Type: Cordless
Floor types: Hard wood, tiles, LVT, rugs
Weight: 8.46 pounds
Capacity: 0.38 quarts
Self-cleaning: Yes
Noise level: 80 dB
Battery runtime: Up to 35 minutes
When it comes to getting your floors spotless, you’ll need to invest in one of the best vacuum cleaners. And if you have mainly hard floors to contend with, having a wet and dry vacuum can come in handy.
As someone with mainly hardwood and tiled flooring around my home, the task of filling up a bucket with water and mopping floors was a time-consuming chore. Plus, having to keep emptying and refilling a bucket always seemed like such a waste of water.
I’ve spent countless hours testing wet and dry vacuum cleaners, but I still have yet to find a model that would make me want to ditch my mop and bucket. That was before I tried the Shark HydroVac MessMaster corded hard floor cleaner.
Shark is a name that has made its mark on the cleaning market, known for its incredible power and multi-functional features to tackle any task. And the Shark HydroVac MessMaster is no exception. This 3-in-1 cleaner is a vacuum, mop and even self-cleans — so you don’t have to worry about getting your hands dirty. Plus, not only is it designed to tackle all types of hard floors but can refresh area rugs too. Sounds like a win-win?
Find out what happened when I used the Shark HydroVac MessMaster around my home for a month.
Shark HydroVac MessMaster cleaner review: Price and availability
The Shark HydroVac MessMaster varies in price, depending on the retailer. It is currently priced for $249 on Amazon and on Shark’s website. And slightly cheaper on Lowes for $239 and Walmart for $229.
In the UK, its name is slightly different — the Shark HydroVac Corded Hard Floor Cleaner. But besides its color variation, it’s an identical model/spec and available for £279 on Amazon. It’s also available in a corded model should you prefer.
Shark HydroVac MessMaster cleaner review: Design
As far as wet and dry vacuums go, the Shark HydroVac MessMaster has a simple yet attractive design, with a stylish rose gold color trim. It comes with a detachable two-tank system — one for clean water at the top, and the dirty water canister underneath. It only has two settings/buttons on the handle — one to power it on and a ‘refresh’ icon button to clean area rugs. And the handle has a smooth, sturdy grip.
Unlike standard brush rolls, the Shark HydroVac MessMaster comes with an antibacterial roll that doesn’t pick up bad odors and bacteria growth. Another handy feature is it has a self-cleaning system that runs for about one minute on the charging dock. This will ensure your roller and system are all clean and fresh between uses.
Bear in mind that you might need extra storage space for the vacuum cleaner, charging dock, and spare roller brushes.
Overall, the Shark HydroVac MessMaster isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as the more slimline, ‘capsule’ Dyson WashG1. However, it’s lighter to carry around the house (8 pounds) compared to Dyson’s hefty 10 pounds.
Shark HydroVac MessMaster cleaner review: Ease of use
If you already own a Shark vacuum like the Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum, you’ll be familiar with how easy they are to set up. The Shark HydroVac MessMaster was quick to assemble with a simple click-and-lock into place.
While it’s hardly rocket science, if in doubt, the box lid has diagrams on it to guide you. The power button on the handle turns on the LCD display that gives you basic indicators like the battery level and when to fill or empty the water tanks. It doesn’t have any other settings like hydration levels etc, however this isn’t necessary in the grand scheme of things.
Filling the water tank is also fuss-free, by detaching the clean water part to fill to the Max line. Shark supplies/recommends you use their own multisurface floor cleaner that you just add to the water as instructed. Then once you click it back onto the vacuum body it’s ready to go by pressing the power button on the handle.
Shark HydroVac MessMaster cleaner review: Performance
Since I have mainly hard flooring around my home, these are often prone to daily grime and dust. This is especially the case with a son who is constantly snacking and dropping food and drinks on the floor!
I put the Shark HydroVac MessMaster to good use in my living room, kitchen and bathroom — the rooms with the most foot-traffic. After using this around my home for one month, I was very impressed with its power and results.
One thing I found convenient was its self-propelling mechanism which made it easier to push the vacuum over the floor. The minute I turned it on, I immediately felt the forward pull of the machine. Plus, the bright headlights were a bonus for spotting dirt in dark spots.
I first tackled my white marble kitchen floor tiles that were looking rather worse for wear, and had sticky food stains in a few areas. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Shark HydroVac MessMaster quickly removed dirt and stubborn stains with ease. In just two swoops, my white tiles were looking visibly cleaner and mark-free. Similarly, my wooden living room floor was clean and refreshed in no time, and the vacuum cleaner didn’t leave any dirty streaks on the floors
Perhaps the only tricky part was trying to get the brush head into awkward angles. One of my kitchen cabinets has a curved design, which makes it challenging to properly angle the head to give the area a good clean. However, this wasn’t a major deal breaker, and I managed to get round this with a simple floor wipe.
Initially, I was less confident about how it would fare in my bathroom tiles, as these have ridges in the design. I’ve often found that wet and dry vacs were not as good as removing stains as a dedicated mop. However, the Shark HydroVac MessMaster proved that it could perform exceptionally well on different types of surfaces.
Admittedly, I don’t have any carpets or rugs in my home, however, I did test it on my bathroom rug/mat. I simply pressed the ‘refresh’ button on the handle, and it gave it a light clean without soaking it. This is always handy if you have certain rugs that are not machine washable.
Although most wet and dry vacuums claim “fast-drying” time, I’m not always convinced. However, I was surprised to see my tiles and hard wood floors had dried in just minutes. What’s more, the Shark HydroVac MessMaster didn’t leave behind unsightly streaks or puddles on the floors.
The self-cleaning system is a handy bonus. Just place it onto the charging base, power it on and it will automatically self-clean. Bear in mind that this process is loud and takes about a minute — so refrain from taking phone calls or meetings at that time!
Shark HydroVac MessMaster cleaner review: Verdict
Out of all the wet and dry floor cleaners I’ve tested, the Shark HydroVac MessMaster has been my favorite to use. Not only is it simple and user-friendly, but it works well on all hard floor types with minimal effort. It’s also a powerful beast without being taxing on battery life, and I was able to clean the house a few times before the battery hit low.
Additionally, floors dry pretty quick and there are no wet streaks, marks or lingering odors afterwards. Best of all, the self-cleaning function makes all the difference —you’ll never have to worry about rinsing out a grimy mop head. In fact, I haven't used my trusted mop and bucket since using this vac.
Bear in mind, there are no advanced settings or mod-cons. But if you want a more ‘smart’ wet and dry vacuum cleaner, the Tineco Floor One S5 Extreme Wet-Dry Vacuum Cleaner comes with advanced features such as voice guidance to assist you.
However, if all you need is a powerful, wet and dry vacuum that will make your hard floors look brand new again (and cleans itself!) — I’d go for the Shark HydroVac MessMaster floor cleaner any day.
