Forget the mop and bucket, Shark's wet vacuum promises a deeper, quicker clean of more than just your floors

We shouldn't really have favourites, but when it comes to vacuum cleaners, Shark has earned a special place in our testing team's hearts. The brand has a knack for finding new ways to make everyday cleaning that little bit easier, and its latest launch is no exception.

For the first time, Shark has brought features from the best vacuums together with mopping in one clever cleaning system, designed to tackle more than just the floors beneath our feet. From skirting boards and windowsills to cabinet fronts, it's made to reach the areas that traditional floor cleaners often leave behind.

It's an interesting new approach to keeping on top of the housework, taking the humble floor clean a step further and making a little more of those everyday cleaning sessions. Bye bye steam mops.

Ninja AquaReach Pro Wet Vacuum launch

Who would the Shark AquaReach Pro Wet Vacuum suit?

Homes with lots of hard floors and surfaces to clean will get the most out of the AquaReach Pro. It works across a range of hard flooring, including tile, laminate, hardwood, vinyl and stone, making it easy to hit your targets for how often you mop your floor. Its clever attachments also let you clean beyond the floor, tackling skirting boards, windowsills, cupboards and bathroom surfaces too.

Pet homes that need a deeper clean will appreciate the extra versatility, particularly the stain scrubber. Designed to tackle stubborn and dried-on dirt and debris, it offers a helping hand with the mess that comes with muddy paws, shedding and everyday pet life.

Low-maintenance cleaners who want to spend less time on household chores will appreciate the combination of vacuuming and mopping in one pass. There's no need to repeatedly go over the same patch of floor, while the self-cleaning dock rinses and dries the brush roll for you, helping to keep it fresh and ready for its next clean.

What is the Shark AquaReach Pro Wet Vacuum like to use?

The Shark AquaReach Pro takes traditional vacuuming and mopping and gives it a clever rethink. Rather than tackling the two jobs separately, you can vacuum and mop at the same time, so there's no need to go over the same patch of floor twice. It achieves this with a continuously rotating brush roll, powerful suction and a clever cleaning solution that works together to loosen, scrub and lift dust, debris and dirty water in one pass. It's a much more streamlined approach to everyday floor cleaning and I'm calling it one of the cleverest cleaning hacks of the year.

Once your hard floors are sparkling, you can put the extendable wand to work, with two clever attachments designed to tackle those trickier cleaning jobs around the home. First, there's the stain scrubber, which combines a targeted spray with powerful suction to shift more stubborn messes on hard surfaces. Think the awkward spots behind the toilet, bathtub ledges and those often-overlooked windowsills and skirting boards. It's a particularly useful addition if, like me, you enjoy getting into the finer details of a deep clean.

Then there's the detailer mop, which is designed to reach under furniture and into those tight corners beneath kitchen counters to get a deep clean of your home. It's these extra touches that make the AquaReach Pro more versatile than your average floor cleaner, giving you a little more reach when it comes to keeping the whole home looking its best.

There are a few AquaReach models in the Shark line-up, but what makes the Pro stand out is its self-cleaning and drying system. Once it's back on its dock, the machine sanitises itself, rinses the brush roll and dries it using heated air. This helps prevent bacteria build-up and unpleasant odours, which is particularly reassuring when you're regularly cleaning up everything from muddy footprints to kitchen spills.

The dual-tank system is another thoughtful feature. It keeps clean and dirty water separate, while refreshing the brush roll whenever the machine is returned to its dock. That means you're always cleaning with fresh water, rather than simply spreading yesterday's dirt around the floor. It's a small but important detail that makes the whole process feel more hygienic.

In practice, I've found the Shark AquaReach Pro a very satisfying cleaner to use. I've been whizzing around the flat, putting it through its paces on all sorts of jobs. It's tackled the aftermath of a visit from a very fluffy beagle (the reveal LED light beam was both horrifying and strangely satisfying), stubborn food splashes around the oven and a much-needed deep clean of the bathroom. We also get quite a bit of plant sap on our windowsills, which I thought might be asking a little too much of a vacuum cleaner, but with the Shark cleaning solution, it came away surprisingly easily.

Charging was quick and straightforward, and being cordless meant I could move freely from one cleaning job to the next without having to think about plug sockets. It's an easy way to dodge any bad cleaning habits that people often fall into with mopping.

Of course, a cordless model with a docking station won't suit every home. Some people will prefer a corded cleaner, or simply not want to find space for another dock. That's a fair consideration, particularly in a smaller home. However, when you factor in the cleaning and maintenance the AquaReach Pro takes care of itself, I think there's a good argument for making room for it.

More wet vacuums we love

If you like the look of the Shark AquaReach Pro Wet Vacuum, make sure that you take a look at what else is on the market. I still think it's uniquely versatile, but it's always fun to shop around.

Lots of vacuum cleaners promise sparkling floors, but I think the Shark AquaReach Pro is one of the few that really takes that promise a step further. It's not just about picking up dust and giving hard floors a freshen-up; it's tackles all the other surfaces and awkward corners, from skirting boards and windowsills to stubborn kitchen spills and bathroom edges, it brings a surprising amount of versatility to one machine.