As my family has expanded, I’ve developed a growing hatred for carpets. Dogs are wonderful, but they can create quite a mess, and children, while also delightful, can also be tough on carpets.

Frustrated with the state of the carpet in our living room, I replaced it with laminate flooring for easier cleaning. Despite frequent paw-cleaning, my spaniel Dexter seemed to constantly track dirt into the carpet.

The carpets upstairs were also starting to look worn, making me yearn for hard floors there too. That was until I discovered this powerhouse of a home appliance – Shark’s Carpet Xpert HairPro Pet.

Retailing at £349.99, it’s pricier than previous models, but is specifically designed for homes battling pet hair, odours and general grime that accumulates in carpets. With bold claims like removing “three times more pet hair than any upright carpet cleaner” and instantly eliminating stains and odours with “instantly removes stains and odours with 20 times more stain striking power”, I was eager to put it to the test.

But did it live up to these promises?

First impressions

Upon unboxing, it resembles a vacuum cleaner, albeit slightly heavier. It comes with five attachments for the StainStriker tube, plus a bottle of StainStriker and CarpetXpert cleaning formula.

Setting up is quite straightforward, with a handy instruction manual to guide you through the process. Alternatively, if you’re tech-savvy, it comes with a QR code that you can scan to watch ‘how to’ videos.

Attaching the tube and filling up the tanks are simple tasks – just ensure you put the correct liquid in each compartment, plug it in, and you’re ready to go. 

How did it fare with pet hair?

The Carpet Xpert makes numerous bold claims, and I was slightly sceptical before testing it. As many dog owners can attest, it feels like we’ve heard it all before – I’ve lost count of the number of vacuum cleaners I’ve used that make similar promises but fail to deliver.

However, this one is different, very different indeed. I was simultaneously shocked, repulsed, and amazed when I first emptied the dirty water tank.

A large clump of hair (I’ll spare you the image as it’s rather unpleasant) had gathered in the filter section, surrounded by dirty water. 

Despite regularly vacuuming the carpets, I was horrified to discover the amount of dog hair hidden within them, but equally impressed at how effortlessly the Shark had removed it. This continued every time I emptied the tank, and I was astounded by the amount of hair that must have been deeply embedded in the floor, which even a powerful vacuum hadn’t managed to dislodge previously. 

Cleaning the carpets

When it comes to overall cleaning, the device left the carpets gleaming. In less worn areas, they looked almost brand new, while high-traffic spots were significantly improved, though not flawless.

It’s incredibly satisfying to use and I found myself zipping around with it, admiring the clean streaks it left behind.

Starting up is straightforward – you simply press down on the bottom section with your foot like a vacuum cleaner, then switch it on. ‘Deep clean’ flashes on the screen as it begins to dampen the carpets with the solution while sucking up all the hair and dirt.

After you’ve gone over it, you press a button to change it to dry mode and go over the area you’ve just cleaned a few times. I found it did an excellent job of extracting most of the water from the carpet, but bear in mind that it remains slightly damp until it fully dries.

What about the StainStriker?

This specific model includes a built-in StainStriker, essentially a long hose with various attachments that’s ideal for tackling stubborn stains or cleaning sofas or stairs.

A few spots on the carpet had some stains that were too embedded for the main part of the machine to fully handle. So I switched to the StainStriker, and after giving them a good scrub, I was thrilled to see it had worked and they completely disappeared.

This is essentially a smaller, handheld cleaner that’s perfect for tackling stubborn stains on carpets or sprucing up items like sofas or car seats. You simply choose the most suitable attachment for the task, spray the area, give it a good scrub and then suction out the dirty liquid.

What’s not so great?

It’s incredibly satisfying to use and a useful addition for cleaning more than just carpets. However, there was one annoyance I encountered while using the cleaner – the hose.

The design to wrap it around the machine isn’t foolproof and the hose kept falling off while I was manoeuvring the overall machine. After a couple of times, it became irritating, so I just disconnected it while using the main part of the machine, then reattached it when I needed the StainStriker attachment.

The tank also isn’t the largest, so don’t expect to clean the entire house in one go, you’ll need to frequently refill it with water and the cleaning solution, as well as empty the dirty water tank.

What other carpet cleaners are available?

Another big name in the cleaning appliance industry is Vax, with its Platinum Power Max Pet-Design cheaper at £179.99, although it lacks the StainStriker attachment function.

The Bissell SpotClean Pet Cleaner (£109 on Amazon) is a compact cleaner that has received many positive reviews, including one happy customer who said: “I bought this for pet stain removal. I used it on my sofa too and was amazed how good it came up. For a small cleaner it’s great.”

If you don’t want to shell out a big lump sum and would prefer to rent a carpet cleaner then many supermarkets, including several Asda and Tesco stores, have Rug Doctors for hire.

Overall

The Shark promises a great deal and boy does it deliver. The best thing I can say about it is it really is a machine that can genuinely cope with pet hair without constantly clogging up, while it breathed a whole new lease of life into my carpets.

What I really love is how it not only gets really deep into them to whip the muck away, but it doesn’t leave them soaking afterwards – a problem I’ve found in the past. The added advantage of having the machine rather than renting one means I’ll now be able to keep on top of it and keep them looking nice and fresh.

There are a couple of minor quibbles like the size of the tank, but it’s not something that would put me off buying. If you were doing a really large area, say an office or a large room, it would probably get annoying but it’s nothing major for an average-sized house.

The product is a new release and has eight reviews on the Shark website to date – all of which have awarded the full five stars. A couple of examples include: “I ordered the Shark carpet cleaner a few weeks ago and I’ve cleaned every carpet in the house! Very quick and easy! It’s brought the carpets up like new.” A separate reviewer raved: “This is my first time using Shark products and I’m blown away. This is the best carpet cleaner I have used, it really does the work of cleaning without leaving your carpets soaked for days.”

The Shark Carpet Xpert HairPro Pet is available to purchase for £349.99 from either Shark’s website or Amazon.