There's a particular kind of chaos that settles into a family home. Crumbs under the kitchen table, a fine coating of dog hair across the sofa, a mysterious pile of something dark near the back door that you've been stepping around for two days. If your current vacuum is doing a half-hearted job of keeping up, the new Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner might be worth your attention.
Priced at €649.99 and available now at sharkclean.ie and select electrical retailers nationwide, this is Shark's most intelligent cordless vacuum to date. It's designed not just to clean well, but to think about how it's cleaning — adapting to what's in front of it in real time.
What makes it different
The headline feature is something Shark calls PowerDetect Intelligence. Rather than running at a flat power level regardless of what's on the floor, the vacuum reads the situation and responds. DirtDetect automatically boosts suction when it senses a concentration of debris. EdgeDetect increases power near skirting boards and corners. FloorDetect adjusts the brush-roll speed depending on whether you're on tiles, timber or carpet. It's the kind of thing you don't realise you needed until you see it working.
The DuoClean Detect floorhead uses two brush-rolls and multiple sensors, and thanks to a patent-pending fin design, it's equally effective whether you're pushing forward or pulling back. That last detail is more useful than it sounds — anyone who's ever had to do a second pass over the same spot knows the frustration of a vacuum that only picks up properly in one direction.
For families with pets, the Anti Hair Wrap Plus system is a genuine selling point. Specially engineered bristles and anti-wrap combs remove hair from the brush-roll as you clean, which means less time crouched on the floor picking tangles out by hand. It handles long hair, short hair and pet hair without losing suction performance along the way.
The bit that might actually change your routine
Here's where it gets interesting. The Auto-Empty Base doesn't just charge the vacuum when it's docked — it automatically empties it too. Every single time. The bagless base can hold dirt and debris for up to 45 days before it needs to be emptied, and it seals everything away using Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology that captures 99.9% of dust and allergens. There's also Anti-Odour Technology built in, which anyone with a dog, a toddler, or both will appreciate more than most.
For anyone who's ever forgotten to empty the dustbin mid-clean and watched the vacuum slowly lose its will to live, the idea of a base that just handles it automatically is genuinely appealing.
Practical details worth knowing
The vacuum offers up to 70 minutes of runtime in ECO mode — more than enough to get through a full house clean without watching the battery indicator with rising anxiety. There are three cleaning modes to choose from: ECO, DETECT and BOOST, with an LED display showing battery level and dirt detection status in real time.
It converts into a handheld unit for stairs and upholstery, and comes with a Duster Crevice Tool, a Multi-Surface Tool and a Motorised Pet Tool included. The Flexology wand bends to reach under low furniture and folds flat for freestanding storage — useful if your utility room is already doing its best.
The full unit weighs 8.4kg and measures 26cm x 47cm x 118cm. It comes with a 5-year guarantee upon registration with Shark (2 years for batteries, applicable in Ireland and the UK).
The Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner (IP3251UKT) is available now at sharkclean.ie and at select electrical retailers nationwide. RRP €649.99.
