odor and left the fabric smelling up to date. 4) The StainStriker is cheap compared with completely different small, commercial-grade fabric and carpet cleaners.
The StainStriker is good for individuals who repeatedly clear small spills and accidents, notably from pets. It even has a Pet Mess Gadget, which I found as environment friendly because the precept cleaning head. The Pet Mess Gadget isolates the dirty water from the machine for easy cleaning and 0 cross-contamination.
My solely qualm with the StainStriker is that it’s meant for spot cleaning, nevertheless there’s only one fill line for the water tank (which takes water and CarpetXpert), so it is essential to fill it completely every time you put it to use. Furthermore, you shouldn’t depart unused cleaning choices in each tank for better than 5-7 days, so some cleaning choices will inevitably be wasted. That was a bummer, notably given that machine solely comes with two small bottles of cleaning reply.
FAQ
Are you able to permit water in Shark StainStriker?
In accordance with Shark purchaser assist, you permit clear water throughout the StainStriker for a quick interval, of 5 to seven days. For long-term storage (weeks), they counsel storing unused cleaning choices throughout the tank off the unit to cease clogging or build-up throughout the machine. However, unused CarpetXpert reply (the reply that’s diluted with water) must be discarded after short-term use.
The dirty water tank must be emptied and cleaned after each use to cease odors, mildew, mildew and micro organism.
Does the Shark StainStriker use steam?
No. It would not use steam; it makes use of water, suction, and two cleaning choices.
What Completely different Reviewers Wanted to Say
The Shark StainStriker has a 4.5-star rating on Amazon with better than 3,000 purchaser opinions. The consensus amongst prospects is that the machine is lightweight, easy to operate and works correctly on carpet and material. Many patrons say they’ve had success eradicating stubborn stains, too. Furthermore, numerous of us similar to the clear odor the cleaning reply leaves behind and admire the spectacular suction power.
Verified purchaser Mal says, “I bought this to take care of some earlier stains when it was on sale, and shortly thereafter had a pet that obtained VERY sick and managed to do important harm on the rugs, couches and chairs in my dwelling (along with vomit, urine, feces, you title it). It has been worth its weight in gold and made the horrible experience significantly manageable. Critically, the house is even cleaner than it was sooner than.”
“I’m a Shark devotee for all instances now,” Mal supplies. “Blew my earlier Bissel out of the water. Love that it has a take care of for easy carry, prolonged wire for mobility, and you will depart the reply throughout the unit between makes use of. Moreover super easy to scrub out the dirty water bin and cleaning heads. The suction is good. I need the hose was a tad longer (need to maneuver it spherical a bit) nevertheless can deal with that.”
“Really in case you might be on the fence and have a pet or youngsters, merely buy it for the peace of ideas,” they’re saying.
Shark StainStriker vs. Bissell Little Inexperienced HydroSteam
The Shark StainStriker is much like the Bissell Little Inexperienced HydroStem, which we examined for our data, Most interesting Carpet Cleaners for Pet Stains. However, when evaluating the two merchandise, the StainStriker is further compact and simpler to utilize (with a single-button on/off change) than the HydroSteam. The HydroSteam moreover has a steam cleaning setting, which the StainStriker would not have, plus quieter operation.
Every carpet cleaning machines have merely removable dirty water tanks that could be dumped and cleaned fully throughout the sink. Furthermore, the StainStriker has a hose-cleaning machine and a pet-cleaning machine that retains pet messes far-off from the machine, and the HydroSteam would not have each. The StainStriker takes two cleaning choices, whereas the HydroSteam solely takes one, and the StainStriker has a wider cleaning brush head nevertheless a smaller dirty water tank.
Lastly, possibly most importantly, the StainStriker retails for $90 decrease than the HydroSteam.
Final Verdict
At such an affordable value degree, I really feel the Shark StainStriker is an outstanding machine to have in your arsenal of cleaning merchandise. Actually, the machine’s effectiveness will depend on numerous variables: the fabric or carpet you’re cleaning, the stain (pink and oil-based stains are typically more durable to take care of, for instance), and the best way prolonged the stain has been left to sit down down.
However, the StainStriker is cheap, easy to operate, moveable and environment friendly on many stains—along with earlier stains that expert carpet cleaners couldn’t even get to budge! For that motive, I’d counsel it to anyone who should stain-treat supplies and carpets repeatedly (aka, of us with pets and kids).
The place to Buy the StainStriker
FAMILY HANDYMAN
A formidable carpet cleaner for spot-treating stains
You should purchase the StainStriker straight from Shark, at Walmart and on Amazon. The retail value is $140, nevertheless the machine is often marked down.