Up there with air fryers and smart video doorbells, robot vacuums are one of the most hyped household appliances right now.
Promising to alleviate one of the many chores on your permanent to-do list, it’s no wonder they’re flying off the digital shelves at Argos and Amazon. In fact, according to Fortune Business Insights, the market size was valued at $9.77 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow to a massive $50.65 billion by 2028.
Generally speaking, they’re operated via an easily accessible app on your phone, meaning you have the ability to sweep your floors at the tap of a screen from any location. They work by mapping your entire home before figuring out a route which covers every surface, from hard floors to carpets. Some have the ability to mop, too, while others have a self-emptying port which collects the debris after every clean – and some, like Shark’s Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty Robot Vacuum & Mop, can do both.
The main downside? The RRP can be a little steep, with some of the high spec designs by market leaders Eufy, iRobot and Dyson coming in at over a grand while Samsung’s sit around the £600 mark. Shark, which released the Matrix in the UK in February 2024, was a little late to the party. But, if the brand’s other appliances are anything to go by (see the 3-in-1 Air Purifier, the FlexStyle Hair Styling & Drying System, the FlexBreeze Portable Fan et al.), chances are it will give its competitors a run for their money for an even better price – which, this time, is a slightly more affordable £499.99.
So, naturally, I couldn’t wait to give it a go. Keep scrolling for my hot take.
Specifications
- Robot dimensions: W34cm x D34cm x H14.5cm
- Dock dimensions: W33.2cm x D22.7cm x H30cm (advised to have 1m of free space to either side and in front of the dock)
- Weight: 7.58kg
- Mop function: Yes, comes with two easily removable mop pads
- Self-emptying: Yes, bagless base holds up to 60 days of debris
- Run time on full charge: 110 minutes
- Strength: Powerful suction, sonic mopping
- Cleans edges and corners: Uses blasts of air and corner recognition to remove debris from edges and corners
- Precision home mapping: Cleans in a matrix grid for optimum coverage and adapts to day-to-day changes
- On-demand cleaning: Can name rooms throughout your home which you can choose to be cleaned independently
Set-up
Once you’ve unpacked the auto-empty dock, two side brushes, two washable mopping pads, the mop reservoir, the instructions and the vacuum itself, which all comes packaged in one neat box, it’s time for the hard part – choosing where your new cleaning companion is going to live. Shark recommends you plug in the dock against a wall where there’s a metre of clear space on either side and in front – and the dock itself is roughly the width of a loaf of bread.
For context, I live in a ground-floor flat in London with an open-plan living space and two bedrooms without a great deal of free floor space. Beyond that, I wanted it to sit somewhere discreet so it doesn’t become a focal point – you wouldn’t have a normal vacuum on show, after all. So, I landed on a space beneath a table. Though achieving the metre on each side requires moving a couple of chairs, it’s worth it so it’s not immediately noticeable the moment you walk in the room. If I had the space, though, I’d prefer to plug it in in an office or spare room that’s not regularly in use.
After you’ve decided on its home, it’s time to set it up. First of all, you need to download the SharkClean app and connect the device to your WiFi which is a fairly straightforward process. Once you’ve got it up and running, you name it – I went for Bruce after the Shark in Finding Nemo – and it needs to charge for six hours before it’s good to go.
Mapping your home and app accessibility
Before embarking on its first vacuuming task, it needs to ‘explore’ to map your home – a process which I quite enjoyed. For me, it took roughly 45 minutes before hearing Bruce’s cry of delight when he completed the assignment and made his way back to his docking station. Then, you receive a detailed floor plan of your house which you can access via your app.
The app will then prompt you to create rooms and no-go zones – which will usually be carpets or rugs you’d like to be avoided when mopping. For me, that’s just one small rug in my living room. Again, it’s a super simple process which you’re taken through step-by-step. Then, you can send your robot to vacuum a localised area rather than doing your entire home. When you’re happy with your plan, it’s time to witness the first cleaning run.
Vacuum function
Personally, I was a little dubious regarding how thorough the clean would be, with visions of myself having to go over the entire flat afterwards with my trusty upright Shark. To my surprise, Bruce was surprisingly rigorous. Since the robot moves extremely slowly and methodically throughout your home, it spends much more time collecting dust and debris than you would on a day-to-day spruce.
I actually have mild OCD when it comes to cleaning, so I’d hoovered the day before and believed my floors to be relatively clean. On Bruce’s first run, though, he had to empty halfway through before continuing the clean. All in all, he collected roughly a grapefruit-sized ball of dust from a flat that already seemed dirt-free – quite the accomplishment.
I was mainly impressed by the way it collects from the sides and corners. It detects the edges, before emitting puffs of air which blow any dust in its path before collecting it. Better yet, it’s quieter than any hoover I’ve ever owned – bar the cute jingles on starting and finishing a shift as well as when it empties in the docking station (which sounds more like a traditional vacuum).
For me, there are a couple of downsides. First of all, when I clean, I move small furniture around (like the bin or a coffee table) to make sure I’ve covered the floor in its entirety. Then, there are some nooks where it simply won’t fit – next to the bathroom sink, for example. So, for these specifics, you still need to own a normal vacuum. Since Bruce has been putting in regular shifts, though, there’s less build-up in general, so overall cleanliness is easier to maintain nonetheless.
Mopping function
To begin mopping, you need to disconnect the vacuum and replace it with the mop reservoir. The instructions recommend filling it with water alone but as a self-confessed Zoflora stan, I couldn’t help including a splash of the linen fresh concentrated disinfectant. And make sure you attach the removable mop pad, too.
Again, having seen some TikToks of 2-in-1 robot mops simply moving waste across the floors rather than successfully cleaning them, I was doubtful as to whether Bruce would do a good job. He proved me wrong yet again. Unlike the mops on my FYP, the mopping attachment in the Shark Matrix actually has a small container for vacuuming dust, too, so it removes any remaining dirt before mopping.
It’s a powerful mop too. As it slowly but surely makes its way around the map, it scrubs hard floors 100 times per minute – which Shark describes as ‘sonic mopping’. You can actually see the pad moving from side to side throughout the clean. It doesn’t leave your floors too wet either, meaning they dry quickly, and the dash of Zoflora meant my entire flat smelt divine once it was finished.
Verdict
Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Self-Empty Robot Vacuum & Mop
The Shark Matrix 2-in-1 has changed my life. When it comes to day-to-day cleaning, it keeps my entire flat fresher than before for considerably less effort. It’s a game-changer whenever I have guests, too – I simply send it out to clean while I’m at work so everything’s clean the moment I step in the door.
Not that it’s replaced my old vacuum, which will be waiting in the wings for deep cleans and hard-to-reach spots, but it’s solved the tedious task of vacuuming on the daily which saves me a great deal of time and stress throughout the week. When I clean, I move small furniture around (like the bin or a coffee table) to make sure I’ve covered the floor in its entirety. There are some nooks where it simply won’t fit – next to the bathroom sink, for example.
Once you’ve unpacked the auto-empty dock, two side brushes, two washable mopping pads, the mop reservoir, the instructions and the vacuum itself, which all comes packaged in one neat box, it’s time for the hard part – choosing where your new cleaning companion is going to live. Shark recommends you plug in the dock against a wall where there’s a metre of clear space on either side and in front – and the dock itself is roughly the width of a loaf of bread.
Before embarking on its first vacuuming task, it needs to ‘explore’ to map your home – a process which I quite enjoyed. For me, it took roughly 45 minutes before hearing Bruce’s cry of delight when he completed the assignment and made his way back to his docking station. Then, you receive a detailed floor plan of your house which you can access via your app.
The app will then prompt you to create rooms and no-go zones – which will usually be carpets or rugs you’d like to be avoided when mopping. It’s a powerful mop too. As it slowly but surely makes its way around the map, it scrubs hard floors 100 times per minute – which Shark describes as ‘sonic mopping’. You can actually see the pad moving from side to side throughout the clean. It doesn’t leave your floors too wet either
I’d hoovered the day before and believed my floors to be relatively clean. On its first run, though, it had to empty halfway through before continuing the clean. All in all, he collected roughly a grapefruit-sized ball of dust from a flat that already seemed dirt-free.
Since the robot moves extremely slowly and methodically throughout your home, it spends much more time collecting dust and debris than you would on a day-to-day spruce. I was mainly impressed by the way it collects from the sides and corners. It detects the edges, before emitting puffs of air which blow any dust in its path before collecting it. Better yet, it’s quieter than any hoover I’ve ever owned – bar the cute jingles on starting and finishing a shift as well as when it empties in the docking station (which sounds more like a traditional vacuum).
Buy now £499.99, Shark
