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What is a “Lift-Away” Vacuum? Shark’s Innovation Explained

When shopping for a Shark upright vacuum cleaner, you’ve probably come across the label Lift-Away. So, what exactly is a Shark Lift-Away and how can it make your life easier? That’s what we’re here to talk about! Join us as we discover what Shark Lift-Away uprights are and why you would consider getting one.

Shark Navigator ZU561
Shark Navigator ZU561

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What Is a Shark Lift-Away Upright?

Shark has come up with an innovative way of vacuuming above-floor surfaces, such as drapes and upholstery. Instead of relying solely on suction hoses with numerous attachments, as other brands have included in their uprights, Shark designed the Lift-Away feature.

The Lift-Away is a canister module that detaches from the upright’s neck on hose that you can connect various cleaning tools—such as crevice tools, dusting brushes, and pet tools—that make cleaning above-ground surfaces a breeze.

The detachable canister module that is the Lift-Away weighs a mere fraction of the upright’s total weight while sporting the high-powered motor and maintaining identical levels of cleaning efficiency. Many users find using Shark upright’s Lift-Away mode to make vacuuming floors and underneath furniture easier than on the standard upright mode.

Shark-Apex-DuoClean-AZ1002-Zero-M-Powered-Lift-Away
Related Post: Best Shark Upright Vacuums

What About Powered Lift-Away?

If you’ve looked long and hard enough at different Shark upright models, then you’ve undoubtedly come across the Powered Lift-Away upright series.

In essence, the standard Lift-Away and Powered Lift-Away uprights are one and the same. Both come with ultra-beefy motors inside of the detachable canister module to make cleaning floors, ceilings, and nearly anything in between a lot less of a chore. Both units come with suction hoses and a series of handy cleaning tools to remove dirt, debris, and pet hair from all sorts of nooks and crannies.

However, when comparing how efficient each is at cleaning, the Powered Lift-Away series is several times more so than the standard Lift-Away. This is due to the fact that the motor is Powered Lift-Away models actively spin the narrow brush rolls in specific cleaning tools, whereas the traditional Lift-Away relies on inward airflow to drive the brushes and extract embedded heir and debris.

Shark LZ601

Who Would Want a Shark Lift-Away Upright?

For the most part, the removable canister pod makes vacuuming furniture, auto interior, and other above-floor surfaces a lot easier than traditional uprights with long suction hoses.

In a sense, the Lift-Away pod is like a combination between a canister vacuum and a handheld vac—it’s as portable as can be, but it also offers the amazing cleaning performance of a full-sized unit.

Shark Lift-Away Pro Steam Pocket Mop (S3973D)
Shark Lift-Away Steam Mop

Shark Lift-Away and Powered Lift-Away models are ideal for use in multi-story homes since they can make cleaning carpeted steps a breeze.

These models would also be ideal for anyone who wants the portability to vacuum inside cars without either lugging around tremendously large canisters or relying on the low-power and annoyingly tiny batteries of cordless handheld vacuums.

Plus, it just so happens that most Shark Lift-Away models are made with total allergen seals and feature True HEPA Filters to trap microscopic particles like dust mites and dander, so if the spring season and presence of pets tickles your sinuses, a Lift-Away upright by Shark might be just what you’re looking for.

Shark NV352

Related Shark Vacuum Articles

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 • Best Shark Upright Vacuums

Comparison Articles
 • Shark Navigator vs. Rotator
 • Shark Navigator vs Hoover MAXLife vs. Bissell CleanView
 • Shark vs Eureka

Info Articles
 • What is a Shark “Lift-Away” Vacuum?



Our Recommended Upright Vacuums

Our Pick The Bissell 2252 CleanView gives you the outstanding performance you’d expect from an expert floor care company at a great price. It has specialized pet tools and features, so you know it’s designed for homes with pets.

Budget Pick The Eureka Airspeed NEU100 is an affordable, lightweight, and good upright vacuum for cleaning small apartments. With a 10.5-inch wide cleaning path, it gets the job done quickly.

Best of the Best The Bissell 2998 is a well-balanced, convertible, bagless upright vacuum intended as a cleaning solution for larger homes and apartments.

Check Latest Price >



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About the author

Hi I’m Alex, founder of HouseholdMe.com and I’d like to say thank you for dropping by. Like most of you, the first thing I look at before buying something online is reviews or buying guides. By reading what other people say will help me gauge whether or not a product is good or not.  I am trying to help people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired.

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