Shark Sonic Duo Review – Good as a Pro Carpet Cleaner?

Are you tired of renting carpet cleaning machines or hiring a company to come out and clean your floors? If you’re looking for a reasonably priced at-home machine, you may want to take a look at the new Shark Sonic Duo. For the price of one professional cleaning, you can have your own machine to use whenever you need it, and it works for both carpet and bare floors.

The Shark Sonic Duo Review

Last update on 2024-03-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Ease of Use

Overall, in Shark Sonic Duo reviews, people who own the machine are really happy with how easy it is to use. Setup is simple and fast, even if you’re short or petite. At only 9 pounds total, there are no heavy unwieldy parts to deal with when you’re assembling it.

First to mention is that the Sonic Duo is not a steam cleaner, meaning it is safe for all floor types since it doesn’t use heat. Instead, it uses solutions that are squirted out onto a washable microfiber pad, which then scrubs the floor.

There are different pads that come with the Shark sonic for scrubbing the carpet, cleaning hardwood or tile floors, polishing bare floors, stain removal and dusting. One pad will clean about 600 square feet before it needs to be washed, and they last through about 20 washings before needing to be replaced.  The pads and cleaning solutions are also color-coordinated, green for bare floors, purple for carpet, which is a nice touch so you can keep them straight (You don’t want to end up using the carpet cleaner on a nice hardwood floor, for instance.)

If you try the Shark Sonic Duo, you’ll notice some very nice features. Among these is that the button you press to make the cleaning solution come out is electronic and is easy to use and control without hurting your hand. Also, it has a soft ergonomic handle, making it easier to grasp.

For maneuverability, many people in their Shark sonic duo review commented on how easy it is to steer. The unit has integrated swivel steering, so it is very easy to move around corners and furniture. It also has a bumper that will protect your furniture and walls from getting scratched. The headlights also make it easier to see where you’re going and to see the stains you’re scrubbing.

Mechanics

The Shark sonic duo pro is meant to be used on a variety of different floor types: Carpet, rugs, tile, vinyl,  hardwood and laminate floors. Make no mistake: This is not a vacuum. Even with regular vacuuming, you will be left with some dirt stuck to floors and carpet fibers, and over time, they will look dingy.

The Shark Duo floor cleaner is meant for getting up stains and dinginess from your floors and keeping them cleaner and well maintained. You may also have odors associated with stains, especially from pets. This machine will freshen those up as well. In fact, the Shark Sonic Duo carpet cleaner and bare floor cleaner removes four times more dirt that is stuck into your carpets and floors than vacuuming alone.

However, it has no suction as a vacuum cleaner does, so just be sure not to use too much solution. You don’t want your carpets and bare floors to be wet when you’re done cleaning. If your carpet is damp, let it dry for a couple of hours, then go over it with the vacuum to remove any excess cleaner that was applied.

It has two different settings – low for tile, linoleum or hardwood floors and high for carpet and rugs or harder stains and dirt. Combined with the specialized pads for each use, you get the maximum effect from using this robust cleaner.

Cleaning Solutions

The Shark Sonic Duo floor & carpet cleaner comes with four different solutions for hard floors, carpet and rugs, spot remover and polish for bare floors. Each solution is color coded along with the correct pad to use, so it’s not as confusing as it seems.

The cleaning solutions are concentrated, so you mix 1 part of the cleaner with 7 parts water. The Shark Sonic Duo Carpet & hard floor cleaner also comes with 2 reusable bottles in which to mix the cleaning solutions. The bottles are designed to fit under the faucet and have fill lines that are easy to read. Make sure to dilute the solutions properly and to not use too much when cleaning. When used according to directions, the cleaners do not need to be rinsed off and dry quickly.

The polish and spot remover should be used full strength. It is formulated to leave a high gloss shine and fill in tiny scratches to make your floors look beautiful. The solutions are made so that they won’t leave streaks on your floors – just make sure you dilute them according to the directions.

The solutions are also non-toxic and are safe for pets, children, and adults.

Specifications (Specs)

  • The Shark Duo cleaner operates at 1,000 scrubs per minute for maximum cleaning power.
  • Pads are washable up to 20 times, then you’ll likely need to replace them.
  • Has swivel steering for easy maneuverability.
  • Cord length is 25’
  • Weight is 9 pounds
  • Owner’s Guide / User Manual

Warranty

The Shark sonic duo mop comes with a great warranty. Just be aware that the warranty is void if you use your own cleaning solutions with the machine.

What comes with it?

  • 1 carpet/rug cleaning pad
  • 1 carpet scrubbing pad
  • 2 bare floor / hardwood floor cleaning pads
  • 1 hard floor polishing pad
  • 8 oz. concentrated carpet cleaner (dilute 7 to 1 with water)
  • 10 oz. stain remover / pretreater – use full strength
  • 16 oz. hardwood / bare floor polish
  • 1 scrubduster tool – extended cleaning tool for dusting and removing stains
  • 1 scrubduster scrubbing pad
  • 1 scrubduster dusting pad – good at getting into narrow spaces
  • Storage tray to store the machine with or with the pad on when not in use
  • 2 refillable bottles to mix up the bare floor and carpet cleaning solutions

Pros

  • Great for tile, grout, vinyl, granite, stone and laminate floors in addition to hardwood and carpet
  • Great for pet odors and stains
  • Lightweight and easy to use
  • You can clean over and over for the price of one professional cleaning
  • Doesn’t leave the carpet wet after cleaning
  • Cleans and polishes (can be used on all floor types)

Cons

There are a few negatives that we’ve seen in Shark Sonic Duo reviews. The first is that it doesn’t work so well on old carpet stains. If you have old stains, it will get them up, but you’ll have to work a little harder. This machine is much better at getting up newer stains and keeping your floors looking and smelling fresh going forward.

The second is that you should be sure to test the solutions on your floor and practice a little bit before taking on the whole area. It’s very important that you’re not using too much solution or it may leave a film on your bare floors and may leave your carpeting wet, which you don’t want. Of course, if that happens, it is easy to fix by rinsing with water.

Consumer Reviews

Overall, in review after review of this powerful machine, users are really happy and give it 4 out of 5 stars. One reviewer said it works as well as renting a Rug Doctor but it is so much easier to use and to store.

Reviews overall state that the Shark Duo is so easy to use and overall does a really good job for what it’s supposed to do. Again though, if you have an old carpet with a lot of old stains, it may not be the right machine for that particular job. It will likely make that old carpet brighter, but the old stains may be hard to remove.

It’s great to clean up new stains, even from pet urine and spilled food and drinks and does a great job keeping your carpet bright and your hardwood, vinyl, laminate, and tile floors shiny and stain free.

  • 8 oz. concentrated Carpet Cleaner
  • 8 oz. concentrated Wood & Hard Floor Cleaner
  • 10 oz. bottle Activating Pretreater
  • 2 refillable/reusable bottles to mix concentrated solutions
  • Storage tray
  • 2 Hard Floor Cleaning Pads
  • Carpet & Rug Cleaning Pad
  • Carpet Scrub ‘n’ Stain Pad
  • Polishing Pad for hardwood and bare floors
  • Scrubduster Tool
  • Scrubduster Scrubbing Pad
  • Scrubduster Dusting Pad

Final Verdict

Overall, the Shark Sonic Duo floor cleaner is a good machine and works as advertised. It’s great at cleaning up stains and odors on carpet, hardwood, tile, grout, vinyl, laminate and other bare floors. It will also keep your bare floors shining and carpets looking brighter and newer going into the future. As a lightweight, easy to handle a machine that costs about the same as getting your floors cleaned professionally only one time, it may be a great addition to your home. It’s definitely worth a try!

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