Customer Reviews

Shark Premium Portable Steam Pocket Includes 5 Cleaning Pockets + 2 Quick Release Wands

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I am only going to give it four stars, since the TV promo programs makes cleaning look too easy.

With shower soap scum, if it is heavy, use the scrubber end, and then follow up with the cleaning pockets. The steam dissolves the soap scum, and you wash it down. Then, use the cleaning pocket wands to remove soap film. It works well, but is a two step process if you have much soap scum.

The scrubber brush works well on tile grout, and the cleaning pocket does remove grease splatters from the range back tile. And using the cleaning pockets over the kitchen cabinet doors really removes grime easily.

I used the cleaning pockets to remove some stains from a carpet area, and it was quick and easy.

However, plan your jobs in advance. If you turn it off, and intend to resume much later, the cleaning pocket will get damp and that doesn't work well. As long as you are pushing steam through the cleaning pockets, it remains quite "dry".

I was able to get some things clean that I never thought I could get clean, and that is due to using steam to loosen the grime.

So it has exceeded my expectations. So now all it has to do is be durable.

I've watched the infomercial a handful of times and debated if this was a worthwhile product to get.
(1) wanted to stop using chemical cleaners (smell of that stuff seems to linger and I have a small child and 2 dogs at home)
(2) wanted to be eco friendly - i've been using hot water on a cloth to clean my counters and it's been working fine

Infomercial is tempting but I wanted instant gratification - Bed Bath & Beyond as well as Costco sells the same deluxe kit (5 cloths, tote bag - as the infomercial) and if you use your coupon at BBB it's actually cheaper. Plus - both of those firms have a great reputation on returns if you're truly unhappy with the product - less of a hassle than returning it to the manufacturer.

BASIC:
Run the machine for a full cycle (fill water in the machine, run it till there isn't any more water)
It doesn't get very hot with the nozzle feature, if you wait about 30 seconds, it does get warm with the other attachments
If you use the extension hose - be careful (especially if you have curious little ones) - it gets VERY HOT.

DISLIKES:
The nozzle attachment is probably my biggest disappointment - It doesn't blow away dirt like the infomercial (I get it's dramatized on tv but still). I did find that it's useful for SMALL projects - cleaned dirt out of really awkward places - like the baseboards or in tiny holes. It can strip paint/caulking so be careful.
It takes longer to clean because i have to make more passes with the steam. The steam isn't very hot with the nozzle feature - it does get VERY warm with all the other attachments. I had some dried stains that I've been trying to clean up for ages - a handful of passes with the nozzle and it wiped away - that made me happy and is a HUGE factor in the change in rating.
It takes LONGER to clean - have to make many passes to get the steam/clean, also need to have a dry rag to wipe off excess water/dust/dirt. IF you do it slow, it doesn't seem to make a difference.
The water containment is small - but having to carry that around, it wouldn't make sense for it to be bigger - which is my next dislike - my arm hurts from scrubbing and carrying the unit around. You can't just put it on the floor because you have to keep holding down the trigger for it to steam.
It didn't clean my faucets like the infomercial. I've got some build up and it didn't "BLOW IT AWAY" but I think I'll live - some bleach and q-tips should do the trick.
I won't be using this as a garment steamer, I have a separate machine for that, and it rules - it produces abundant steam in less time and I don't have to hold down a trigger.

LIKES
I like that it comes with a variety of tools - WAY convenient. Whether I'm doing windows, counters, little details, all my tools are there - I put everything into the tote bag and take that from room to room. Before I would make multiple trips back and forth from my kitchen to grab cleaning tools or cleaners.Squeegee - awesome on the bathroom doors
Glass Cleaning Pocket - better for windows and mirrors (kinda crazy b/c I hate doing windows and this motivated me to. It doesn't leave streaks)
Scrubber Pad - clean my oven door - it took about 5 minutes to clean but it's pretty spot free. Same with my dishwasher door. I had some oil on the range and used the scrubber pad - went through several passes - there's still some oil on the stove - will try again later.
Scrubber Brush - Also used that for my oven, it did a pretty decent job dislodging some grime but it didn't clean everything.
It's useful to have that little bit of heat to clean some stuff that's stuck on.

FINAL VERDICT:
It's pretty apparent that I have more dislikes than likes, but I'd still recommend this product for some light cleaning. I like that it does a relatively decent job without the use of chemicals. For the price that I paid vs. the cost of chemicals and papertowels and time, it'll breakeven within the first year. Especially with the non heavy duty stuff like windows/mirrors and counter tops. I am impressed that it removed some light grime that's been stuck for ages. It's just not strong enough to remove oil/buildup on my oven.

I would NOT recommend this product for commercial use - I have no idea how the house cleaners in the infomercial say it's saved them time. I've spent 4 hours cleaning with this, and got through only a part of my house. It takes a while to do all the multipasses. It doesn't seem like a commercial grade product.

Just to start I own several Shark products, the newest beside this is the floor steamer, which I LOVE!! However, Shark dropped the ball on this one in terms of design! Had engineering ever actually used this instead of just looking at plans they would have experienced the problem. The "teapot" design requires you to hold it as such therefore your hand depresses, constantly, the button that is located on the underside of the handle. If they had just placed the steam button on the top side of the handle, it would be easy to slide your thumb over it to depress it or not. So when you are moving around to different items to clean in just carrying it you are squirting steam. NOT IDEAL!! So I have to say this is being returned and I will go back to using an older portable steamer without the cloths, I will just carry then in my other hand instead of having the neat attachments.Shark Premium Portable Steam Pocket Includes 5 Cleaning Pockets + 2 Quick Release Wands

I purchased the pocket cleaner after watching the infomercial. I never did expect for it to clean as well as described on TV. They never do, right? Well, the first thing I cleaned was my bathroom mirror. It was flawless. The mirror had no steaks and I was very pleased. I then proceeded to clean the rest of the bathroom. I had a large amount of soap build up on my wall-hanging soap dish. I was very impressed on how well this cleaned up. Due to the shape of my sink, I was not able to find an attachment that would clean the bowl. I had to use other methods. While cleaning out the shower, I could see a big difference but I was not happy with the finished product. I only used the pad. I will try the scrubber as recommended in another one of these reviews.

After cleaning my bathroom I started working in my bedroom. I have clothe lamp shades that dust just seems to cling to. Since I have all hard wood floors, I do not own a vaccuum and did not want to invest in one just to clean my shades. After purchasing the pocket steamer, I am so glad that I didn't. My shades that are 10 years old look brand new. Even my husband was impressed on how fast and easy it was to get them cleaned.

Another thing that I used it to clean was the front of my air conditioner. I use to take a brush and even q-tips to try and clean the nooks. Nothing seemed to get it cleaned. Well, I just used the straight steam. No, the steam did not get too hot. I think that is sort of a safety measure. If it were too hot at that high of a pressure, you could get seriously burned. It did take a while to get the whole thing clean but it was worth the time. I have spent more time on it in the past and was never fully satifised with the results. That has changed now.

I do not like that I have to carry the base at all times. You have to hold it in order to release the steam. If you have to climb a ladder to reach high places, cleaning and holding on could be a challenge.

I do love that you can wash the pads, however, they really should give you more pads with your 1st purchase. The product is already exspensive and though I believe it will eventually save you money in cleaning products, your initial purchase can be quite hefty. You will not be able to get all your cleaning done with what is in the box. Buy extra.

I also own both the mops. I highly recommend you get the pocket mop. You get a better product and twice the cleaning ability. The 1st mop only has a 1 sided pad.

OK, so it does look easier on TV but I am 100% satisified. I was able to get things cleaned that I thought I would have to replace.

Happy Steaming!!!!!

I don't know what some of these people complaining about! Personally I love it! I just bought this at Target tonight, got it home and within a half an hour (I let it heat up about 10 to 15 minutes) and powered through some tough grease (previously tried removing with chemicals and then the magic sponge thingy) and after a few passes (first with the cloth mop, then I decided to try it with the little circle scrubby thing wiped off with paper towels), voila, it was GONE!! I think there just needs some patience and realism when using this product, and I am a skeptic and this is one of the few things I have bought from seeing on infomercials. I will be getting the Shark steam mop next!
My next project tomorrow is my self cleaning oven (not so good at self cleaning), and the bathroom!

Bought this while on a business trip and realized one of my suits had acquired a stain. Bought it at Target, used it the next hour, and I was very impressed with how clean my suit got in just a few minutes of steaming and brushing. Once I returned home, I used this product all around the home, steam cleaning my fridge, oven counter top, etc. Impressed all around.

Ergonomically, the other review is correct; it lacks. But functionally, it was easily worth the 80 dollars I paid for it. Never heard of this brand until this product but I shall keep my eyes open for more of their products after this one.

I bought this at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I also own the Shark Pocket Steamer for my floor. The contrast is pretty marked. The Pocket Steamer is "all" I need to clean my floors, while this hand steamer is _not_ all I need to clean the rest of my house. But, it definitely does a solid job.

It did a beautiful job on my glass stove-top (the self-cleaning oven really does self-clean so I don't need it for that). For my white formica kitchen counters it did a pretty good job but I still needed soft scrub to get out stains. It did a fantastic job on my back-splash (which is some kind of board, not tile), blasted through layers of grease I've never otherwise been able to get rid of. It also really shone at blasting crud out of the 'crevices' of the kitchen (where the sink joins the counter, the collar of the drain, edges of the faucet). It took a few passes but it blasted those crevices clean.

My son refuses to wipe out the microwave if he makes a mess and sometimes I forget to look "up" at the top. It cleaned all the dried stuff up there.

As others mentioned, it usually takes a few passes to get stuff clean. Then again, if I was washing by hand, those same cleaning jobs would require scrubbing so I figure that's about even. I do also agree the button would better be served on the top.

As a final criticism, there's no natural spot to wrap the very long cord. It would be nice if this could be updated in future models.

I bought this from a store after seeing the informercial. I was curious to see if the claims made would be true, and being an optimist, I really hoped I it would save me a lot of cleaning time.

Sadly, it just didn't work for much of anything. For instance, once the biggest attachment gets soaked from the steam (which is just a few minutes), it doesn't actually pick up any of the dirt. So you basically end up just getting the countertop wet with steam and then moving dirty water around. As soon as the water dried, the countertop looked dirtier than before I started. I also tried that attachment on a wall, and it stripped off a small patch of paint.

I tried using it with several attachments on shower soap scum, but it didn't remove it from even one small tile (after 10 minutes of trying everything). Just sprayed a bit of "no scrub" cleaner on a different tile and voila! - soap scum was gone in a few seconds. Really disappointing.

Only the nozzle attachment was acceptable - it got rid of some dirt in crevices I wouldn't have been able to get with just water and a cloth. Oh, and this thing is a perfect garment steamer - really it's great for that. But for cleaning? This thing is a joke for cleaning. I felt foolish for thinking it would really work so easily to clean my house.

Let's be honest - no one likes to clean the shower tiles. It's hard work and fumes from chemical cleaners can really be nauseous. When I saw this Shark Portable Steam Cleaner at one of the warehouse retailers for $69, and it included two additional cleaning tools, I thought it was worth a try. I love my Shark Steam Mop and hoped this would be equally useful. After several uses, I can say it makes cleaning the walls of my shower ALMOST fun...

Our shower is 5' X 5' and has full walls on two sides that are 7' high; two sides have half walls that are each 3' high. Even though we have soft water, the walls still get that soap scum coating that is so difficult to scrub off. Further, the tiles closest to the floor really get grungy and, in south Texas, the grout sometimes gets moldy which is taken care of by using a bleach-based cleaner as often as necessary. I've used chemical cleaners for years, but the fumes are not something I like to breath, so I scrubbed the shower tiles only a few times a year. I have a Scumbuster which worked well for several years, but it is now not holding a charge long enough to do the entire shower, and it is difficult to find replacement pads.

This Shark Steam Cleaner is the answer to all those problems and concerns. I was able to clean the entire tile portion of the shower in less than 15 minutes; that job formerly took over an hour if I was doing it as well as I should have. The tiles were slick, the soap scum melted off the soap holder, and the grout was nearly perfect. Best of all, I didn't have to breathe noxious fumes and wonder what harm they might be doing to my health.

I found this unit easy to use and very portable. I am not the most coordinated individual on the planet, but I had no difficulty holding the unit in my left hand, depressing the steam button, and moving the cleaning utensil with my right hand. The cord is so long that I can't imagine anyone would have trouble plugging the unit into an outlet and then being able to use it in the desired location.

I downgraded this item to four stars because the replacement pockets, which Shark recommends you change every 2 to 3 months, are extremely expensive. Additionally, when you try to order any, you must buy a package of five different pockets rather than just being able to purchase these individually. However, I believe it will be possible to sew my own replacements pads rather easily using the included pads as templates. For example when replacing the shower cleaning pocket, I plan to make the base out of an old towel and cover it will nylon netting. I'll update this review once I make one so that others will know how difficult the process proved to be.

I can honestly say this is one nice little cleaner and will recommend it to anyone who asks whether it is worth the money. It makes cleaning the shower ALMOST fun...

I had a ring in my bath tub that nothing would remove until I used my Shark portble steam cleaner. It was really magic and now the ring is gone. Everything in the bathroom and kitchen sparkle. It even cleaned the toaster oven as well as the regular oven without using anything other than the generated steam. I used it on my sectional and it really looks brand new now. I used it on my base boards and within a few minutes they were clean. Everything in the kitchen, refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven and all other appliances look brand new after using the steam cleaner. The only downside is that I wish it had continuous steam rather than having to press it with one hand while using the other hand to clean, but overall I am so pleased that I no longer need chemicals to clean my house so I can overlook that. If they come out with a new one with continuous steam without having to hold the button continuously I will buy it and pass this along to someone else. I purchased mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond and only paid $59.95 for it, so shop around before you buy.