I tried Shark's steam cleaner against Kärcher's FC 4-4 and only one stood out

28 July 2023 , 07:00

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When I first moved into my house I couldn't get enough of the pale white wooden flooring, it stood out and really gave a modern touch to my home.

Over time that love has faded slightly because ultimately white is the one of the few colours that shows up dirt quickly and since getting a dog, hoovering and mopping has become nearly a daily chore. Hair, food, muddy footprints and pawprints can show up in a flash so I've been on the hunt for a floor cleaner that will last and get rid of dirt effectively.

The occasional floor wipe works a treat for quick spills but when I want to give the floor a good, thorough clean I search for the mop. Nowadays no one just buys a mop, the cleaning industry is booming thanks to social media with stars like Mrs Hinch, making the market inundated with nifty gadgets that promise to clean your shower, and even your windows at the same time.

I tried Shark's steam cleaner against Kärcher's FC 4-4 and only one stood out eiqxiqetirkinv

The Shark Floor & Handheld Steam Cleaner S6005UK (left), next to the Kärcher FC 4-4 Battery Set hard floor cleaner.

I tried Shark's steam cleaner against Kärcher's FC 4-4 and only one stood out

The Kärcher's FC 4-4 Battery Set hard floor cleaner.

But what if you want something that just promises to clean your floor? Well, I put two big brands, Shark and Kärcher to the test, trying out Shark's Floor & Handheld Steam Cleaner S6005UK against Kärcher's FC 4-4 Battery Set hard floor cleaner.

Will they actually deliver, or have the brands got caught up in the 'gimmicks' of cleaning other areas of the home too? Scroll down to find out.

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Features and design

Both Shark and Kärcher promise results from their cleaners

While both mops promise to get your hard floor sparklingly clean, they each bring their own unique features which would not make a fair comparison - but there are some differences that I discovered which helped me choose one above the other. Before we get into that, let's look at what each cleaner features.

The Shark Floor & Handheld Steam Cleaner S6005UK promises to "easily clean hard floors and surfaces throughout your home, instantly transforming into a handheld steam cleaner with signature Lift-Away Technology," according to Shark. The mop has two automatic steam settings for a targeted deep clean on all sealed hard floors, including tile, stone and hardwood.

It features a Klik ‘n’ Flip mop head and machine-washable dirt grip cleaning pads. The cleaner can also be adapted into a handheld gadget which allows users to steam clean surfaces using the included accessories – from tiles to worktops, ovens to shower screens, and more.

Included in the box is the main unit, two dirt grip pads that clip onto the base of the device, one filling flask, one accessory hose, one copper brush, one steam crevice tool, one steam blast scrubbing tool, one concentration nozzle, one small above the floor pocket tool and pad.

The Kärcher FC 4-4 Battery Set hard floor cleaner promises to "remove both dry and wet everyday dirt in one step." Kärcher says with its long battery run time of maximum 30 minutes, areas of up to 90 square metres can be cleaned effortlessly with the FC 4-4, which also "cleans even hard-to-reach places and the hair filter means the machine can easily pick up hair."

The cleaner features two rollers (which are machine-washable like Shark's pads) at the bottom of the gadget as well as a dirty water tank and a clean water tank. Kärcher also says the FC 4-4 cleans right up to the edge, and can reach underneath furniture thanks to its roller technology.

In the box you get the main unit and handle, a two tank system (one for clean water which attaches at the back, and one for dirty water that is collected at the bottom), 2.5 Ah Battery Power batteries, battery charger: 4 V Battery Power fast chargers, two cleaning rollers, detergent floor cleaner, cleaning and storage station, and a cleaning brush.

Function and cleaning results

The Kärcher cleaner works with two rollers that spin at the bottom of the unit

Let's start with the Kärcher floor cleaner. I was excited to use this because I've heard great things about this brand, and their pressure washers pop up along driveways near my home nearly all summer. The FC 4-4 is one of their newest designs and it was incredibly easy to set-up.

The handle needed to be clicked into the main unit with the rollers attached and the batteries need charging for a couple of hours in the included charger before use. Both water tanks were already fitted and getting the fresh water tank filled with the detergent and installed was also a breeze too.

I purposely left my kitchen floor dirty to see how it would tackle everyday mess. The first thing I noticed when switching the FC 4-4 on is how lightweight it is to handle, the rollers also come on really quickly and spin fast so you have to be quick to react but this does make it pretty powerful.

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The rollers on the Kärcher cleaner before use

It cleaned spilt tea in three swipes but I did notice on the first wipe it moved the tea into the grooves of the floor rather than getting it all up first time, however the rollers picked the remaining dregs up on the second wipe over. I particular like the fact that the FC-4-4 can get into the nooks and crannies, and go right up to the skirting boards of my kitchen floor, it brought out crumbs I didn't even realise were there.

The FC 4-4 rollers after one use

However, as I began to move the cleaner around I noticed a scraping on the floor. I realised it was coming from the dirty water tank that is attached underneath, sitting just behind the rollers. The tank is there to collect the dirty water immediately from the rollers, and while this ensures the device never uses dirty water, its positioning on the machine does mean it scrapes along my wooden flooring, so I'm little worried that prolonged use may cause damage.

Moving onto the Shark steam cleaner which has one noticeable downside compared to the Kärcher, which is the cord. Despite the Shark mop being able to change into a handheld steam cleaner, its floor use is corded which can make it a little harder when cleaning, as you have to move with the long cord - however the cord stretches for six metres so it's handy reaching most of my rooms downstairs.

The Shark pad

What I love about the Shark cleaner is it doesn't use any detergents, like the Kärcher, it cleans purely by steam which means I don't have to worry about any harsh chemicals on the floor. It also has a greater surface area to clean with thanks to the large surface pads and a 500ml water tank.

The Steam Blaster mode on the Shark also helps get rid of more stubborn dirt on my white flooring too, especially with spillages around my kitchen bin. To use this you flip the head back to wipe away, and the steam activates in a short blast, using this does use up more water in the tank though.

The device also picked up spilt tea in just one and a half wipes, unlike the Kärcher which had to do it in three. Surprisingly, the FC 4-4 is heavier in weight, at 3.4kg with the Shark coming in at 2.27kg. The Shark mop felt a lot heavier, and more bulky to move around compared to the Kärcher.