Although I am always skeptical about new products and am always looking for the "what's wrong with it?" factor, I found very few flaws with this product. The Shark, a portable steam cleaning system, purchased from a commercial surprised me. After reading the instruction manual I was worried about how many items I could safely use the product on. The manual lists so many items of what not to clean it was ridiculous . So I just started with the place I hated to clean the most- the inside of the microwave. By the time I had called my boyfriend into the kitchen to show him if it held up to the claims of the ad and about a minute later, when he got to the kitchen, the entire inside of the microwave was clean.
So I went around my kitchen and tested The Shark on things that normally would take a long time to clean. I had already cut a half hour out of my cleaning routine with the microwave. What else could I clean better or quicker than I had before? The sticky glue like spots inside the fridge were gone in a flash. Very impressive. It didn't erase a deep wine stain off my counter but it killed and erased a mold stain from my wall that nothing else would take off. I discovered what the inside of a clean dishwasher looked like. With the use of The Shark I was able to get my deposit back when I moved out of an apartment complex known for not giving back the deposit.
With the changeable cleaning cloth wipes I discovered the sanitary issues I normally have with a sponge didn't apply here because I could change the appliance's wipes after each job. The changing out of parts is fairly simple - assuming you have at least skim read the instructions. It has a guide for what part plugs in where. After the quick setup and review of accessories, its fairly easy to figure out which type of cloth cleaning wipe one should use on what material. For instance there are different cleaning wipes to use depending on what you are cleaning. There is a glass cleaner cloth, an oven cleaning cloth, and so on.
Sure you have to lug the thing around and it's heavier than it looks. Especially if you're not used to lifting items above your head for long periods of time. Not the best for carpal tunnel or weak wrists. The speed of cleaning and how easily it removes smoker stains from the ceiling makes it irresistible, despite the weight. Its probably a good little toning workout. Ironically, the walls are one of the things on the list of items not to use The Shark on. This is of course to keep people from melting the paint off their walls - you know, a company covering it's keister by listing anything that could potentially go wrong in the manual and then finishing with "use at your own risk." Of course when working with a steam cleaner who would want to take responsibility for user error burns. Make sure to plug in those parts correctly and tighten the string around the cleaning wipes or the scalding steam might escape. If done correctly the product is safe to the touch but a simple mistake such as forgetting to tighten the string around the cleaning wipe and if you clean above your head (which I'm sure isn't recommended) then all that steam might build up a scalding drop of condensation which could drip on your face. So don't forget that doing something like that is the "use at your own risk" part.
Despite the risks, cleaning all the mirrors in the house took about fifteen minutes as opposed to hours. Reminiscent of a vacuum cleaner, one must re-plug The Shark in every room. The annoyance comes from having to refill the water in the unit. It comes with a special measuring cup to transport the water to the unit but it doesn't fill the unit completely. A second trip for water may be necessary. Oh, and be careful because for some reason the hole where you refill the water is really small and the cap doesn't stay attached to the unit. Keep track of that little cap because the "how to care for" section asks you to allow the unit to dry out before storage and this is done by leaving the little cap off. By the way, Kittens love the cap as a toy.
Remember to always use purified water with The Shark. The manual states it, a sticker attached to that little cap reminds the user to use special water. The reason for the annoyance is so the calcium found in tap water won't clog the tubes in the unit. So however you get purified water keep in mind it may take more than a gallon to clean a house. The unit doesn't hold much water but since one has to carry around the hose and the water container, who would want more water. I know a lot of thought went into the design of the unit, making it convenient and compact, but maybe they could make the hose longer so the unit can be set down or add a shoulder strap so both hands aren't constantly preoccupied while using The Shark.
Still, despite these issues, The Shark is a product I wouldn't want to be without. It's an item I didn't know was necessary until I owned it. Although when it comes to dust, fur, or hair a pre-sweep or wipe may be necessary as The Shark cleans spots and stains really well, it unfortunately doesn't pick up debris as well as I'd hoped. An after wipe can still be done instead because even the special dust collecting cleaning cloth was unimpressive. But even with it's little hang ups, the positives far out weigh the negatives when it comes to The Shark. I've seen this product at Kmart but the TV commercial offered double the amount of cleaning cloths for the same price. So however one attains the product, congratulations! Just use some common sense, take care of the parts and stay away from injury.
Bonus tip: tie the ends of the strings on the cleaning wipes so when the cloths (wipes) go through the washer and dryer they don't slide out of place (like a hoodie might with it's draw strings.)
The picture is of The Shark with one of the attachments, three of the cloth materials that would go over the attachment and the bag it all gets stored in. This article was about the Shark® Portable Steam Pocket® - SC630. Products and information about the company can be found at their website: http://www.sharkclean.com/
This article does not promote the incorrect usage of the product and is merely an opinion of my own experience with The Shark. This article and it's author in no way take responsibility and do not condone any actions or reactions readers may take in response to having read this or used the product. I am not endorsed by the company and this is not a representation of the company.
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