Shark just dropped a ‘fun-sized’ carpet cleaner that’s perfect for smaller homes – no huge storage space required!

It's their lightest carpet cleaner ever

Shark CarpetForce Upright Carpet Cleaner being used to clean cream carpets on the left, and it being stored with the wand removed on the right
(Image credit: Shark)

Shark has a few carpet cleaners to its name, but the brand's newest release, the Shark CarpetForce Upright Carpet Cleaner EX500UK (£179.99 at Shark), definitely stands out from the crowd as it's officially their lightest model to date.

Of course, you probably don’t need me to tell you that the best carpet cleaners are big, bulky and heavy. This often makes them difficult to manoeuvre and even more difficult to store - especially in smaller homes where cupboard space is limited. And while renting a carpet cleaner is always an option, Shark has made buying one more accessible than ever.

The Shark CarpetForce Upright Carpet Cleaner is designed to be compact, lightweight, and seriously convenient, delivering full-size power in a ‘fun-size’ form that’s easy to use and store. At just £179.99, it also takes the cake as one of the cheapest carpet cleaners I’ve come across.

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Coming in at just 6.9 kg, the Shark CarpetForce Upright Carpet Cleaner is officially lighter than any other full-size carpet cleaner in my guide - and it even comes with a removable wand that makes it smaller to store in tighter spaces.

In fact, my number-one-rated model, the VAX Platinum SmartWash carpet washer review, weighs 8.9kg, and the hefty Rug Doctor Deep Upright Carpet Cleaner comes in at a whopping 14.25kg. And while some of them do fold down, they are nowhere near as compact as Shark’s new model.

Woman carrying the Shark CarpetForce Upright Carpet Cleaner up cream carpeted stairs in a modern house

(Image credit: Shark)

But while I’d initially questioned whether a lighter, smaller carpet cleaner could successfully clean carpets, Shark claims that the CarpetForce offers up to six times deeper cleaning than traditional vacuuming, using its DirtDistrupt brush roll to get deep into carpet fibres and lift, loosen, and remove all kinds of debris.

The 3.8-litre clean water tank capacity is also what you’d expect from a full-size carpet cleaner, and it’s compatible with Shark’s Deep Clean Pro Formula (£14.99 at Shark), which is specifically designed to refresh carpets and remove odours from pets or even smoke.

But if that doesn’t quite suit your carpet-cleaning needs, it’s also compatible with the Shark Deep Clean Ultra With Stain Guardian (£19.99 at Shark), which is for more targeted spot cleaning and for protecting against future staining.

Shark CarpetForce Upright Carpet Cleaner with the wand removed for easy storage in the corner of a room

(Image credit: Shark)

And while we all know that the most annoying part of cleaning carpets is waiting for them to dry, Shark’s Express Clean Mode supposedly offers a 50% faster dry time compared to the Deep Clean Mode. This means you can get on with your day much quicker.

On paper, the Shark CarpetForce Upright Carpet Cleaner definitely has a lot of perks - most notably the sub-£200 price point. But I always like to test these claims for myself, so keep your eyes peeled for a full review coming soon.


I do already love the idea of a compact, lightweight carpet cleaner though...

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Lauren Bradbury
Content Editor (House Manual)

Lauren Bradbury has been the Content Editor for the House Manual section since January 2025 but worked with the team as a freelancer for a year and a half before that. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Chichester in 2016. Then, she dipped her toe into the world of content writing, primarily focusing on home content. After years of agency work, she decided to take the plunge and become a full-time freelancer for online publications, including Real Homes and Ideal Home, before taking on this permanent role. Now, she spends her days searching for the best decluttering and cleaning hacks and creating handy how-to guides for homeowners and renters alike, as well as testing vacuums as part of her role as the Ideal Home Certified Expert in Training on Vacuums, having spent over 110 hours testing different vacuum models to date!