Last Updated On December 28th, 2020
Looking for a Karcher FC5 cleaner review that you can trust? You’ve come to the right place.
Kärcher is one of the prominent names in home cleaning on the UK market today. Whether you’re looking for a pressure washer or something to make your glass gleam – Karcher has you covered. Recently, the company also introduced its Kärcher FC5 hard floor cleaner. A solution designed to make polishing your floor a one-step job rather than a day-long headache.
The question is, how well does it perform?
To find out, we’ll be looking at:
- Design and features
- Ease of use
- Cleaning performance
- Durability and maintenance
Read on for our full Karcher hard floor cleaner review.
Karcher FC5 Hard Floor Cleaner Review
Instead of vacuuming, mopping, and scrubbing separately, the roller cleaner can do everything at once, providing you with an easier way to manage household chores.
If you’re looking for a high-quality all-around hard floor cleaner, then you can’t go wrong with the Kärcher vacuum roller. Provided by one of the most respected brands on the market, the Kärcher can handle everything from PVC to tiles, laminate, cork, stone, and more.
With smart roller technology to vacuum up small debris, pet hair, dust and more, this machine really does have it all. You can also add specialized detergent for a deeper clean.
Features & Benefits
1. Design
Like many items from Karcher, one of the first things you’ll notice about the vacuum cleaner is how yellow it is. Once you get over that, you’ll find that the device is a highly robust and reliable tool brimming with fantastic functionality. An advantage which you may find common to any other Kärcher hard floor cleaner review.
Product specs:
- Dirty water tank capacity: 200ml or 400ml for clean water tank
- Cleaning performance per tank: 60 metres squared
- Roller speed: 500 rpm
- Power: Max 460 watts
- Roller working width: 30cm
- Drying time: 2 minutes
- Cable length: 7 metres
- Weight: 4.6kg
- Dimensions: H122cm x W27cm x L32cm
This fantastic FC5 device can wet-clean and vacuum a wide variety of floors – from laminates to vinyl. You can use it with fresh water or proprietary washing solutions specifically made for machine cleaners. Quick and easy to put together, all you need to do to get started is click the handle into the centre of the machine.
At first, the hard floor cleaner seems very bulky and large. However, when you read the instructions, you’ll learn that it’s meant to be used at an angle of about 60 degrees to the floor. That should put your handle at around waist height.
While the vacuum cleaner offers plenty of cable length, one thing that it doesn’t provide much of is tank capacity. Although the clean water tank is reasonable, the wastewater tank only holds 200ml before it hits the maximum level. This means that you’ll need to make more trips back and forth to empty out the container.
2. Ease of Use
Perhaps the biggest issue with the FC5 device is how difficult it is to use. To get the most out of this tool, you’re going to need a lot of strength and a firm hand. In exchange for highly durable and robust build quality, you’re getting a device that isn’t lightweight or compact. This means that you’ll be dragging around 5kg of technology with you wherever you go.
Although this hard floor cleaner isn’t as heavy as some other machines on the market, the fact that it’s big and bulky also means that it’s difficult to move. While the head allows you to steer quite well, there isn’t any tilting mechanism for the device. This means that you’re going to need to work harder to reach into tough areas. If you don’t keep the handle high, the rear squeegee hits the ground. This lifts the rollers away from the ground or catches raised tile edges.
The main issue with manoeuvrability is how strong the cleaning rollers are. Because the machine is heavy, Kärcher has tried to make your life a little easier by using the rollers to drive the machine forward. However, that means that you’ve got to put extra effort into pulling the machine backward, fighting off the suction. On laminated floors and other smoother surfaces, this won’t be too much of a problem. On the other hand, if you’re working on a textured surface like a stone floor, you’ll have a harder time.
The FC5 cleaner is very good at offering an exceptional level of cleanliness, but you’re going to need to work for the results. There’s no getting away from the fact that this machine is seriously challenging to move. The good news is that if you do finish through the job, you’ll be really impressed by the outcome.
3. Cleaning Performance
Here’s where all the hard work of using the FC5 device pays off. You can finally say farewell to the inconvenience of having to vacuum your floors before you mop them. The device’s SmartRoller technology in the FC5 means that you can wash and clean at the same time with ease. Picking up dry and wet dirt is a breeze, and the smart roller removes any additional water which ensures your floors are dry within a matter of minutes.
Perhaps the principal feature in this FC5 review – the Smartroller technology automatically removes all of the dirt and liquid from your rollers, suctioning them up into the system so you can keep cleaning without having to ring out a mop. Additionally, you can wash your microfibre rollers in your washing machine if necessary.
Since the floor only gets moist when sweeping rather than soaking wet, you can walk around your surface quickly without wet feet. Plus, the position of the rollers ensures that you can reach right to the edges of your floors, cleaning around tricky furniture without a problem.
The rotating rollers automatically scrub the floor ensuring that you can get even the toughest stains out of your kitchen tiles, bathroom laminate, or even the hardwood in your living room. At the end of a long mopping session, you can simply twist the rollers off and throw them in the washing machine.
4. Maintenance and Durability
Finally, when you’re investing in a new polishing solution like the FC5 vacuum machine, you want to make sure that it’s going to stand the test of time. Ultimately, although you are acquiring quite a heavy machine from Kärcher, you’ll also own one that can withstand a lot of regular use without a problem. The FC5 cleaner is definitely built to last – with everything on the machine feeling solid and professional – from the handle to the rollers.
The clean and wastewater tanks are separate, helping you to achieve a more accurate clean. Additionally, they can clip on and off the back of your machine, so that you have no problem washing the tanks when you’re finished using them.
One thing you will notice is that you do use all of your 400mls of clean water pretty quickly – usually within about 30 minutes. This means that you do need to take a lot of trips back to the sink to refill and empty your dirty water tank. However, it’s worth the extra work for the results you get.
Additionally, the smart rollers are easy to remove and machine washable, so you shouldn’t have trouble keeping them fresh. You can even purchase additional rollers and specialized detergent from Karcher.
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Is the Kärcher FC5 Hard Floor Cleaner Right for You?
So, now that we’re coming to the end of this FC5 review, you’ve probably got only one question remaining – should you buy this floor cleaner?
If you’re looking for a reliable and highly robust piece of equipment to reduce the amount of work you need to do to clean your hardwood floors, then the FC5 tool is an excellent choice. The machine can tackle virtually any kind of hard floor that you can think of. Furthermore, it was designed by experts to ensure longevity and long-term performance. Additionally, the FC5 hard floor cleaner is exceptionally effective at tackling tough stains – thanks to its innovative, helpful rollers.
The only thing you’ll need to remember, as we’ve mentioned in our Karcher hard floor cleaner review, is that this isn’t a lightweight item. You’re going to need to put some work into getting the results that are possible with the FC5. While this device is undoubtedly a formidable machine for mopping hard floors, it’s not for people who struggle to move a hefty piece of cleaning equipment.
The good news is that if you can commit to a little extra sweating at first, the results you get with the Kärcher FC5 are like nothing else you can obtain on the market.