‘As a cleaner…’
One woman’s frustrations with her Shark vacuum have people chiming in with helpful tips not everyone may know.
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“This is not even 1 year old,” Fernanda (@justmefernandaa) recently wrote on a TikTok she shared of her Shark vacuum.
The video features her attempting to clean her floors with a stick vacuum she says is marketed specifically toward pet owners. Unfortunately, rather than sucking up her dog’s hair, all it did was push it around.
The clip has garnered over 2.9 million views.
Why do vacuum cleaners stop sucking?
Although Fernanda seemed ready to give up on her vacuum, viewers spotted the likely issue right away.
“That vacuum is clogged,” wrote one commenter. “You’ll need to open it up and clear out the blockage.”
A blockage is frequently the culprit when vacuums stop sucking up debris properly. As another viewer pointed out, “U do need to CLEAN ur vacuum.”
The obstruction can be located anywhere between the point at which the device accumulates debris and the bag it’s stored in. In homes with heavy hair clean up (whether animal or human), that hair can get caught in the rollers and cause a notable decrease in suction. The filters could also be clogged, and it’s worth checking any hose or other opening on the vacuum, as well.
One commenter who identified herself as a professional cleaner alleged, “Sharks like this are notorious [for clogging] behind the roller brush.”
Another suggested, “The shark sticks clog bad because inside is concave and not a tube.”
Corded vs cordless vacuums
Fernanda’s video also kicked off a debate between the merits of corded vs cordless vacuums.
“As a cleaner, no battery operated vac will be good on animal hair,” one user wrote.
Another commenter expanded on the claim, explaining, “Battery vacuums lose power, corded vacuums get the same 24v every time.”
@justmefernandaa @Shark Home this is not even 1 year old 🫠 #sharkvacuums #sharkvaccum #sharkvacuumcleaner #dysonvacuum ♬ original sound – william springfield
Cordless vacuums can be beneficial when you need something portable or just have to do a quick clean-up, but for heavy use, corded vacuums tend to be more reliable.
“Cordless models are improving but can sometimes lose suction as the batter drains, making them hard to work with,” Maid Sailors Cleaning Service CEO Joseph Passalacqua told CNET earlier this year.
And as anyone with pets that shed knows, cleaning up after them definitely counts as heavy use.
“Hear me out. You need to be vacuuming heavily with a corded vacuum. Cordless are for maintenance not cleaning,” wrote one commenter. “Triple this statement when you have pets.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Fernanda via TikTok comment and Shark via email.
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