If you’re looking to pick up a new vacuum cleaner in 2026, then we’re happy to report that you are absolutely spoiled for choice. With established brands like Dyson and more recent heavy hitters like Dreame, you can get even more bang for your buck. There’s one brand, however, that is brilliantly consistent in terms of suction power, features, and overall value: Shark.
Unless you’ve spent the last few years completely ignoring the tech news cycle, there’s a good chance that you’ve already heard of SharkNinja as the company is responsible for some of the most popular devices we’ve had the pleasure of testing. Most notably, the company makes Ninja air fryers, which are almost unparalleled in cooking power, but on the cleaning side of things, it’s the Shark arm of the business that continues to impress.
Shark has put out everything from corded cleaners to cordless wonders, electric mops and even robot vacuums that can take the cleaning process out of your hands entirely (perfect for when you just want to kick back with a good book). For those who are thinking about picking up their first Shark vacuum to see what all the fuss is about, you’re in the right place.
Our team of experts have tested the absolute best Shark vacuums and whittled them down to this convenient guide so you can get paired up with the right Shark cleaner for your needs. Keep on reading to see which model speaks to you, or check out our overall guide to the best vacuum cleaners and the best robot vacuum cleaners for a more holistic look at the industry.
Best Shark vacuum cleaners at a glance
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How we test
We test every vacuum cleaner we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
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Very flexible
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Self-empty station works brilliantly
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Excellent performance
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Hard to empty cleanly manually
The Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA3241UKT is one of those vacuums that best exemplifies the brand’s skills in home cleaning that if someone were to ask us outright which no-fuss cordless option they should pick above all else, this is probably the model we would suggest.
Because it’s so lightweight at just 3.22kg, the IA3241UKT is very easy to manoeuvre and run about your floors, so even if you have quite a sizeable cleaning job ahead of you, you’re unlikely to encounter any noticeable fatigue with this in tow. What’s more, thanks to the MultiFlex bend at the stem, you don’t have to bend down in order to clean under beds and sofas.
The bending element can also be called upon when stowing away the IA3241UKT, so if you’re someone who lives in a flat or apartment where space comes at a premium, then it’s a great option to have. Where the vacuum really comes into its own however is if you have pets.
When put to the test, the IA3241UKT did brilliantly with both pet hair and human hair, making sure that neither would get tangled up in the brush but would find its way neatly into the dustbin. There’s also a light onboard which helps you to spot any dirt on your floors that would otherwise go unnoticed by the naked eye. Still, with the automatic dirt detection mode, the IA3241UKT can change its suction power to accommodate whatever messes it finds.
When it comes time to empty the IA3241UKT, while this can be done manually, we did find this process to be a tad cumbersome and messy if you’re not careful, which is why we recommend picking up the optional self-emptying docking station that can take over. All you have to do is dock the vacuum and the dirt is sucked away into a secondary bin for easy disposal.
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Excellent mopping
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Powerful vacuuming
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Clever stain and dirt detection
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No bags
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Very basic app
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Gets tangled with hair
While there is no shortage of amazing robot vacuums out there, one thing that is definitely lacking is their ability to recognise the amount of dirt on your floors, not just the floor type, and then adjust their suction level/mode accordingly. Well, if that’s exactly what you’re after in your next robotic cleaner then the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal RV3000XEUK Robot Vacuum Mop will be right up your street.
Although its full name is a bit of a mouthful, the UV Reveal RV3000XEUK uses UV light to show the hidden dust and stains that lie untouched on your floors and usually go unnoticed by the human eye. When it spots an area that’s particularly overrun with debris, the dirt detection software kicks in and changes the suction power based on what it thinks will work best in the moment.
It’s an amazing bit of technology, and it leaves you with the peace of mind that the RV3000XEUK is actually giving your floors the clean they require, so you don’t have to immediately go over it all again with a manual vacuum. Because this is a 2-in-1 robot vacuum cleaner, there’s also a mopping element to tackle any sudden spills.
In our tests, the RV3000XEUK did a fantastic job with getting rid of dried-in coffee and red wine stains. For the mud test, which required a mixture of the vacuum to remove scattered clumps and then the mop to rid the floor of the stain underneath, it did so brilliantly. The ketchup test was a bit tougher, but the RV3000XEUK still managed to get rid of it all during a second pass, which is quite rare for a robot vacuum cleaner.
It’s a shame then that with all the technical prowess that went into the RV3000XEUK itself that the accompanying app hasn’t been given the same love and attention. There are odd things at play here, such as needing to run a dedicated carpet detection mode instead of having the RV3000XEUK simply recognise carpets automatically as it goes. The app just isn’t as fun to use as its competitors, but the RV3000XEUK cannot be faulted for its cleaning ability.
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Versatile
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Cleans stains well
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Can handle any kind of mess
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Not ideal for stain cleaning large areas
As great as proper vacuum cleaners can be for cleaning your whole house, just as robot vacuums are ideal for those with very little time to stay on top of messes, anyone who loves to dabble in a bit of DIY or who has several kids at home and could be dealing with multiple types of messes throughout the day would do well to have the Shark EveryMess to hand.
As its name implies, this is a cleaning tool meant as an all-in-one device that can be whipped out to sort with pretty much any small-sized mess that needs to be taken care of. It’s a portable vacuum/spot cleaner so it doesn’t matter if there’s loose debris that needs scooping up or a contained spill that you want to tackle before it dries; the EveryMess is here to help.
In terms of raw suction power, the EveryMess did a solid job in our testing, as the vacuum element was able to get rid of a huge amount of dirt during our simulated mud mess. The only thing left was the mud stain underneath in the carpet which could then be tackled easily enough with the spray solution in the tank.
If you’ve not had the pleasure of using Shark’s StainForce detergent before then know it does a fantastic job with pretty much any spill it’s thrown against. In further tests, it made short work of dried-in red wine which is no easy feat, and it took just a few hours following the clean for the carpet to dry out completely.
Because of its compact nature, all of the cables and hoses for the EveryMess wrap around the chassis, and there’s a helpful carry handle on the top so if you need to move it from home to home, or down to the car for a quick sweep of the interior, it’s a much easier time than lugging around a huge vacuum.
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Very easy to use
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Stands up by itself
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Decent vacuuming performance
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Light
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Short battery life
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Hair can get tangled
It wasn’t that long ago when the idea of picking up a cordless vacuum for an affordable price seemed like a bizarre concept, and yet the Shark Freestyle Pro Cordless Upright Vacuum SV2000UK shows just how far the industry has come. Not only are you getting a cordless cleaner here for just £149.99, but it’s a well-performing one at that.
When put up against our rice test, the SV2000UK was able to pick up 100% of the debris, so for similar messes, you’ll get on just fine. For the much tougher flour test, which can leave some lesser-powered vacuums with the issue of simply spreading around the mess, the SV2000UK managed to collect 83.25% which is impressive for a vacuum of this price, and is more of what you’d expect from a mid-range cordless cleaner like the Gtech Air Ram 3.
There are just two modes to choose from here, one for carpets and the other for hard floors, but there is something rather simple about that set-up as you just switch between them on the fly depending on the room you’re in. The one thing that is sorely missing is Shark’s anti-wrap technology for the brush head, so you will have to manually remove hair that gets wrapped up over time.
Of course, the benefit of opting for a cordless cleaner in the first place is that it’s a much smoother experience than a cumbersome wired appliance can offer. The whole thing weighs just 3.2kg so you can glide it around your floors with very little effort. In fact, with such a lightweight frame, it’s much easier to move up and down stairs too.
The battery lasts a little under 20 minutes which should be more than enough for most flats and apartments, but if you live in a house then you may need something with a bit more longevity. Thankfully it’s a simple enough process to top up the SV2000UK due to the included charging dock.
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Huge range of tools
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Clever pet and hair tool
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Dual detergent makes short work of stains
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Not all tools are compatible with the self-clean mode
Let’s face it, as much as we love our pets, the process of cleaning up after them can feel like a part-time job, and if you’ve got kids to look after as well then the whole thing can become a constant battle between yourself and a never-ending series of messes. The whole thing can spiral a bit if you tackle each mess with a manual touch, so to save yourself a good chunk of time, it’s worth adding the Shark StainStriker HairPro Pet Stain & Spot Cleaner PX250UKT to your arsenal.
This device builds upon the usual prowess of Shark’s existing spot cleaners but kicks it up a notch so that it can better work with the messes that pets usually leave behind. This is largely achieved courtesy of the impressive processing of pet hair which sends loose or clumped hair directly to a separate tank, wherein it can be disposed of accordingly.
For more involved cleans, there’s a handy crevice tool included so you can really reach those areas where debris can congregate, such as down the sofa or right at the edges of a bedframe. Depending on the size of the mess at hand, you can choose between the attachment that makes the most sense in the moment, so that the PX250UKT can more accurately tackle what needs sorting.
Working in tandem with one another are Shark’s two formulas, StainStriker OXY Multiplier and CarpetXpert Deep Clean. When sprayed on an area, these formulas get to work, so all you have to do is agitate the mess from the surface it’s attached to and then use the onboard vacuum to scoop it all up. In our tests, the PX250UKT did an amazing job with both a red wine stain and a mud stain.
When you’re done, you can wrap both the hose and the power cord around the device itself so that it can be stored away safely, not to mention the built-in carry handle so you can move it from one room to another. As a final point, there is a self-clean mode that helps a great deal with maintenance, but this doesn’t work with all of the bundled attachments so you may need to give some of them a manual clean to make sure they’re running at their best.
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Easy to use
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Powerful cleaning on carpet and hard floor
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Automatically detects floor type
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Edge pick-up could be better
If you ever needed a clear-cut example of why Shark’s vacuums are a great option for anyone looking to maximise their budget, the Shark PowerPro Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum IZ380UKT works brilliantly. With a £279.99 price tag but regularly available for less if you shop around, the IZ380UKT goes far beyond what you’d expect, offering the type of performance that goes head to head with much pricier vacuums.
In spite of its affordability, the IZ380UKT utilises floor detection to automatically change the speed of the roller depending on the surface at hand. It’s such a helpful feature in that it means you don’t have to waste time swapping between modes as you move from one room to another. Instead you can just proceed with the task at hand and make sure that you’re covering all of the areas that need vacuuming.
When it comes to raw performance, we measured 50AW on the Eco mode which is higher than what you typically find with the lowest settings of more expensive cleaners. For when you do need to kick things up a notch though and get some serious power going, the highest mode available registered a whopping 177AW which is more than enough to tackle most messes.
That suction power very much came into play during our tests, with the IZ380UKT collecting an impressive 96.25% of dust, and it fared even better with collecting rice off the floor. The only area where the IZ380UKT isn’t quite up to snuff is with edge cleaning, as we needed to break out the crevice tool in order to fully clean a mess that had gone right up to the skirting board.
You’re looking at about 17 minutes of use with the IZ380UKT set to Eco, which will no doubt be enough for casual cleaning in flats and apartments, but potentially just a fraction too short for larger houses. Still, for what you get here, the IZ380UKT can’t really be beaten on pure value.
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Excellent range of tools
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Cleans brilliantly
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Simple to switch between carpet and handheld modes
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Doesn’t leave carpets the driest
Given that it’s near impossible to avoid messes and spills at home, no matter how careful you are, we always recommend that you have at least one type of cleaning device to hand so that when something does arise, you’re able to tackle it quickly and without much hassle. If you’d rather have all of your bases covered however with a device that’s designed to tackle the most scenarios, then the Shark CarpetXpert Deep Carpet Cleaner with Built-In StainStriker EX200UK is the one to go for.
As you may have already guessed from its name, the EX200UK is a 2-in-1 device that at first glance looks like your typical carpet cleaner, but if you turn it around you’ll spot a separate hose on the back that allows the appliance to also function as a spot cleaner. This way, you don’t need to take up precious storage space with buying two separate devices – the EX200UK crams two types of cleaner into a single product, and works brilliantly in both areas.
In our testing, we started things off by using the EX200UK’s carpet cleaning function, and when facing off against a dried-in mud stain, the whole appliance was able to remove any sight of it in just five passes, which is quite impressive. To remove any excess detergent, we then toggled the Dry Only mode, leaving the carpet with 31% moisture. That’s a bit more than we would have liked to see, but it does go a long way towards making sure that the space dries more quickly.
Against a red wine stain, the carpet cleaner similarly performed as well as one could hope, removing it from our floors in just a few passes. Swapping over to the handheld spot cleaner, there was a section of our floors that had become a bit unseemly with a few splatters of metal polish, but the EX200UK did an outstanding job here too.
Again, one of the reasons why the EX200UK is able to perform so well across both types of cleaning is because of the Shark detergent that’s brought into the mix, and has proven itself to be wonderfully potent time and time again. Although it might look like a bit of a Frankenstein’s Monster from a design perspective, the EX200UK is still a great option for keeping your home clean no matter what happens.
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Picks up solids and liquids
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Cleans without chemicals
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Fast and powerful
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Limited space for solid waste
Given that Shark already puts out some of the best-performing carpet cleaners and spot cleaners that we’ve ever used, it makes sense that the brand is also adept when it comes to the world of steam cleaners. With that in mind, if you have lots of hard floors in your home that could do with a freshen-up (maybe you have pets that frequently walk over them) then the Shark SteamPickUp Hard Floor Cleaner SD200UK is a great tool to have on hand.
By using steam to its advantage, the SD200UK is able to do a better job than a lot of hard floor cleaners in agitating and removing seriously dried-in stains. When it came time to test the device, we kicked things off with dried-in coffee stains, and for this mess, we didn’t need to go above the lowest steam mode as it was more than enough to remove the mess in just a few passes.
It was much the same experience when tackling the red wine stain, so if you do have a little drink-related mishap during dinner, you can remedy the situation pretty quickly with this device. Things definitely got a bit trickier with the ketchup stain, but this is where a lot of cleaners stumble as there’s always the possibility of making the mess worse by spreading it around. At the very least, after holding the SD200UK upright over the worst parts of the stain, the appliance was able to break the ketchup down and provide the area with a proper clean.
There are three steam modes in total, so you can jump between various levels of intensity depending on how bad the stain is. Unlike a lot of steam cleaners however, the SD200UK also has the ability to pick up solids which can be very handy with a multifaceted mess. When pitted against rice and hair, the steam cleaner was able to scoop everything up, although it’s worth noting that the solids tray isn’t particularly large so if it is a sizeable mess that you have to deal with, we recommend doing a proper vacuum beforehand.
One area where the SD200UK really did surprise our testers was with edge cleaning, an area where steam cleaners can typically fall behind. When we simulated another ketchup stain, only this time with a mess that went right up to where the floor meets the wall, the SD200UK was able to clean up a good chunk of it, to the point where we only needed to do the tiniest bit of manual cleaning to remove what little remained.
Test Data
Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA3241UKT
Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal RV3000XEUK
Shark EveryMess
Shark Freestyle Pro Cordless Upright Vacuum SV2000UK
Shark StainStriker HairPro Pet Stain & Spot Cleaner PX250UKT
Shark PowerPro Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum IZ380UKT
Shark CarpetXpert Deep Carpet Cleaner with Built-In StainStriker EX200UK
Shark SteamPickUp Hard Floor Cleaner SD200UK
Sound (normal)
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80.5 dB
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78.3 dB
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80.4 dB
56.2 dB
AirWatts (low)
59 AW
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–
–
–
50 AW
–
–
AirWatts (medium)
82 AW
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
AirWatts (high)
322 AW
–
–
–
–
177 AW
–
–
Sound (low)
65.5 dB
–
–
64 dB
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69.5 dB
–
–
Sound (medium)
68.6 dB
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Sound (high)
75.1 dB
59.3 dB
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67.6 dB
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70.4 dB
–
–
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Full Specs
Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA3241UKT Review
Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal RV3000XEUK Review
Shark EveryMess Review
Shark Freestyle Pro Cordless Upright Vacuum SV2000UK Review
Shark StainStriker HairPro Pet Stain & Spot Cleaner PX250UKT Review
Shark PowerPro Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum IZ380UKT Review
Shark CarpetXpert Deep Carpet Cleaner with Built-In StainStriker EX200UK Review
Shark SteamPickUp Hard Floor Cleaner SD200UK Review
Manufacturer
Shark
Shark
Shark
Shark
–
Shark
Shark
Shark
Size (Dimensions)
260 x 350 x 1120 MM
461 x 363 x 444 MM
364 x 227 x 369 MM
250 x 260 x 1140 MM
290 x 330 x 380 MM
316 x 264 x 1143 MM
305 x 348 x 1112 MM
238 x 179 x 1120 MM
Weight
3.22 KG
12.21 KG
2 KG
3.2 KG
3.5 KG
5.68 KG
8.3 KG
3.69 KG
Release Date
2026
2026
2026
2025
2025
2025
2024
2025
First Reviewed Date
27/04/2026
30/04/2026
25/02/2026
19/11/2025
03/11/2025
12/06/2025
19/03/2025
10/03/2025
Model Number
Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean and Empty Pet Pro IA3241UKT
Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal RV3000XEUK
Shark EveryMess
Shark Freestyle Pro Cordless Upright Vacuum SV2000UK
Shark StainStriker HairPro Pet Stain & Spot Cleaner PX250UKT
Shark PowerPro Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum IZ380UKT Review
Shark CarpetXpert Deep Carpet Cleaner with Built-In StainStriker EX200UK
Shark SteamPickUp Hard Floor Cleaner SD200UK
Vacuum cleaner type
Cordless stick
Robot vacuum and mop
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Upright cordless
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Cordless stick
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–
Provided heads
Floor head, 2-in-1 tool, mini motorised brush
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Crevice tool, squeegee, tough stain tool
Floor head
Tough stain tool, Hair Pro wide tool, Hair Pro Pet mess collector, Hair Pro Pet hair collector
Floor head, motorised pet tool, crevice tool, upholstery tool
Floor head, pet stain trapping tool, wide tough stain tool, tough stain hand tool, crevice tool
Roller brush
Bin capacity
0.47 litres
1.5 litres
3.5 litres
0.69 litres
0.72 litres
0.7 litres
0.85 litres
0.22 litres
Bagless
Yes
–
–
Yes
–
Yes
–
–
Modes
Auto, Boost, Eco
Vacuum, mop, vacuum and mop
On/off
Carpet, hard floor
On/off
Eco, Boost
Deep Clean, Dry Only, handheld
Three steam modes (Min, Mid and Max)
Filters
2 (washable)
2 (washable) in docking station, 1 (washable) in robot
2 (washable)
1 (washable)
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2 (washable)
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N/A
Stated Power
–
–
–
–
450 W
–
960 W
1230 W
Run time
1 hrs min
hrs min
hrs min
20 mins min
hrs min
17 mins min
hrs min
hrs min
Charge time
–
–
–
–
–
210 mins
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–
Brushes
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Brush bar, side sweeper
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–
–
–
–
–
Mop Option
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Hypersonic mopping pad
–
–
–
–
–
–
Smart assistants
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Yes
–
–
–
–
–
–
Floor cleaner type
–
–
Spot cleaner and wet+dry vacuum
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Spot cleaner
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Carpet cleaner
Steam hard floor cleaner
Detergent capacity
–
–
–
–
2.1 litres
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2.1 litres
420 litres
UK RRP
£499.99
£999
£199.99
£149.99
£189.99
–
£296.99
£200
USA RRP
–
–
$199.99
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–
–
–
–