Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner PX200UK review

Overall star rating: 4.5/5

Price on writing: £150 (often available for £99) | Buy now from Shark

What we like

Shifts both wet and dried-on stains
Compact and easy to store
Extra-long cord (4.5 metres)
Shark cleaning liquid has a fresh, pleasant scent
Comes with reversible brush heads for different surfaces

What we don’t like

Can only be used with Shark branded cleaning products
Quite loud when in use
Not suitable for wool carpets

Our verdict

Small but mighty, the Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner PX200UK is a compact stain remover that’s effective at shifting dried-in dirt while leaving floors smelling brilliantly fresh in the process.

It’s a great solution if you’ve got kids and pets at home and find yourself cleaning muddy footprints, food spillages and all manner of unidentified splodges on the regular, and it’s perfect if you’re short on space as it’s about the size of an air fryer. Its sturdy handle and long power cord make it easy to move around the house (or car or caravan), ready to blitz stains into oblivion at a moment's notice.

It’s also hugely satisfying to use - something I don’t tend to associate with household tasks. It did a sterling job of lifting sofa stains as well as giving a new lease of life to my doormats and stairs when testing at home (see before and after pictures below).

Designed for targeted stain removal rather than cleaning large carpeted areas (you’ll need a traditional carpet cleaner for that), it’s a great buy if you want to rid your floors and upholstery of family filth, particularly if you don’t have the budget for a carpet cleaner or the space to store a bulky upright appliance. It’s noisier than similar spot cleaners I’ve tested and it can only be used with Shark branded cleaning products but they’re small bugbears. And to be fair, my carpets have never smelt fresher.

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Key specs

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner: How we tested

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner testing

A month of testing at home
Used on carpets, stairs and doormats as well as our sofa and family car
Tested the hand tool and crevice tool

I put the spot cleaner through its paces at home, where my school- and nursery-aged kids have a total disregard for floor cleanliness, often traipsing mud through the house and letting drinks topple over onto rugs.

We don’t have any carpet downstairs (although we do have a large rug and doormats) but our upstairs area is fully carpeted. Our setup proved to be a good testing ground for this kind of product as it’s designed for targeted on-the-spot cleaning rather than whole-room floor revamps.

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner: what’s in the box?

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner box

Main StrainStriker unit
Tough Stain hand tool (with a reversible brush head)
Crevice tool
Hose-cleaning tool
Shark CarpetXpert Deep Clean Pro Formula
StainStriker OXY Multiplier Formula starter bottles

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner: how easy is it to assemble?

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner assemble

It’s ready to go straight from the box. The hose is already connected to the main unit and it doesn’t need charging as it’s a corded appliance. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the clean water tanks (there are two) and the dirty water tank, it’s just a case of filling (the correct!) tanks with water and adding the right amount of cleaning solution - thankfully there are handy markers on the side.

The cleaning liquids - the Shark CarpetXpert Pro Formula and the StainStriker OXY Multiplier - are designed to be used at the same time (albeit in different compartments) for a stain-blitzing double whammy of a solution. I appreciated the colour coding on the tanks and bottles to ensure I poured the liquids into the right section.

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner: what’s it like to use day-to-day?

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner instructions

Unlike a vacuum cleaner or a floor mop, the StainStriker isn’t the kind of product you’re going to use on a daily basis (although if you mop your floors on a daily basis, you’re a better, cleaner person than me).

It’s compact so it can be stashed away neatly, ready to whip out to tackle stains as they arise or to give rugs and sofas a regular refresh. It’s worth bearing in mind that it’s a hands-and-knees job. The product itself is powerful, as is the cleaning solution, but you’ll still need to get close to the ground and use the brush to scrub away at offending dirt. And while it’s portable, it’s quite heavy when full of water.

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner bristles

The unit features a suction nozzle, a high-pressure spray and a brush head with reversible bristles for different surfaces. The stain removing process is easy to get to grips with - you’re essentially saturating the area with the stain solution, using the brush to agitate the dirt and then sucking up the excess water. There’s a handy step-by-step guide on the brush handle that I found really useful as the process differs slightly depending on whether you’re shifting wet or dry stains. It’s loud when in use but you’re unlikely to use it for too long.

The StainStriker sits somewhere between a traditional carpet cleaner and the kind of stain removing spray you’d grab from a supermarket shelf. It’s way more powerful than a basic spray and the suction nozzle means the surface is quick to dry, but it doesn’t cover the same ground as a carpet cleaner.

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner: how effective is it at cleaning?

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner cleaner

The StainStriker in action, tackling a variety of stains including tea, mud and crayons.

Very! It was quick to shift a variety of marks and stains in our house during a month-long testing period. It made light work of tea, mud and crayon/chalk stains and got rid of a random sofa stain that I’d failed to remove with a spray cleaner. The before and after pictures highlight just how effective it's been in our house.

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner sofa

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner: how easy is it to clean?

Shark StainStriker Stain & Spot Cleaner dirty water tank

The dirty water tank is easy to remove, empty and rinse (while gasping in horror at the murky water you’re tipping down the sink) and the reversible bristles can be run under the tap. There’s a handy hose cleaning tool that attaches to the end of the nozzle and sprays water back up the hose to ensure you’re keeping everything shipshape in storage.

About the author

Rachel Erdos is an Editor at Mumsnet where she commissions, edits and writes content with a focus on product reviews, homeware roundups and family travel.

She’s written buyer’s guides for publications including Expert Reviews and Coach as well as reviews and features for the Guardian, TripSavvy and Visit London.

As a mum of two, she’s always on the lookout for products that make life easier (and cleaning feel like less of a chore) at home and loves putting appliances and gadgets to the test to highlight best buys for families.

About Mumsnet Reviews

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