Photo / Lucy Lindfield
Spot cleaners are wildly popular right now, and for good reason. They’re an absolute game changer when cleaning carpets, rugs, mattresses, sofas, and almost every area of the house, especially for those with pets and children. But prices and quality, like all appliances, can vary wildly, so we were keen to put three popular options to the test. The contenders? The Shark StainStriker, the Bissell SpotClean and Kmart’s ‘dupe’ Anko Spot Cleaner.
Let me start by divulging some vital information. I have a puppy and a husband. He’s a tradie (the husband) and often comes home in dust-ridden clothes and settles into our sofa before I have a chance to remind him not to. Sometimes, he even rolls around on it with the aforementioned puppy, who is also guilty of bringing in the odd bully stick or leaf piles (often with muddy paws, I might add) up onto the sofa with him. Yes, our beautiful, fairly expensive, light geige sofa.
It’s come to my attention that after the husband/puppy activity, the light-geige sofa is not so beautiful anymore and definitely doesn’t look fairly expensive. Admittedly, I am guilty of the occasional Sunday night meal on the sofa in front of the TV – a forbidden pleasure never permitted to me as a child – so the two males aren’t solely to blame.
Alas, I have been looking forlornly at our sofa and all its characterful dirt spots for months now and wondering what can be done. Enter the spot cleaner; a magical tool that simultaneously soap-washes fabrics while sucking up all the gross stuff. To be honest, it’s disgustingly satisfying.
In the New Zealand market, there are three front runners, and I put them all to the test.
Shark StainStriker Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
$299.99 at Shark
Cult cleaning brand Shark has recently released their rendition of an upholstery spot cleaner: the StainStriker. And with a name like that, how could I not try it out?
The Shark StainStriker spot cleaner comes with an integrated crevice tool (love that), as well as a stain tool, wide stain tool, pet tool (for cleaning up stains with…um…solids?), a bottle of Carpet Xpert Deep Clean Pro, and one of OxyMultiplier. The cord sits in between Anko and Bissell at 3.6 metres and boasts a nice and compact design that comes in at just a little above the others.
Weight: 3.943kg
Sizes: 30cm H x 30cm W x 26cm D
Colour: White
Key features:
- 3.6-metre cord
- Dual-activated stain removal
- Pet tool with chamber for solids
- Easy to assemble
The Bissell SpotClean
$299.00 at Smiths City
Bissell has long been making and perfecting their range of upholstery, carpet, and spot cleaners, with designs targeting pets, cars, and all-around jobs. For this review, we are referring to what is probably their most popular model: the Bissell SpotClean carpet cleaner.
It retails for $299 and comes with various tools, brushes, and sample-size formulas. It’s designed to be portable — enough to fit in and be maneuvered around a car — and exactly the correct dimensions to sit on a (carpeted) stair tread.
Colour: Blue and black
Key features:
- 4.5-metre cord
- 950ml clean tank capacity
- Hydro-Rinse™ self-cleaning hose
- Heatwave Technology maintains a consistent water temperature
Anko Spot Cleaner
$109.00 at Kmart
A much cheaper alternative, Anko’s version retails for just $109, a feature that saw it go viral and quickly sell out when it was first released at Kmart.
Like the other models, the Anko spot cleaner comes with the unit and various accessories and attachments, including a vertical nozzle, vacuum floor heads, an attached scrub brush, and even dog brushes, so you can use it to wash your four-legged friend.
Weight: 3.4kg
Sizes: 30.7cm H x 29.2cm W x 15.2cm D
Key features:
- 3-metre power cord
- 1L tank capacity
- Approximately 450ml/min water jet flow
- Maximum water temperature 40 degrees
The results: Shark StainStriker vs Bissell SpotClean vs Anko Spot Cleaner
On an operational level, the differences between the Bissell SpotClean, Anko spot cleaner, and Shark StainStriker are fairly minimal and come down to four things: the brush sizes, the cord length, the spray function, and the cost. However, there was one final factor that would later come into play: the product’s lifespan. More on that below.
Brush size
While Anko’s model comes with more tools, Bissell’s ‘equivalent’ tool (i.e. the one with the scrubbing-brush-like head) is slightly larger.
For a sofa, this didn’t bother me much, but if a carpet or even a rug were the husband-and-puppy victim, I would probably prefer Bissell’s larger attachment. I will also say that Anko’s accessories were difficult to swap out and I almost broke a nail several times.
Neither issue was a concern at all with the Shark StainStriker, which comes with both a regular and wide brush, which may even prove enough to motivate me to tackle our bedroom carpet one day. Plus, I love Shark’s pet tool, which has a chamber to capture all the solid-ish yuck should an ‘accident’ occur.
Cord length
Again, a fairly minimal detail, but considering I live in a circa 1970s-ish apartment where power outlets are few and far between, this is a consideration I would be forced to make.
Bissell’s cord was the longest at 4.5 metres, followed by Shark’s 3.6 metres, then Anko’s 3 metres. At first, I didn’t think this would be too much of a problem, despite having to create a hazard across our kitchen doorway with the cord, but I really noticed the difference. For me, Bissell wins out here: the more cord, the merrier. It also meant I had the extra wiggle (or spray) room needed without having to twist the machine at awkward angles or hold it while I worked (none of them are light).
The spray function
All three machines work by spraying soapy water onto your sofa/carpet/rug/car seat and sucking it back up as you scrub. This means that no matter which you use, you’ll end up with a slightly damp surface for a few hours. However, Anko’s spray function is noticeably strong and soaks through more, which could be a con for those who have poor ventilation (and therefore drying ability) or kids/pets who are unlikely to be able to keep off while the freshly washed item dries.
The product’s lifespan
Last, and definitely not least, the lifespan. Which of these spot cleaners last the distance? It’s all well and good to clean up a cheeky pasta stain here and a muddy paw print there, but this investment needs to put in the hours without breaking a sweat… or just breaking. Which unfortunately for Kmart, the Anko model would do, twice.
Yes, it’s true. I cannot recommend an Anko Spot Cleaner. Many reviewers have had excellent experiences with theirs, but sadly, my first one had a trigger malfunction, and its replacement suffered the same fate, at no fault of my own, might I add.
The verdict: Is it worth getting a spot cleaner?
For me, its a resounding yes. As annoying (and messy) as they are, puppy and husband are not going anywhere and have proven they can only be tamed so much. For my household, a spot cleaner is a miracle in small appliance form.
I can confidently say that both the Bissell SpotClean and the Shark StainStriker would be great choices. For me, however, having a puppy means I’m more drawn to the Shark option, with the pet tool – any accidents and odours be gone!
