I Tried Shark’s Portable Stain Cleaner on My Cat’s Worst Messes. It Works Like Magic

Professionals

• Moveable and light-weight to be used round the home
• Has labored nice on a number of tender surfaces, together with carpet and fabric
• Tackles each moist spills and dried-on stains
• The included stain removing spray works higher than something I’ve used earlier than

Cons

• Battery life is brief
• Comparatively costly at round $200
• The waste tank wants common cleansing and airing out to keep away from odors

In the event you’re a cat proprietor — or a pet proprietor on the whole — you are in all probability aware of their means to make a multitude of your carpets. Between hairballs, soiled paws from the litter field and vomiting from consuming too quick, my cats have steadily turned the cream-colored, low-pile carpet in my bed room into a tragic shade of grey. There’s solely a lot even a full-sized carpet cleaner and beneficiant quantities of stain remover can do to rescue a stained carpet, so when Shark supplied me its StainForce to check, I wasn’t satisfied it might make a lot distinction.

After months of testing, I have to admit: I used to be mistaken. Regardless of its small measurement, the StainForce moveable spot cleaner labored like magic at eradicating the worst cat stains from my carpets. It even labored on outdated, dried-up stains that I would given up making an attempt to raise. It isn’t solely earned a spot in my house, however my spouse can also’t think about residing with out it.

A singular moveable design that simply works 

The Shark StainForce is basically three gadgets in a single. The bundle features a moveable aqua-green caddy that holds the cordless handheld vacuum on one facet and a singular two-in-one spray bottle on the opposite. It additionally has slots for a few of the included attachments, together with an influence twine that plugs immediately into the StainForce unit to maintain it charged.

The Shark StainForce itself is an attention-grabbing machine. It is a mixture of a wet-dry vacuum, moveable cordless vacuum and spot cleaner. The physique jogs my memory a little bit of an old-timey flintlock pistol, with a deal with, a waste tank that holds moist and dry messes and a nozzle on the entrance that handles suction and stain removing.

There are two attachments for the comb finish. One is a scrubbing head with thick rubber bristles that present the agitation wanted to work into carpets. The opposite is a nozzle designed extra for suction and moist messes in tighter areas. It additionally has a set of rubber scrubbers on it. I will be trustworthy: I’ve barely used the latter, since many of the stains I’ve needed to clear are giant.

The spray bottle itself is attention-grabbing as a result of it is not simply a typical stain remover like Resolve. It has two separate compartments crammed with Shark’s customized cleansing options. One facet holds a deep cleaner and the opposite an oxy cleaner; they combine within the spray head and work collectively to raise stains.

When Shark first confirmed it to me over video, it gave the impression of quite a lot of advertising communicate. In any case, how significantly better might this spray actually be than any of the numerous stain removers I am aware of? The reply: a complete lot. 

It labored for stains I assumed can be unimaginable to take away 

I am going to let the photographs do many of the speaking right here. Check out that gnarly yellow stain on my white carpet. That is the work of my serial puker, Emperor Maximus. (Sure, I am a kind of guys who at all times take into consideration the Roman Empire.) My not-always-so-regal cat eats too quick and typically yaks up his moist or dry meals onto the closest rug he can discover. He is additionally my silent puker, so I typically do not discover the mess till it is partially dried, as was the case with this stain on my bed room flooring. 

I anticipated it to be unimaginable to take away and, at greatest, to go away behind a pale yellow stain. I began by eradicating any giant, dry chunks of cat meals from the carpet with a paper towel. Then I used the included spray bottle to saturate the stained space and let it sit for about 30 seconds. After that, I fired up the StainForce and used the primary rubber-bristle attachment to clean the carpet whereas the vacuum’s suction eliminated the remaining moist and dry mess.

The outcomes have been spectacular. The carpet appeared pristine, with no hint of the stain. And this wasn’t only a fluke — I used to be in a position to replicate the outcomes throughout a number of rugs, together with a darker one in my lobby and eating room and a yellow rug in my front room. The messes I eliminated included ever-present cat hairballs and spills from tomato sauce, purple wine and Coca-Cola, all of that are notoriously troublesome to scrub with out leaving stains.

Notably, I used to be additionally in a position to get my father-in-law’s blood off our gentle blue couch. To be clear, I did not kill the person — he is on blood thinners, so when he by chance cuts himself, he typically does not even discover he is dripping blood. Dried blood might be one of many hardest stains to take away, so I assumed the sofa cushion was a goner. However with a fast spray and about 30 seconds of scrubbing and vacuuming, you possibly can’t even inform the cushion was as soon as stained.

There are a couple of caveats to the StainForce. The battery life is not very lengthy, and it is probably not meant for steady use over a big space. For that, you may need a extra devoted spot cleaner, such because the one which comes with the Eufy E28 robotic vacuum or a devoted carpet cleaner, like one of many many we advocate throughout a variety of costs.

You may additionally have to do some fundamental upkeep to maintain the StainForce operating easily. As a result of the tank holds each strong and liquid waste, you do not need to let particles sit and fester. After each cleansing session, I emptied the tank, added recent water and turned the unit on to rinse it out. The few instances I forgot, there was a really disagreeable odor the following time I powered it on. I extremely advocate staying on high of this step.

Is the Shark StainForce value it? Completely 

“We should always have gotten it sooner,” my spouse mentioned once I requested her for her ideas on the Shark StainForce. Normally round $200 at full value, the StainForce is not low cost, particularly since a full-sized cordless vacuum can run you about the identical value. Our high choose, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, is even cheaper at $180 (even much less on sale), whereas the $220 Hoover SmartWash+FlexForce can clear and dry carpeted flooring, too. 

However the StainForce is not for that type of use case. It is meant to be small and moveable, making it excellent for folks like me who stay in an condominium and do not need to haul round an enormous spot cleaner. The caddy makes it very handy to seize and go and it does not take up a lot house to retailer. I have never seen any moveable spot cleaner this measurement earlier than; the closest often is the $130 Bissell Little Inexperienced, however that comes with a cumbersome hose and requires a twine. I am unable to communicate to the efficiency, since I have never examined it, however the measurement is sufficient to put me off. 

For me, the Shark StainForce and Shark’s customized spray have greater than proved their value over the previous a number of months. I do not hesitate to advocate it to anybody with messy pets, stain-prone carpets and restricted house for a full-size cleaner.