I am a sucker for TV infomercials. I’m enthralled by tomatoes that grow upside down, knives that cut through rusty nails and cupcakes the size of small third countries. However, the one product that I actively pursued owning after seeing it suck up a bowling ball on national TV was the Shark handheld vacuum.
Yes, I am the proud owner of the Shark 15.6-Volt Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner with Motorized Brush. And yes, it actually works. Whereas I have yet to test its Twister Cyclonic technology on a bowling ball, the cleaner works well sucking up cereal and glitter spills. I mainly use it to clean the car, but it also works extremely well on small jobs, on stairs and in hard to reach corners.
Now that I’ve found success with the handheld Shark, I have my eye on the Euro-Pro Shark Steam Mop. According to its website, the device does wonders on tile, wood and other hard surface floors. The key feature is the Shark’s ability to use heat to lift off stains. It can also be used to buff away scuffs from shoes or furniture; get rid of tough and ground-in dirt and lift mud from carpets.
I also like the fact that you don’t have to spend extra money buying and re-buying additional cleaning solution. The Euro-Pro Shark Steam Mop runs exclusively with tap water. The water is turned into steam, which is what eliminates stubborn stains.
To use the steamer you just place a custom-fitted microfiber pad on the Shark’s base, and then fill the reservoir with eight ounces of water. Once the water is in, switch the steamer on, wait 30 seconds for the water to heat up, and then push the upper part of the handle down three or four times to start the steam release. The steam mop needs to be pumped as you clean, which could be annoying to some, but at least the mop does what it claims to do.
If you are tackling carpet stains, then you’ll need to place the carpet attachment to the Shark. The Carpet Glider snaps on to the base of the unit and allows the pads to move across the carpet without getting caught up in fibers.
Do you clean with a Shark?