Shark Genius Steam Pocket Review

The Shark Genius Steam Pocket is a simple steam mop with a 350ml capacity accessed by a 1.25-inch flip-top opening and accompanied by a 22-foot cord. It comes with just a single mop pad that attaches and detaches hands-free. No additional attachments come with this model.

Cleaning Performance

The Genius Steam Pocket produces an even amount of steam to help adequately lift messes and clean the floor. However, the mop pad catches a fair bit on deeper grout and particularly textured flooring surfaces. Because of the reversible head, this mop lacks the ability to apply the kind of pressure needed for deep cleaning. It also has no scrubbing mechanism of any kind. You can add an extra blast of steam to remove caked-on gunk, though it's a bit challenging to aim. Though we're not always the biggest fan of the overly mobile mop neck, it does allow the mop head to be completely vertical, sliding in very narrow spaces or even cleaning the fronts of stairs.

Ease of Use

The tank of the Genius Steam Pocket may not be removable or particularly large, but it's very easy to use. It holds 350ml of water (on the low end of average capacity among models we tested) and has a 1.25-inch diameter opening on top. The transparent tank walls let you easily see how much water is left, and the water heats up in under a minute, controlled by clearly labeled buttons. However, the multi-pivoting mop head feels rather squirrely and floppy during handling, making it difficult to mop in a straight line — particularly over more textured flooring. It also cannot stand up on its own when you fill the tank or try to store it in the closet. Those issues aside, the double-sided mop pad can easily be removed by activating a button with your foot when you're done cleaning, which is a nice attribute.

Maneuverability

The rectangular cleaning head of the Genius swivels deftly and provides even enough steam that we had no trouble getting into tight corners and under cabinets. The cord is also a fairly generous 22 feet, so you won't have to switch outlets too much. We also found the cleaning head to glide very smoothly on minimally textured floors like high gloss tile. The double-sided mop head can reach into corners and clean right up to edges. Taking full advantage of that reversible mop head, you can actually squeeze it vertically into very narrow spots for some bonus cleaning most steam mops can't offer.

Features

When it comes to special features, the extra burst of steam and hands-free pad changing are about all the Genius Steam Pocket offers. It doesn't come with any additional cleaning accessories like an extra mop pad, scrubbing brush, or any attachments that would allow you to use it on more than just the floors. It does, however, have one of the most adjustable steam outputs of any model we tested, offering a Medium setting where most have just High and Low.

Value

Despite being a rather bare-bones, floor-only steam mop, the Genius Steam Pocket isn't particularly cheap. But, if you really want a mop that can squeeze into the tightest of spaces and don't mind that it lacks the ability to handle any attachments, perhaps it's worth it to you.

Conclusion

The Shark Genius Steam Pocket is a high-quality mop that keeps it simple by only cleaning your floors without any extra attachments. Its overly mobile head allows for unique angles of cleaning but can also be a bit difficult to control on more textured floors. It's not the most versatile or the best cleaner, but its mobility is notable.