Tried and tested: Dominique McMullan tries out Shark’s cordless vacuums

When it comes to cleaning, Dominique McMullan feels as if she's always playing catch up. Between working from home and tidying up after her two boys, she's on the hunt for simple and efficient tools. Here's how she got on with Shark's popular cordless vacuums.

Let me introduce myself – I’m a mum of two boys under four, I work outside (and inside!) the home and I have a penchant for cream furniture. It’s not exactly a recipe for a visually stunning home life. I had come to accept that my house wouldn’t always be spotless, but it was hard to enjoy those precious moments when I felt like the place was a complete tip. Regular cleaning ladies were out of the question and to be honest, I had nearly given up. Then I discovered these two Shark cleaning appliances… I am about to get evangelical here so please bear with me.

The Shark Cordless Detect Pro and the Shark HydroVac have not only transformed the way I clean but they’ve also become seriously invaluable assets in simplifying my daily routine. You know those products that once you own them, you wonder how you ever coped without them? That’s what these have quickly become to me. At the moment, anything that can make my life easier and I’m sold, but they also have to work. With the mess in my house, these products have already been put through their paces and from one busy working mum to another, let me tell you that they really do work.

The Shark Cordless Detect Pro and the Shark HydroVac have not only transformed the way I clean but they’ve also become seriously invaluable assets in simplifying my daily routine.

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The Shark Cordless Detect Pro is a vacuum, but better. It’s light and cordless, so no hauling a heavy machine around the house, unplugging and plugging as you go. I didn’t realise until now how much that actually irritated me and prevented me from quickly cleaning up small messes until I used this appliance. Vacuuming the stairs in particular has always been an issue for me, but along with the cordless nature of the Detect Pro, the size and weight mean you vacuum the stairs with ease. It has an hour-long battery life and when it needs charging, you just have to pop it into the very attractive charging dock, which fits neatly into any corner, and does not have to be screwed into the wall. Once docked, the vacuum automatically empties debris into the bagless base. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

The best bit though, is the powerful suction that can pick up nearly anything and the brush roll which adapts and reacts to different dirt (like hair and stepped-on crackers!), and different surfaces (like thick carpets and hard floors), meaning you rarely have to change the head or stick on another nozzle. It also bends flat against the floor and automatically lights up when in darker spaces, making vacuuming under the couch simple, and ensuring you notice any very important Lego pieces.