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It never even crossed my mind to vacuum up an egg—until I met the Shark wet and dry vac.
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Shark Wet and Dry Vac Review: Never Cry Over Spilled Milk Again
Published on Jun. 16, 2025
Shark vacuums are some of the Taste of Home team’s favorite cleaning essentials. Whether a family suffers from toddler shenanigans or couches covered in pet hair, or just needs a reliable vacuum for everyday cleaning, Shark offers dozens of models that get the job done. But for impossible messes—think big wet spills, muddy tracks or scattered cat litter—a standard stick vacuum simply isn’t the best tool.
Instead of wasting sheets of paper towel or dealing with dozens of rags in the washer, there’s another solution. It requires zero elbow grease, no mopping and, better still, it’s absolutely foolproof. When life gets messy, it’s time to pull out the Shark MessMaster, the Shark wet and dry vac of my dreams.
Shark MessMaster Wet and Dry Vac
The Shark wet and dry vac makes cleaning up spills and pet messes simple. Bonus: no more mop buckets and stained towels!
What is the Shark Wet and Dry Vac?
The Shark MessMaster is a Shark wet and dry vac that sucks up almost anything. Unlike traditional vacuums, it uses an attached hose for suction. The industrial look and feel make it more closely resembles a shop vac than an upright vacuum. That said, it’s capable of messes that even a shop vacuum wouldn’t touch, like standing water or organic spills. And the best part? It actually cleans itself. No more touching gross, sloppy pet messes!
How We Tested It
At the time of publication, I’ve tested the Shark wet and dry vacuum in my home for a month. In this time it took care of many messes, from kitchen and pet snafus to wet and dry spills.
Unboxing and Setup
The MessMaster arrived well-packed with a quick-start guide printed on the interior box flaps. Using this guide, I quickly had the vacuum up and running. It’s simply a matter of attaching the hose to the unit, snapping on the accessory holder and adding a bag to the dust bin. Everything else inside the vacuum is readily assembled.
Its hose attaches to its main body, which houses the dust canister, three filters and onboard accessory storage for its myriad included attachments. The top of the vacuum features a handle, which makes it easy to move from room to room.
The bin bag is optional and the unit comes with two to start off. Any 12- to 13-gallon plastic bag fits, making it easy to replace them over time. Additionally, the accessory holder houses up to two accessories. As a minor gripe, I do wish there were more slots since my unit came with two accessories that don’t have a place to dock.
Overall, the setup process took about 15 minutes from unboxing to vacuuming.
Attachments
My machine (the VS101 model) came with several attachments. These include a crevice tool, squeegee tool, carpet tool, three-piece extension wand and an accessory holder that houses up to two attachments. Some other models come with additional accessories including an under-appliance wand, pet multi-tool,, duster crevice tool, anti-allergen brush, upholstery tool and bare floor tool. These are also available separately for purchase on the Shark website, as are any spare parts needed for repair.
Performance
Once set up, it’s literally plug-and-play. The machine is corded, but the cord is long at around 20 feet. This makes it easier to do miscellaneous tasks, like using the vacuum in my garage or my car. It also ensures that you can pretty much tackle an entire medium-sized room without moving from outlet to outlet, which I love. Not that the MessMaster is difficult to move—it weighs just over nine pounds and has a useful handle on top.
The handle also doubles as cord storage. Just wrap the cord around the handle and use the clamp near the plug to secure it to itself. Similarly, the hose has a little docking station on the front that keeps it secure between uses.
Coffee Grounds on Carpet
Normally, vacuuming up used coffee grounds is a near-instant way to ruin your Shark or Dyson stick vacuum. However, the Shark wet and dry vac can handle messes that most other vacuums can’t. To test this, I dumped some used coffee grounds from my Keurig machine onto my carpet. I popped on the carpet attachment for this task, which is a wider version of the squeegee tool.
While I expected good performance, I am honestly amazed at the suction this little machine creates. Moving the hose over the grounds made them all instantly disappear. I only had to do a single pass! And, best of all, the grounds didn’t diminish the machine’s suction whatsoever on subsequent tests.
Egg on Hard Floor
If you’ve ever accidentally dropped an egg onto a hard floor, you know the frustration of getting all the goo and shell bits off the ground. A few weeks prior to owning the MessMaster, my cat casually knocked one onto my kitchen floor. It took nearly a whole roll of paper towels and several passes with a mop to restore my floor to its former egg-free glory. I knew this was the perfect test.
With my MessMaster in hand, I reenacted my egg experience. Only this time, it was me who dropped it from several feet above the floor—and boy, did it splatter. MessMaster, to the rescue! I brought the squeegee attachment close to the egg and watched in awe as the entire thing—including shell bits, yolk and sticky whites—flew right into the machine via the hose.
To ensure the floor was nice and disinfected, I used a trick from Shark’s instruction manual, which mentions spraying the area with disinfecting cleaner and then going back in with the squeegee tool rather than wiping it dry with a cloth. By the time I was finished, the floor was just as clean as before—and I didn’t dirty one rag or paper towel in the process!
Pet Messes
While this Shark vacuum isn’t aimed at pet messes per se—at least, not like the dedicated Cordless Pet Plus—it is good for difficult pet messes. Yes, you can use it for “organic” messes (if you catch my drift), but it’s also great for other pet-related perils.
Take clumping cat litter, which normally is a no-no in a vacuum since it wreaks havoc on interior parts. I’ve actually ruined a vacuum doing this in the past, so it took some mental encouragement for me to try it again with the MessMaster. However, I’m genuinely surprised how fast and easy it is to suck up stray cat litter around my girls’ boxes. And the best part? No clogs!
That said, it’s not a replacement for a regular handheld vacuum when it comes to clearing fluff off upholstery. While the carpet tool works decently for debris on rugs and floors, it simply isn’t stiff enough to work hair out from couches and cat trees. For that, stick to our favorite cordless vacuums instead.
Emptying and Cleaning
As most would imagine, the Shark wet and dry vacuum gets pretty filthy after tackling all those wet messes. Luckily, it’s also a breeze to clean. After picking up a wet or organic mess, vacuum up a cup filled with standard tap water to engage a rinse cycle. If needed, do this a couple of times to ensure that all the internal parts are thoroughly rinsed. From there, just dump the contents out of the dust bin and give it a rinse in the sink. For a deeper clean, the attachments and dust bin are all dishwasher safe.
In case of any splatters on the inside of the lid, it’s easily detached for a quick rinse in the sink. The MessMaster also includes three filters: a cone filter, a sponge filter and a round filter. These require a rinse cleaning once a month. Just be sure to set them out to dry before replacing them back into the machine.
Pros
- Easily tackles both wet and dry messes
- Numerous accessories included
- Self-cleaning
- Works with and without bags
- Very lightweight at under 10 pounds
- Long, 20-foot cord
- Simple setup
Cons
- Needs more onboard accessory storage
- Cord storage is a little annoying
- Not ideal for pet hair
Final Verdict
Overall, I’m extremely happy with my MessMaster. While it’s not a replacement for a standard cordless vacuum, it is an indispensable tool in my cleaning arsenal. I break it out when I encounter messes that my normal vacuum can’t handle, especially really gross ones. After having it handy for a month of spills and pet messes, I really can’t imagine going back to paper towels and mops.
Sure, you can spring for a vacuum mop that does some of the same things. But even a vacuum mop can’t pick up things like cat litter, used coffee grounds, plant debris and endless dust from DIY projects. Bonus: the MessMaster also hasn’t spit anything back out in the process of moving it from place-to-place, which I can’t say about my current vacuum.
Where to Buy the Shark MessMaster
Shark MessMaster Wet and Dry Vac
The Shark MessMaster sucks up spills, soil and pretty much anything that stains or sticks.
If you’re ready to say sayonara to stubborn, sticky or sloppy messes, snag the Shark MessMaster from the Shark website for around $170. You can also find it at additional retailers, including Chewy, Walmart and Ace Hardware. It’s so useful to have it handy when spills strike—especially if you’re fresh out of paper towels!
FAQ
How to clean the Shark MessMaster?
Cleaning the Shark MessMaster is as easy as sucking up messes. For dry messes, simply empty the dust bin (or dust bag, if using) into the trash can. If there’s any debris leftover, simply rinse out the bin and wipe it dry.
For wet or organic messes, fill a bowl with water and use the MessMaster to suck it up, then empty it into a sink or receptacle. Do this as many times as needed to thoroughly clear debris from the components. For stubborn messes, rinse the hose, dust bin and attachments under running water. Then, remove the mesh, foam and sponge filters and allow them to air dry before adding them back into the machine.
Is the Shark MessMaster cordless?
No, the Shark MessMaster is not cordless. However, the cord is 20 feet long and the vacuum itself is lightweight at under 10 pounds, which gives it good mobility.
Why You Should Trust Us
When it comes to cleaning products, our Product Testing Team aren’t just testers—they’re users, too! We all have homes to keep tidy, and when a product impresses us, we bring it home and make it a part of our regular cleaning routine. I’ve personally tried so many different devices in my house that I have a pretty good idea about what features are necessary and which are “extra.” Finding the best cleaning equipment means more than just trying it out once in a lab—that’s why we long term test all the products we recommend.
