‘I tried the new Shark Stainforce and it leaves no traces of stubborn stains’

Shopping writer Eve Rowlands tested out the new Shark StainForce home appliance and it seems to have worked wonders on her greige carpets

Any pet owner will know the headaches caused when their little furry friend is poorly. Especially when their cat or dog decides to wake them up with a symphony of sounds that inevitably results in a stained carpet – especially if the mess isn’t cleaned up straight away.

This is a situation I experienced in the early hours of Sunday morning, thanks to my small but mighty tuxedo cat, Winnie, with a delicate stomach. Now, as someone who has light, greige carpets, stains – especially dark ones – basically stand out like a billboard. And this time was no different, with a lovely brown mark appearing on my carpet despite my attempt at cleaning up the chaos.

Which meant I could test out the new £169.99 Shark StainForce’s stain-removing powers, ditching my usual manual Dr. Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover (although it’s an affordable quick fix at £3.50 at Amazon ) – and I must say, I’m impressed.

Although Shark’s products usually generate some top-quality results, I wasn’t surprised. Firstly, it’s relatively compact, being thin and small in length, which rivals the likes of the more robust, chunky Vax Compact Power Upright Carpet Cleaner, £90.

It’s a neat caddy, and fits perfectly in my downstairs loo, so it’s not out on show for everyone to see. The first step was to use the device’s bristles on the nose to loosen up any debris and then remove it with the suction tool.

Then it was time to saturate the stain in the stain-fighting spray. Now, I did come up against my first hurdle when the spray bottle the machine comes with – and can only be used with – didn’t work initially. The spray contains the brand’s Deep Clean Max and Oxy Multiplier Max, Shark’s ‘most powerful’ stain-fighting formula, so this was a necessity and made me panic that I’d got a dudd machine.

Although after about 15 minutes of spraying the nozzle – with only air coming out – the liquid inside began spurting out, and I was able to drench the stain in the liquid.

Leaving it for five minutes and then repeating the process, I then took the Spot Cleaner, turned it on and let it work its magic – which to me looked like it was sucking up the stain thanks to its suction process.

This removed all traces of the brown mark within just a few minutes – although I did go over it a few times just to make sure. What’s more is that it also eliminated all odour that came with the stain, which was a godsend.

One slightly disappointing but unsurprising discovery is that for stains that are essentially now woven into the fabric of the upholstery and have been for years, such as a black mark that was on the carpets when I moved into the house two years ago.

The Shark StainForce didn’t really touch the sides and made minimal difference – maybe left it a little lighter, but that’s at a push. Although I’ve made peace with those sorts of stains and know that if there are spillages like coffee, wine or pen marker, this device can most certainly handle it and eliminate any evidence of such a mark.

My only request for it to be improved is its ability to handle stains on harder surfaces, such as floors. The brand says: “The Shark StainForce is only designed for carpets, rugs, upholstery, & fabrics, not hard floors. This unit is not suitable for use on wool, silk, antique or other delicate materials.”

Although it works wonders on carpets, leaving no sign that a stain ever graced them. What’s great is that it also has a self-cleaning function, which works quickly and effectively and means you don’t have to treat yourself to the task of facing the remains of the stain. It’s also easy to charge with a magnetic circular charging point, rather than a round, awkward port input.