Using the Shark StainStriker Is Oddly Satisfying (Albeit Kinda Disgusting)
Pro-level clean in minutes? I’m all about it
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- Value: 19/20
- Ease of Use: 20/20
- Stain-Removing Ability: 16/20
- Odor-Removing Ability: 20/20
- Portability: 18/20
Total: 93/100
When you have two kids under six, messes aren’t just inevitable. They’re every day. And that’s how the TikToks hooked me: People scrubbing away stains with portable carpet/upholstery vacs, removing mud, muck and other mystery grime with what appeared to be relative ease. Was this the magic of clever editing? Could those vacs really work that well? As someone who’s tested cleaning supplies for the better part of a decade, I needed to try it firsthand.
The Bissell LittleGreen gets plenty of hype, but I was even more intrigued by the Shark StainStriker—with its three attachments, lighter weight (by roughly a pound) and claims that it could remove odors like smoke and pet urine—I had to put it to the test. Er, four tests, actually. Here’s how it fared.
How I Tested the Shark StainStriker
Following Shark’s instructions, I used the StainStriker to clean (1) a urine stain on a pack-and-play pad, (2) spilled fingerpaint on a shaggy rug, (3) mud and grime on a low-pile outdoor rug and (4) old, worn-in stains on a sofa. In doing so, I sought out how well it removed stains and odors, how long the cleaning process took and how cumbersome it was, while ensuring I was covering a variety of types of stains, ages of stains and surfaces.
How Does the Shark StainStriker Work?
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All too often, vacuums come with bloated instruction books that overcomplicate getting started. Thankfully, the StainStriker features a slim, easy-to-follow setup guide you almost don’t need (it’s that straightforward). There are two large tanks and one small one—one large one for the water/cleaning solution, another large one for holding the dirty water that’s sucked up and a pint-size tank for filling with the Shark OXY Multiplier solution, which helps really spot clean stains.
Take the clean water tank (officially called the CarpetXpert tank), fill it with water to the fill line, add the included Deep Clean Pro cleaning solution to its fill line, and pop it back in. Grab the small tank, fill with the OXY Multiplier solution, and reinstall it. Plug the machine in, and you’re ready to go. Easy, right?
How Well Does the Shark StainStriker Clean?
Test #1: Urine
Yeah, I went there. The Shark StainStriker includes a Pet Mess Tool attachment designed for these types of disasters, which keeps debris and liquid out of the machine itself. (If you’re dealing with dog or cat poop, you’ll want to remove the pop first; this is meant for just the stain or odors that linger.)
In this case, it was used after a diaper leaked during nap time on a pack-and-play mat. And you know what? The StainStriker worked like a charm. I sprayed the solution, made a few quick passes, let the mat dry—and all signs of pee were gone.
Test #2: Spilled Fingerpaint
The paint claims to be washable, but the stain wasn’t detected until it’d dried—days ago. Regular spot-treating didn’t do much, so I turned to the StainStriker. I let the cleaning solution sit for a few minutes before using the regular hand tool’s scrubber to really massage the stain. Then I got to suctioning—and about 90 percent of the stain disappeared. There’s still a very faint pink tint, but it’s nothing like what it was before. (I repeated this process on two other fingerpaint stains, and one disappeared. The other was lifted about 90 percent as well.)
Test #3: Grimy Outdoor Rug
Shark recommends vacuuming with a traditional vac before using the StainStriker, particularly in cases where there’s dirt or loose debris, so that’s what I did here. Then, I got to spraying the solution and scrubbing. The StainStriker actually pulled more debris than the vacuum did, thanks to its powerful suction. In the end, the rug looked fully restored to its original glory. (Admittedly, the rug’s dramatic pattern is pretty good at hiding grime—it was really the murky gray-brown water that revealed just how nasty it was.)
Test #4: Ancient Stains on a Beyond-Hope Sofa
This sofa needs to be burned to the ground. It’s 12 years old and lives in a basement, and it’s seen the horrors of multiple exploding pens, spilled wine, Diet Coke and baby spit-up. Spot treatments, steam cleaners and the like couldn’t remove its Rorschach-like scars; could the StainStriker?
I sprayed the solution, hoping the OXY Multiplier would really do its thing. I gave it a few minutes to set and got to scrubbing. Chocolate milk-colored water slurped through the machine, and I tried not to gag. After a full pass, I sprayed and got to scrubbing again. The water was a bit cleaner now, but still discolored. Some stains had vanished; the pen marks had blurred a bit but were still going strong. I gave those areas a third scrub and let it dry.
The result? The stains were about 70 percent gone overall; the stubborn ink and upper upholstery stains were just too old to disappear entirely. (And honestly, the upholstery probably would’ve worn to shreds before it came out, no matter how powerful the StainStriker’s solution or suction.)
What I Like
- Small, portable size yet tanks are large
- Intuitive setup
- Top-notch stain removal
- Comes with pet mess tool
What I Don't Like
- Having to buy/stock Shark’s two cleaning solutions
- Wish it were cordless (though battery life could be an issue)
shark
The Bottom Line
At less than 9 pounds, the Shark StainStriker is a convenient, portable, easy-to-use carpet and upholstery vac that remarkably tackles stains and odors. I’ve avoided other carpet cleaners in the past because they’ve been bulky, and honestly, a pain to haul up and down stairs (or wherever you need them), so that’s a big plus too. And the Pet Mess Tool? Brilliant.
If you’re in your “What doesn’t have a stain on it?” era of life (I feel you), it’s a godsend. Just don’t let the stain linger for days (or uh, years) before actually tackling it.
VP of editorial content
- Oversees home, food and commerce articles
- Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
- Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business
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