We've had one of these for a year or so. We have a large area of Quickstep laminate flooring and 2 dogs, so it can get quite dirty, particularly in the winter. The laminate has a grain effect on the surface, i.e. its not smooth/flat. Dirt gets into the grain and is impossible to get out without something like a nail brush, which as you can imagine, on a large floor area is a real chore. We bought this machine in the hope that it would do the job, but it doesn't, to the point that we've now stopped using it in favour of a steam mop, which cleans just as well after the floor has been vacuumed and is much lighter to push around. The grain still needs a periodic nail brush session though!
Yes, I can appreciate that. We have laminate too and it has V shaped edges to each plank and you're right - sometimes you need something really stiff to get in there and scrape the direct out. Flappy rollers just don't cut it.
If all else fails, read the instructions. Luckily this video was so helpful and I've been using the product successfully so I never needed to read them. I love to clean as long as I have the proper tools. Cleaning with this product has cut my cleaning time/energy in half. It is basically just like using a vacuum cleaner, with a few exceptions. First of all, it is heavy. I work out including weight training and I consider it heavy. Second, after you use it, you have to clean it out (I give myself at least 15 minutes for this part). That includes the two containers, the two rollers, the standing tray and the part that holds the rollers which is hard to get to. I use a screwdriver and qtips to squeeze into the tight areas which have accumulated a lot of gunk. If you don't clean properly, this will, no doubt, accumulate and affect the intensity of the cleaning. Also, all the parts I mentioned have to be dried out to prevent mold. In the summer that might take a few hours, but in cold weather, it might take days. I tried using a few drops of Dawn instead of the floor cleaner that comes with it and it seems fine but I don't know if it has any adverse effect on the tubes. I also put vinegar in the standing tray with the water to moisten the rollers. I like cleaning with vinegar, but I don't put it in with the cleaning water because vinegar is bad for rubber tubes. Thank you for this very helpful video!
Great review Andrew - thank you. I just bought a second hand one that didn't come with instructions. Your review really helped me to work out how to use it.
We bought one of these. First it does the job. Cleans dirty floors. (We have two Jack Russells). It is rather heavy and has no wheels so you have to pick it up and carry. As some older people might find it too heavy I think wheels or something might help. Maybe on the stand thingy. If you are cleaning ceramic floor tiles. It is handy for running along the joins as it cleans the grout quite well. Keep tanks and roller brushes clean as they can smell if left a while.
My Kärcher has stopped sending cleaning solution down the little tube to the rollers, it looks like its blocked and tripping out of the bodywork ,I can’t get to the tube as it is behind plastic cover with lots of complicated screws to undo any simple solution,
Yes, rollers are correct, they roll when I take the bottom cover off but don't move at all when clipped back on. I've wetted the rollers slightly too regards Mark.
Yes fine but soon as the cover goes back on the rollers can't move as if they are too big but they are the originals. No problem with the electric as its making the right sound.
That's really odd, Mark. I've not encountered anything like that. I've just had a fiddle with mine and can't see anything obvious. If you take the rollers off, and put the cover on, can you get the rollers back on easily or is it a real struggle?
I bought one. It was fine, then broke down after 4 months. Karcher took it away, then returned it broken. Then said they'd phone, they didn't... I'm going to try the Bissell crosswave now as having spent 3.5 hours on hold in total with Karcher it's no longer worth pursuing.
Robert Andersen this thing is not reliable, same here except they fixed it, and after 5 months it the gears slip again. The gears are actually not weak but it’s very hard to rotate the brushes because they don’t spin easily and that eventually destroys the gears. They needed to redesign the plastic frame so that the vacuum inlet blades stay further away from the brushes so they can spin freely
Mine broke after 12 months and now after another 7 months the gears slip again. The gears are actually not weak but it’s very hard to rotate the brushes because they don’t slide easily and that eventually destroys the gears. The vacuum inlets blades rub against the brushes which causes intense friction. They needed to redesign the plastic frame so that the blades stay further away from the brushes so they can spin freely PS Another 4 months and the clutch is slipping again.
GNCandrew I’ve sent it to service dept yesterday. Not sure if the gears slip or it’s the clutch making the noise but the brushes stuck when I insert the water/dirt container. That means the vacuum inlets create extra friction due to suction. Metal preferably bronze gears are the solution I think.
@@rotorblade9508 Thx. I'd be interested in Karcher's service performance so do come back and let everyone know how long the repair took, whether the problem was fixed and so on. Fingers crossed m
GNCandrew they took it to replace the gear box again with a new one, covered by warranty and brought it back in 3 days. They gave me a sheet with instructions to make sure I know how to use it. It says there to clean it after every use and before starting work l put water in the black holder and let the mop run in the water for 5 seconds. I suggest getting the water collector tank off so that the rollers run easier. Even though I’ve followed the instructions after 4 months the rollers stated to block again when pulling the mop towards you(frinction with the floor is higher). I suppose the clutch is slipping. I’ve noticed the vacuum suction increases the rollers friction significantly so I’ve cut perpendicular grooves in the black suction plate just like vacuum cleaner floor tool have. It they didn’t have grooves the suction would make impossible to glide on the floor. I’ve made like 30 grooves, 2mm wide with a Dremel stone disc to allow air to pass by. Now it seems to run well, it didn’t stuck yet anymore. Will see what happens next.
Tried it twice on tiled floor. It's being returned. Followed cleaning instructions as per several videos. Excess water on tiles which became slip hazard had to be mopped up with micro fibre mop.
@@GNCandrew Hi, yes there is water in the dirty tank. The water on the tiles was still present over an hour later,and sent time stamped pictures to Karcher
I’m in a bad mood! I was ready to post something critical, because your review was quite slow and a bit “wordy”. However, I was mistaken ! Your video proved quite useful! (Especially for someone who is averse to thumbing through the multi-lingual instruction book. Is it only me who can’t stand the pages that read: “do not eat the power cord,” “ do not insert parts of your body into the rollers” etc ) Many thanks Andrew. Best wishes!
Hey, thanks for the feedback - that made me laugh. Yes, I'm not a super snappy reviewer and I probably should cut the length down but it's my little niche - the slow review...cheers!
Hello, First of all I thank GN Candrew for answering my question? I finally managed to find the little problem we had to return the little foam that is in the water tank simply.
Hi GNCandrew having problems getting the "lid" for rollers part to really click back on after taking off to clean, then when i think it's on start cleaning and it flys off !! Very frustrating anybody else had this problem??
I've used mine for the first time today. This video was so easy to understand compared to the instructions which came with it. The only thing it doesn't pick up is cat hair, it rolls it up in a ball and spits it out. A few minor things which could be better designed but overall I'm very pleased with it.
Yes, if you can keep it handy, it's great for a quick whiz over the floor. I don't have any pets so haven't seen that balling but I have seen some similar effects with large piles of fluff.
i have just got mine, i have a parrot and cats and i just found unless its fresh cat food bits or seed on the floor it didn't get it up, i went over a little dried cat food about 30 or more times and had to use a scrubber in the end
J'ai acheté le mien sur Amazon il y a 8 mois et je n'ai jamais eu de problème. On a des carreaux et du lino au sol dans la maison. Les taches partent assez vite. Il faut juste penser à nettoyer les brosses de temps en temps. le câble électrique est long donc c'est pas mal quand on a de la surface. Je vous met le lien où je l'ai acheté : amzn.to/2Nl34aA
Not really - by the time I've gone over the floor, backwards and forwards, the coverage seems even enough. But I can see how that would be annoying....
hi I have a question now I have tried it and seems pretty good but when I took the suction head out I couldn't put it back in at all it keeps falling out why is that?
I'm still on my first set of mop rollers - when they get too dirty I put them in the washing machine. I would always recommend vacuuming first before mopping but the Karcher will pickup dirt, sand and hair. A bit of sand stuck in the grout between tiles will be no problem.
@@GNCandrew thanks so much for replying. Yes there is life but we just cannot get the rollers to rotate and are afraid that the motor might burn out if we persist. We are in the UK and did contact Karcher helpline but haven't had a response and as we can't find our proof or purchase we are not hopeful that they will help. We bought it a few month ago but couldn't find the time to try it out before now.
If you are worried that the fluffy rollers are jamming, you could try taking the rollers off - they just twist off for cleaning. One turns one way, and the others turns the other. If the remaining spindles don't turn, there's something definitely wrong with it.
How much water does it pick up. At best it picks up 50 ml out of 200ml. It struggles to even pick up bits. At best its got a good rotation. I returned mine and im going to try bissel. It leaves too much water on floor. Maybe mine was faulty. Did u refil the water? Cause u did allot and have got allot of water left
The rollers and the cover go on quite easily. With the cover off it really pulls across the floor as I assume it should do but soon as I put the cover back on it reluctantly struggles to move and then stops altogether but the motor is still going. It's very frustrating .I'm going to phone karcher later Regards Mark.
Mark, all very odd. Yes it does pull strongly across the floor so that all seems to be good from that point of view. Very strange. Let us all know how you get on. with Karcher.
All sorted now thanks for your help and advice. The problem lay with the grey plastic button which when pressed releases the suction cover. It's very stiff and doesn't go on with a click. It was in the wrong position,; half on half off. Ive managed to get it into a position where it doesn't interfere with the rollers. Thanks again regards Mark.
We have real hard wood floors and not laminate and am unsure whether this is suitable as real hard wood floors cannot be saturated. Does it let out lots of water, does the water dry quickly?
I tend to use some good dishwashing detergent (Fairy Liquid here in the UK). I put it on neat with just a small amount of warm water and run the rollers through my hands. Maybe leave for a few minutes and then rinse with warm water. Seems to get them clean enough.
thank you for the informative intro. question does it also clean if i only move forward and do not pull back? in order walk behind, as I would like to limit the strain on my back. I dont mind going over the same area many times
I think it probably would but, as you say, you'd probably have to go over dirtier areas a couple of times. The Karcher does pull quite hard at times - you kind of have to restrain it a little, so it might not be the best choice for your back.
Bonjour, cela fait la 2eme fois que j'ai le même problème, l'eau ne veut plus sortir pour nettoyer le sol il aspire mais rien se passe a-t-il une personne qui aurai eu le même problème à part le faire retourner chez le fabricant est attendre 1mois pour le retour. Merci pour votre réponse.
Sorry, I haven't had this problem. I'd just check that everything is connected up properly and if it still won't suck up the water, I'd contact Karcher.
The documentation is very confusing regarding cleaning liquid. Also in the reviews I watched it seem that the included liquid should be used for cleaning. But I think that is only for cleaning the machine and there is no instruction for how much to use. I use normal cleaning soap in the container when cleaning the floor.
Thomas, I've found the Karcher works well with a range of floor cleaning products - you just have to adjust the dilution levels to suit the smaller water container.
Can anyone comment on how the FC5 handles long dog and wife hairs? I have a border collie and always struggle to get the hairs up before I mop. I am considering buying the FC5 but don't want to spend the money if it will also leave hairs on the wet floor...
Sorry for not getting back to you. I don't have any pets or a wife with long hair but where I have seen a few problems is with string or wrapping where the thing kind of gets wrapped round the roller rather than being sucked up.
Nice video demo. A couple of questions though. 1. Can u use normal floor cleaning solutions that are usually available in supermarkets? I doubt that I can get the actual cleaning solution that karcher provides here in my country since this type of cleaning device is still new and probably unheard of. 2. How much area can you cover in m2 with just 1 bottle of clean water? So 1 bottle of cleaning solution= how many m2? 3. After just 1 go in your video,was the floor really clean? I mean,if you were to compare it to mopping the floor,can u still feel any dust particles after using this machine? 4. When you bought this device, did it come with 2 rollers and a cleaning solution or did u have to add them to your purchase? The reason I'm asking you this is because in the website here that sells it,it has the normal and the premium package in which the premium is the one that give 2 rollers instead of just 1,I think. But I don't see any pictures or buttons to click to choose the premium from the normal package😖😖
Thank you for this very informative video! It has made my purchase decision a lot easier :) I have one question though: Can it be used in vacuum cleaning mode only?
I'm not really into making detergent, but there's definitely no need to buy Karcher's own brand. Here in the UK, I just use Flash, which is a household liquid detergent, and it works fine.
Thanks for the review. I'm thinking about getting one from Costco. Can I use Bona floor cleaner as a substitute for the expensive refills. This product reminds me of printers;they get you on the ink refills.
I just use Flash in mine. You'll have to do a bit of experimenting to get the mix right. (Flash is a general purpose surface cleaner here in the UK - I'm sure there's something similar in the US).
I use bona in mine. You'll want to dilute it quite a bit. If not you'll get some foaming. I found a full take with about a teaspoon of bona works great.
More on this after I ended up dismantling my FC5 to investigate: I removed the rollers and roller cover to expose the brass nozzle where the water comes out. There are a couple of screws that hold the nozzle in. When removed, I pulled the nozzle away from the tube that connects it to the reservoir. It was blocked. The tube is narrow enough, but the hole in the nozzle is narrower than a pin point - it seems that the water is just gravity fed so it needs to be narrow to restrict the flow to the rollers. This makes it prone to blockages, despite the filter at the bottom of the reservoir. This is especially the case if you're in a hard water area, or use certain detergents. I used a really narrow drill to clear the blockage and enlarge the hole and this sorted the problem and has improved the cleaning performance due to increased water flow. It means that the reservoir will need refilling more frequently, but it's worth the tradeoff - HTH
Hmm, are there any other signs of life from the FC5? Did you pre-wet the rollers a little? Are the correct rollers. on each side? Blue with blue and green with green?
As with many household appliances, it's hard to get really excited about it. It's not perfect (the stand bugs me) but for me, it definitely wins out over vac followed by steam mop.
My question would be is it similat to Bissel Crosswave machine ? I had one had to be returned because it kept cutting out a lot, I was really happy the way it picked up hairs, fine dust and, very dirty floor was no problem and on other thing it was not reaching the edges i am missing it a lot though because it would clean the mats too. Now can Karcher compare to similar apart from cutting out ?
From Google Translate - I am a citizen of Korea I bought this product 2 years ago and used it a few times and gave up. Because there was too much water in the place where it passed, I had to use a dry rag again.
That's disappointing. Mine gets the floor wet, but never so bad that I'd have to dry the floor with a cloth. Check that the hood over the rollers is on properly. 실망스럽네요. 내 것은 바닥을 적시지만 천으로 바닥을 말려야 할 정도로 나쁘지는 않습니다. 롤러 위의 후드가 제대로 장착되어 있는지 확인하십시오.
J'ai acheté le mien sur Amazon il y a 8 mois et je n'ai jamais eu de problème. On a des carreaux et du lino au sol dans la maison. Les taches partent assez vite. Il faut juste penser à nettoyer les brosses de temps en temps. le câble électrique est long donc c'est pas mal quand on a de la surface. Je vous met le lien où je l'ai acheté : amzn.to/2Nl34aA
Sorry, I've not used that Vax machine so couldn't say. It's probably about the same as the Vax Steam Hard Floor Master in terms of dryness of the floor, but the Karcher picks up dirt and dust which a mop doesn't do. From that point of view, it's much better.
7 лет назад
GNCandrew nah the Vax is more like the Karcher in that it scrubs the floor. However I can’t seem to get my hands on it here in Israel so based on your video I have ordered the Karcher since it seems to work more like the Vax but without the drying. (The Vax is the same as the hoover floormate I think).
Raphaël Freeman Hope it works for you. I like mine and it's now part of my regular Saturday morning cleaning routine, ready for family coming round later!
@@GNCandrew last week i bought a pipe for garden same of karcher and when i tryed to use so moving and bad quality I'm still surprise how a company like karcher can sell so bad products...never more karcher
What particular problem are you having? I'm still using mine weekly. As you long as empty dirty water, give the channels a clean every now and then, it'll give years of service.
@@GNCandrew First, it does not remove slightly harder dirt, in the kitchen, the upper plate above the brushes is difficult to adjust and the plastic underneath has already broken and I glued it twice, the seals on it quickly failed so I had to replace them. If you apply the prescribed amount of product RM536 after drying, the smooth tiles are beautiful when you walk on them, if you apply less it is as if you did not apply any. The device is simply rubbish compared to similar products of the same purpose and price. Now I use it once a month.
I have high gloss porcelain floors with the "cloudy" look that is very difficult to remove, is the motor powerful enough to allow for spray buffing without burning it out? Cheers
The motors pretty powerful - you can feel it pull across the floor - but I really don't know if it will do what you want, just because I've not got the problem you have.
We've had one of these for a year or so. We have a large area of Quickstep laminate flooring and 2 dogs, so it can get quite dirty, particularly in the winter. The laminate has a grain effect on the surface, i.e. its not smooth/flat. Dirt gets into the grain and is impossible to get out without something like a nail brush, which as you can imagine, on a large floor area is a real chore. We bought this machine in the hope that it would do the job, but it doesn't, to the point that we've now stopped using it in favour of a steam mop, which cleans just as well after the floor has been vacuumed and is much lighter to push around. The grain still needs a periodic nail brush session though!
Yes, I can appreciate that. We have laminate too and it has V shaped edges to each plank and you're right - sometimes you need something really stiff to get in there and scrape the direct out. Flappy rollers just don't cut it.
Thanks for this comment - this is exactly what I needed to know!
Thank you for a great review with good instructions. Certainly helped me operate my new Karcher, cheers.
Thanks for the message!
If all else fails, read the instructions. Luckily this video was so helpful and I've been using the product successfully so I never needed to read them. I love to clean as long as I have the proper tools. Cleaning with this product has cut my cleaning time/energy in half. It is basically just like using a vacuum cleaner, with a few exceptions. First of all, it is heavy. I work out including weight training and I consider it heavy. Second, after you use it, you have to clean it out (I give myself at least 15 minutes for this part). That includes the two containers, the two rollers, the standing tray and the part that holds the rollers which is hard to get to. I use a screwdriver and qtips to squeeze into the tight areas which have accumulated a lot of gunk. If you don't clean properly, this will, no doubt, accumulate and affect the intensity of the cleaning. Also, all the parts I mentioned have to be dried out to prevent mold. In the summer that might take a few hours, but in cold weather, it might take days. I tried using a few drops of Dawn instead of the floor cleaner that comes with it and it seems fine but I don't know if it has any adverse effect on the tubes. I also put vinegar in the standing tray with the water to moisten the rollers. I like cleaning with vinegar, but I don't put it in with the cleaning water because vinegar is bad for rubber tubes. Thank you for this very helpful video!
Thanks Susie. My tip would be that I put the rollers on top of a radiator to dry them out quickly.
Great review Andrew - thank you. I just bought a second hand one that didn't come with instructions. Your review really helped me to work out how to use it.
Glad I could help.
We bought one of these. First it does the job. Cleans dirty floors. (We have two Jack Russells). It is rather heavy and has no wheels so you have to pick it up and carry. As some older people might find it too heavy I think wheels or something might help. Maybe on the stand thingy. If you are cleaning ceramic floor tiles. It is handy for running along the joins as it cleans the grout quite well. Keep tanks and roller brushes clean as they can smell if left a while.
Yes, I rinse the rollers and put them on a radiator to dry.
My Kärcher has stopped sending cleaning solution down the little tube to the rollers, it looks like its
blocked and tripping out of the bodywork ,I can’t get to the tube as it is behind plastic cover with lots of complicated screws to undo
any simple solution,
How does it do with dog hairs (especially when they're shedding)
Sorry, I haven't had this problem so haven't investigated.
Sorry, don't have a dog but seems to work ok with cat fur. The fur does collect on the rollers a bit but a quick rinse under the tap sorts it out.
Nice and simple easy instruction,much better than those supplied in the box,thanks for that.
Yes, rollers are correct, they roll when I take the bottom cover off but don't move at all when clipped back on. I've wetted the rollers slightly too regards Mark.
So if the cover's off they'll go round under power?
Is there plenty of noise?
Yes fine but soon as the cover goes back on the rollers can't move as if they are too big but they are the originals. No problem with the electric as its making the right sound.
That's really odd, Mark. I've not encountered anything like that. I've just had a fiddle with mine and can't see anything obvious. If you take the rollers off, and put the cover on, can you get the rollers back on easily or is it a real struggle?
I bought one. It was fine, then broke down after 4 months. Karcher took it away, then returned it broken. Then said they'd phone, they didn't... I'm going to try the Bissell crosswave now as having spent 3.5 hours on hold in total with Karcher it's no longer worth pursuing.
Robert Andersen this thing is not reliable, same here except they fixed it, and after 5 months it the gears slip again. The gears are actually not weak but it’s very hard to rotate the brushes because they don’t spin easily and that eventually destroys the gears. They needed to redesign the plastic frame so that the vacuum inlet blades stay further away from the brushes so they can spin freely
Mine broke after 12 months and now after another 7 months the gears slip again. The gears are actually not weak but it’s very hard to rotate the brushes because they don’t slide easily and that eventually destroys the gears. The vacuum inlets blades rub against the brushes which causes intense friction. They needed to redesign the plastic frame so that the blades stay further away from the brushes so they can spin freely
PS
Another 4 months and the clutch is slipping again.
Thanks for the feedback. Can't say I've experienced this but with all these things YMMV!
GNCandrew I’ve sent it to service dept yesterday. Not sure if the gears slip or it’s the clutch making the noise but the brushes stuck when I insert the water/dirt container. That means the vacuum inlets create extra friction due to suction. Metal preferably bronze gears are the solution I think.
@@rotorblade9508 Thx. I'd be interested in Karcher's service performance so do come back and let everyone know how long the repair took, whether the problem was fixed and so on. Fingers crossed m
GNCandrew they took it to replace the gear box again with a new one, covered by warranty and brought it back in 3 days. They gave me a sheet with instructions to make sure I know how to use it. It says there to clean it after every use and before starting work l put water in the black holder and let the mop run in the water for 5 seconds. I suggest getting the water collector tank off so that the rollers run easier.
Even though I’ve followed the instructions after 4 months the rollers stated to block again when pulling the mop towards you(frinction with the floor is higher). I suppose the clutch is slipping.
I’ve noticed the vacuum suction increases the rollers friction significantly so I’ve cut perpendicular grooves in the black suction plate just like vacuum cleaner floor tool have. It they didn’t have grooves the suction would make impossible to glide on the floor. I’ve made like 30 grooves, 2mm wide with a Dremel stone disc to allow air to pass by. Now it seems to run well, it didn’t stuck yet anymore. Will see what happens next.
Tried it twice on tiled floor. It's being returned. Followed cleaning instructions as per several videos. Excess water on tiles which became slip hazard had to be mopped up with micro fibre mop.
That's odd. Are you getting any water in the dirty water tank? .
@@GNCandrew Hi, yes there is water in the dirty tank. The water on the tiles was still present over an hour later,and sent time stamped pictures to Karcher
I’m in a bad mood! I was ready to post something critical, because your review was quite slow and a bit “wordy”.
However, I was mistaken ! Your video proved quite useful! (Especially for someone who is averse to thumbing through the multi-lingual instruction book. Is it only me who can’t stand the pages that read: “do not eat the power cord,” “ do not insert parts of your body into the rollers” etc )
Many thanks Andrew. Best wishes!
Hey, thanks for the feedback - that made me laugh. Yes, I'm not a super snappy reviewer and I probably should cut the length down but it's my little niche - the slow review...cheers!
Hello,
First of all I thank GN Candrew for answering my question? I finally managed to find the little problem we had to return the little foam that is in the water tank simply.
Ho man you should come to my house to test that machine your house is spotless
Hi GNCandrew having problems getting the "lid" for rollers part to really click back on after taking off to clean, then when i think it's on start cleaning and it flys off !! Very frustrating anybody else had this problem??
I've used mine for the first time today. This video was so easy to understand compared to the instructions which came with it. The only thing it doesn't pick up is cat hair, it rolls it up in a ball and spits it out. A few minor things which could be better designed but overall I'm very pleased with it.
Yes, if you can keep it handy, it's great for a quick whiz over the floor. I don't have any pets so haven't seen that balling but I have seen some similar effects with large piles of fluff.
GNCandrew q
I would of liked to see this demonstrated on a dirty floor
i have just got mine, i have a parrot and cats and i just found unless its fresh cat food bits or seed on the floor it didn't get it up, i went over a little dried cat food about 30 or more times and had to use a scrubber in the end
J'ai acheté le mien sur Amazon il y a 8 mois et je n'ai jamais eu de problème. On a des carreaux et du lino au sol dans la maison. Les taches partent assez vite. Il faut juste penser à nettoyer les brosses de temps en temps. le câble électrique est long donc c'est pas mal quand on a de la surface. Je vous met le lien où je l'ai acheté : amzn.to/2Nl34aA
spritz dried spills with water prior to using the machine to give it a chance to soften up first.
@@cyrilfray9012 je vois votre comment depuis un an , est ce wue votre macine continue à bien fonctionner jusqu à date ?
Anyone else have issues with the FC5 leaving streaks due to the space between the rollers?😡😡😡
Not really - by the time I've gone over the floor, backwards and forwards, the coverage seems even enough. But I can see how that would be annoying....
hi I have a question now I have tried it and seems pretty good but when I took the suction head out I couldn't put it back in at all it keeps falling out why is that?
I'm not too sure what you mean by the suction head...
The design is bad. Same with mine. Can't put the lid on top of rollers back on after cleaning it. Very heavy for women . I wouldn't advise buying it.
Only one thing missing, a cordless model, with rechargeable battery.
They have one (now).
Mines leaks out cleaning fluid when in storage. Is rhis normal?
Depends how much. I'd get a few drips but it wouldn't empty the tank or anything like that.
Does it pick up sand and hair or does that get pushed around and stuck to the mop and then they have to be changed every time costing lots of money?
I'm still on my first set of mop rollers - when they get too dirty I put them in the washing machine. I would always recommend vacuuming first before mopping but the Karcher will pickup dirt, sand and hair. A bit of sand stuck in the grout between tiles will be no problem.
Great review, thanks for sharing! One question, do you know if it can handle carpet as well?
No, it's hard floors only.
Hopefully I’m getting one soon. Great review!
Hope you like it when you get it. Let us know what you think when it arrives.
Why do I get streaks on the tile floor please
What kind of streaks are they? While you are cleaning the floor or after, once it's dried?
We cannot get the rollers to turn - have you any advice?
Is there any sign of life when you press the power switch? I don't know what country you are from - do you have fuses in your plugs?
@@GNCandrew thanks so much for replying. Yes there is life but we just cannot get the rollers to rotate and are afraid that the motor might burn out if we persist. We are in the UK and did contact Karcher helpline but haven't had a response and as we can't find our proof or purchase we are not hopeful that they will help. We bought it a few month ago but couldn't find the time to try it out before now.
If you are worried that the fluffy rollers are jamming, you could try taking the rollers off - they just twist off for cleaning. One turns one way, and the others turns the other. If the remaining spindles don't turn, there's something definitely wrong with it.
How much water does it pick up. At best it picks up 50 ml out of 200ml. It struggles to even pick up bits. At best its got a good rotation. I returned mine and im going to try bissel. It leaves too much water on floor. Maybe mine was faulty. Did u refil the water? Cause u did allot and have got allot of water left
I never think that I have too much water on the floor, to be honest...not sure what to say really.
The rollers and the cover go on quite easily. With the cover off it really pulls across the floor as I assume it should do but soon as I put the cover back on it reluctantly struggles to move and then stops altogether but the motor is still going. It's very frustrating .I'm going to phone karcher later
Regards Mark.
Mark, all very odd. Yes it does pull strongly across the floor so that all seems to be good from that point of view. Very strange. Let us all know how you get on. with Karcher.
All sorted now thanks for your help and advice. The problem lay with the grey plastic button which when pressed releases the suction cover. It's very stiff and doesn't go on with a click. It was in the wrong position,; half on half off. Ive managed to get it into a position where it doesn't interfere with the rollers.
Thanks again regards Mark.
We have real hard wood floors and not laminate and am unsure whether this is suitable as real hard wood floors cannot be saturated. Does it let out lots of water, does the water dry quickly?
No, it doesn't let much water out at all - that's the whole point. The rollers are damp, not wet, and the vacuum part sucks up any spare water.
Very comprehensive review
Thanks!
Hello thanks for the video, how do you clean the rollers? Washingmachine?
I tend to use some good dishwashing detergent (Fairy Liquid here in the UK). I put it on neat with just a small amount of warm water and run the rollers through my hands. Maybe leave for a few minutes and then rinse with warm water. Seems to get them clean enough.
@@GNCandrew thank you for your super fast response 😉 i bought the fc5 today (Germany) and I can't wait to use it. Thanks
I hope it meets your needs. I'm still using mine every week.
@@GNCandrew the kärcher is mainly for my son (19), kids today don't know how to clean anymore 🙈 but I keep you updated
@@GNCandrew so, after 2 weeks of using the machine, i am happy, except having some mark's on the floor, guess too much cleaner,
thank you for the informative intro.
question does it also clean if i only move forward and do not pull back? in order walk behind, as I would like to limit the strain on my back. I dont mind going over the same area many times
I think it probably would but, as you say, you'd probably have to go over dirtier areas a couple of times. The Karcher does pull quite hard at times - you kind of have to restrain it a little, so it might not be the best choice for your back.
Bonjour, cela fait la 2eme fois que j'ai le même problème, l'eau ne
veut plus sortir pour nettoyer le sol il aspire mais rien se passe a-t-il une personne
qui aurai eu le même problème à part le faire retourner chez le fabricant est attendre
1mois pour le retour. Merci pour votre réponse.
Sorry, I haven't had this problem. I'd just check that everything is connected up properly and if it still won't suck up the water, I'd contact Karcher.
This is an answer to a questions no-one is asking.
Very deep.
The documentation is very confusing regarding cleaning liquid. Also in the reviews I watched it seem that the included liquid should be used for cleaning. But I think that is only for cleaning the machine and there is no instruction for how much to use. I use normal cleaning soap in the container when cleaning the floor.
Thomas, I've found the Karcher works well with a range of floor cleaning products - you just have to adjust the dilution levels to suit the smaller water container.
Can anyone comment on how the FC5 handles long dog and wife hairs? I have a border collie and always struggle to get the hairs up before I mop. I am considering buying the FC5 but don't want to spend the money if it will also leave hairs on the wet floor...
Sorry for not getting back to you. I don't have any pets or a wife with long hair but where I have seen a few problems is with string or wrapping where the thing kind of gets wrapped round the roller rather than being sucked up.
@@GNCandrew is it vacuum small items
It will pick up small items if they get snagged by the rollers, but it's not a vacuum cleaner.
Nice video demo. A couple of questions though.
1. Can u use normal floor cleaning solutions that are usually available in supermarkets? I doubt that I can get the actual cleaning solution that karcher provides here in my country since this type of cleaning device is still new and probably unheard of.
2. How much area can you cover in m2 with just 1 bottle of clean water? So 1 bottle of cleaning solution= how many m2?
3. After just 1 go in your video,was the floor really clean? I mean,if you were to compare it to mopping the floor,can u still feel any dust particles after using this machine?
4. When you bought this device, did it come with 2 rollers and a cleaning solution or did u have to add them to your purchase? The reason I'm asking you this is because in the website here that sells it,it has the normal and the premium package in which the premium is the one that give 2 rollers instead of just 1,I think. But I don't see any pictures or buttons to click to choose the premium from the normal package😖😖
Yes, I've used Flash and others but you just have to adjust the dilution to suit the smaller water chamber.
Thank you for this very informative video! It has made my purchase decision a lot easier :) I have one question though: Can it be used in vacuum cleaning mode only?
No, there isn't a vacuum-only mode.
Could this be used on decking please reply
I don't think so. The grooves in typical decking are probably too deep and the brushes/rollers too soft to clean effectively.
Is it good for ceramic?
Works fine on tiles. I use it regularly on them.
Thanks for your review. I was wondering if I can make my own detergent? Do you have any suggestions for a home made detergent? Thanks
I'm not really into making detergent, but there's definitely no need to buy Karcher's own brand. Here in the UK, I just use Flash, which is a household liquid detergent, and it works fine.
Great review. Can you confirm that I can put regular floor cleaner in it and not have to use karcher's own
I use Flash regularly. Works great for me.
Thanks for the review. I'm thinking about getting one from Costco. Can I use Bona floor cleaner as a substitute for the expensive refills. This product reminds me of printers;they get you on the ink refills.
I just use Flash in mine. You'll have to do a bit of experimenting to get the mix right. (Flash is a general purpose surface cleaner here in the UK - I'm sure there's something similar in the US).
I use bona in mine. You'll want to dilute it quite a bit. If not you'll get some foaming. I found a full take with about a teaspoon of bona works great.
Is it possible to use regular cleaning solutions?
Not officially but I've used Flash in mine and just adjust the dilution level to suit the smaller water tank.
Does anybody no why water not getting to rollers
Not sure. Maybe the water bottle isn't in right?
Ditto - could be because you need to prime it first - by running it in the stand with some clean water?
More on this after I ended up dismantling my FC5 to investigate: I removed the rollers and roller cover to expose the brass nozzle where the water comes out. There are a couple of screws that hold the nozzle in. When removed, I pulled the nozzle away from the tube that connects it to the reservoir. It was blocked. The tube is narrow enough, but the hole in the nozzle is narrower than a pin point - it seems that the water is just gravity fed so it needs to be narrow to restrict the flow to the rollers. This makes it prone to blockages, despite the filter at the bottom of the reservoir. This is especially the case if you're in a hard water area, or use certain detergents.
I used a really narrow drill to clear the blockage and enlarge the hole and this sorted the problem and has improved the cleaning performance due to increased water flow. It means that the reservoir will need refilling more frequently, but it's worth the tradeoff - HTH
its
Hi, I've just received my karcher fc5 but unfortunately the rollers are not turning, any ideas? Thanks Mark.
Hmm, are there any other signs of life from the FC5? Did you pre-wet the rollers a little? Are the correct rollers. on each side? Blue with blue and green with green?
Como comprar este produto porque não achei em nenhum lugar
Why did he go over 1 square meter for 10'minutes?
I've a small house.
How do you guys find this product.. is it worthy.. planning to buy 1...
As with many household appliances, it's hard to get really excited about it. It's not perfect (the stand bugs me) but for me, it definitely wins out over vac followed by steam mop.
My question would be is it similat to Bissel Crosswave machine ? I had one had to be returned because it kept cutting out a lot, I was really happy the way it picked up hairs, fine dust and, very dirty floor was no problem and on other thing it was not reaching the edges i am missing it a lot though because it would clean the mats too. Now can Karcher compare to similar apart from cutting out ?
This makes me feel sad ... i am still using conventional mop ... no money to buy this one ☹️
Some of the little steam cleaners are quite good and relatively inexpensive. I used one of those from Vax for ages before getting the FC5
Thanks for sharing
Aurelie Gueho Thanks for the feedback. Glad you found it useful.
저는 대한민국 국민입니다
이제품을 2년전 구입해서 썼는데 몇번쓰고 포기했어요
왜냐하면 지나간 자리에 물기가 너무많아서 마른걸레를 다시 써야했어요 그점만 보완하면 아주 훌륭한 제품입니다
From Google Translate - I am a citizen of Korea
I bought this product 2 years ago and used it a few times and gave up.
Because there was too much water in the place where it passed, I had to use a dry rag again.
That's disappointing. Mine gets the floor wet, but never so bad that I'd have to dry the floor with a cloth. Check that the hood over the rollers is on properly.
실망스럽네요. 내 것은 바닥을 적시지만 천으로 바닥을 말려야 할 정도로 나쁘지는 않습니다. 롤러 위의 후드가 제대로 장착되어 있는지 확인하십시오.
J'ai acheté le mien sur Amazon il y a 8 mois et je n'ai jamais eu de problème. On a des carreaux et du lino au sol dans la maison. Les taches partent assez vite. Il faut juste penser à nettoyer les brosses de temps en temps. le câble électrique est long donc c'est pas mal quand on a de la surface. Je vous met le lien où je l'ai acheté : amzn.to/2Nl34aA
Does it leave the floor dry?
The floor is not immediately dry but typically only takes a few minutes to become dry.
GNCandrew do you know how this compares to the Vax Floormate v120 in terms of final results (mine has died)
Sorry, I've not used that Vax machine so couldn't say. It's probably about the same as the Vax Steam Hard Floor Master in terms of dryness of the floor, but the Karcher picks up dirt and dust which a mop doesn't do. From that point of view, it's much better.
GNCandrew nah the Vax is more like the Karcher in that it scrubs the floor. However I can’t seem to get my hands on it here in Israel so based on your video I have ordered the Karcher since it seems to work more like the Vax but without the drying. (The Vax is the same as the hoover floormate I think).
Raphaël Freeman Hope it works for you. I like mine and it's now part of my regular Saturday morning cleaning routine, ready for family coming round later!
Does it pick up ladies' long hair well?
Sorry, can't really say.... no long hair here....
Think I’ll stick with my floormates
bad experience of product... bought and soon problems with head blocked amazon change me and again same problem... no recommended
Sorry to hear that. My FC5 is still going strong...
@@GNCandrew last week i bought a pipe for garden same of karcher and when i tryed to use so moving and bad quality I'm still surprise how a company like karcher can sell so bad products...never more karcher
Must be frustrating for you. I've had a pressure washer, window vac and the floor cleaner. All have been trouble free for me.
Gets your floors clean and wash basin filthy... Pass.
Feel free to pour the dirty water down an outside drain. I only used the white sink for visual effect.
I can't believe I wasted 350 euros on this unfinished "prototype" from the cleaners. The biggest failure of Karcher!
What particular problem are you having? I'm still using mine weekly. As you long as empty dirty water, give the channels a clean every now and then, it'll give years of service.
@@GNCandrew First, it does not remove slightly harder dirt, in the kitchen, the upper plate above the brushes is difficult to adjust and the plastic underneath has already broken and I glued it twice, the seals on it quickly failed so I had to replace them. If you apply the prescribed amount of product RM536 after drying, the smooth tiles are beautiful when you walk on them, if you apply less it is as if you did not apply any. The device is simply rubbish compared to similar products of the same purpose and price. Now I use it once a month.
N
Достал......резинщик....
Our worked less than 10 months. Then this is what happened, a bucket of rusted lost to corrosion parts:
ruclips.net/video/biFPzM7CXCI/видео.html
I was told this is a steamer, but it's not I suppose. Please someone tell me if it's a steamer?
No, this isn't a steamer, but Karcher do a steam mop range. Look for SC1, SC2 and SC3. I haven't used any of them.
Do you have to hold a button to get it working?
No. Press on, press off.
I have high gloss porcelain floors with the "cloudy" look that is very difficult to remove, is the motor powerful enough to allow for spray buffing without burning it out?
Cheers
The motors pretty powerful - you can feel it pull across the floor - but I really don't know if it will do what you want, just because I've not got the problem you have.