Karcher Steam Mops & Hard Floor Cleaners
Verified190 reviews
Like others have said on here - unfortunately the battery does not last. Bought our FC7 in March 2022. Have been using it weekly until about 6 weeks ago when, for various reasons, we had to resort to an old fashioned mop for a while. Tried plugging it back in to charge yesterday as we need to use it again - nothing happens. Borrowed a… Read more
neighbour's charger to check in case it was the charger that's faulty, but nope. The battery is stuffed. For $799 I would have expected it to last a LOT longer.
Bought my FC7 in December 2022. I have used it once a month since purchase. It cleans reasonably well with great manoeuvrability. Cleaning the machine after is an absolute pain though. This week it wouldn’t turn on, no lights, nothing. Looks like the battery has failed just like so many other owners are experiencing. For a $750 mop I expected… Read more
much more than this. I have sent Karcher customer service an email regarding this. Definitely will follow up with the ACCC of Karcher don’t come to the party and rectify the issue.
Spoke to Karcher and they are sending me a new charger to see if that gets the machine going. Hopefully, this fixes it.
Hi Akram S, We are truly sorry to hear about your recent… Read more (+2 replies)
Reviews with attachments
I received my product last week and I couldn’t believe how good and clean my house is now. Even with kids around is so easy to clean the timber floor because uses minimal water and dry so quickly Sometimes the floor looks clean but when you use this product the water comes black. It’s amazing how deep clean and quickly is it. Also separated the dirty water to the clean water and you have an app to manage everything. Amazing! Show details · 1
Perfect cleaning for three floors – Easy to fill water tank can be used with or without detergent. I have timber slate and tile floors. Tired of lugging around a bucket of water and reusing dirty water and mop this Karcher 3 is the answer. Easy to assemble and fill. Charge over 4 hours. Has its own stand with roller holders. Rollers easy to wash in machine. No more smelly mops!. Not… Read more
just for spills this cleans my timber kitchen floor to a high shine with ease. Just right amount of water and pressure, quite powerful and lightweight it cleans quickly without mess left behind. So quick can move over to slate floor thru main walkway and entrance. No problem for the rollers the uneven surface and no puddles. Great. The ceramic floor tiles in bathroom and laundry while made for water can get slippery but not with the Karcher. It takes all the water away leaving the area clean without slip. A quick empty of the dirty water in laundry trough so much easier than lifting heavy bucket of dirty water. Empty dirty then refill clean all within a few minutes. Couldnt be easier or more convenient. I use without detergent but on really dirty kitchen floor will used low suds detergent.Make sure its low or no suds..you will know if its not. Come with Karcher liquid detergent and a stop suds liquid. Sits neatly away. Rollers go in washing machine then have a separate place to dry on machine stand! Couldn't be easier. No more smelly mops. I was surprised by its power. Its a product to make life easier. Three dogs three children the floor gets it the hardest so this sitting in cupboard 5 min less to fill and get going its too easy. Tired of heavy buckets and mopping with dirty water..and those mops leaving too much water? This Karcher does the job quickly cleanly no mess no puddles. Recommended.
Worked well, while it lasted – We purchased this a few years ago to clean our laminated timber floors. Worked well on the laminated timer and tiles, very little streaks, good cleaning power, easy on the arms as it virtually drives itself. Only used it maybe a dozen times since we've owned it though. Went to use it today. Cleaning rollers wouldn't turn. The drive shafts were… Read more
seized. It was out of warranty, so I decided to pull it apart and investigate. Looks like water has been inside the motor/drive unit. Bearings on the driveshaft were rusted and completely seized. Motor was also rusty, but still ran when disconnected from the drive belt. I could go to a bearing shop and find some replacement bearings, but it's only going to fail again.
Reading all the other comments here, seems like a heap of other people have experienced the same problem. We paid good money for this, believing Karcher was a reputable brand. Seems like a design flaw that Karcher should be refunding our money, but that's never going to happen. So I won't waste any more time on it, into the bin it goes, I won't buy another Karcher product again.
Great floor cleaner, only if it lasts – Only used this product less than a dozen times perhaps once every 6 months. Does the job of cleaning. But then the rollers did not run and started to make a loud racket. Did a search on the internet to see that corrosion is a common problem. The bearings seized which led to the mechanical bits chewing themselves up. When I finally stripped mine… Read more
down, saw the same. It seems that the product does not prevent water ingress adequately. Even the electric motor was corroded. Wonder if this is an electrocution hazard! Disappointed with the design given that it’s sold at a premium price. Tried looking for long term reviews to no avail. Hoping that Karcher have made improvements to the sealing.
Hi DMC, We are deeply sorry to learn of your recent FC5… Read more (+3 replies)
In-depth reviews
Battery life is crap – I’ve owned the Karcher FC7 for just on two years, and unfortunately, the battery has already failed. Given the price of this device, a reasonable person would expect the battery to last at least 4-5 years, not just two given the cost of the unit. It is a premium product, not just some $50-$100 cheapy electric mop). The battery has been playing… Read more
up for a few months and is now not charging at all, rendering this mop an expensive paperweight.
When I contacted Karcher about the issue, they refused to provide a replacement battery. Instead, they told me I had to take the unit to a repair agent at my own cost to get a quote for the repair. This adds unnecessary hassle and expense for what should be a straightforward battery replacement and should be provided free of charge. If they were going to repair this at their cost, this would be a different story , but there was no discussion of this.
I find it unreasonable to have to transport the unit for a repair at my cost when it simply needs a new battery. Based on the reviews I’ve read online, it seems this battery issue is a common problem with the FC7, which makes me question the overall quality and reliability of the product. On top of this Kar her does not actually have spare parts readily available, they try to force you to pay their service centre, for a unit they already claim is not covered by warranty. Under consumer law having spare parts readily available is to be expected. So what I have is a giant paperweight as I am capable and willing to replace the battery myself, but they can’t supply parts. I would certainly not have purchased this unit, if I was aware an $800 machine didn’t not have spares for purchase only 2 years after purchase.
I would not recommend purchasing the Karcher FC7, as the battery issues and poor customer service make it a poor investment.
Note we already tried to resolve this directly with Karcher before posting. They refused to provide parts and their only option was for us to PAY them to do a repair / change over. Under consumer law, being able to purchase spare parts on an item of this value and age is to be expected by any reasonable person. I would absolutely not have purchased it, if I had known there was no provision for spare parts being available from Karcher for purchase.
Needs a Few Improvements – I have had this for just over a year and although it's great, it could be better. In fact, Dyson has just brought out the WashG1 which seems to be a direct copy of this machine but appears to correct things that Karcher have either overlooked or just didn't think were necessary. I only use the Karcher when doing the whole house (roughly every 3… Read more · 1
weeks), it's too much maintenance to use more regularly than that. I still use the stick mop for daily clean-ups in the kitchen and in the bathrooms.
I bought the Karcher because it claimed to have a 45 minute battery life, although it has never lasted that long, not even on the lowest settings. I literally do half my house, clean the the machine, put it on charge (a full charge takes 4 hours) then the next day I clean the rest of my house and do the cleanup of the machine again. I never leave the machine on charge, I charge it after use and then unplug it ready for the next time. Howeever, I still only get roughly 30 minutes out of a charge.
The water tank is fairly small and everytime I have to refill it and place it back on the machine, I get a warning 'fresh water tank empty'. Apparently this can be soft water (Melbourne water surely can't be that soft), it can also be a dirty sensor (which I clean routinely) but I just have to turn the machine off and on a few times, remove and replace the bottle and eventually the warning goes away, until I really have to fill it up again and then the process starts all over.
Cleaning up is tedius, not only do you empty the container of dirty liquid, you have to clean the bottom of the machine where all the hairs and debris get trapped (it's gross but does pick up a lot of stuff which is good). That's one of the reasons why I don't do a quick mop, because if you let the rollers sit damp along with the trapped hairs and whatever else, it would get musty, smelly and disgusting.
Having mentioned the negatives, there are positives too. It glides across the floor, gets into tight spaces and gets right to the edge, there's no need to vaccuum first (huge plus), it is comfortable to hold and when using the Karcher cleaning fluid, timber floors dry quickly.
My experience with the Karcher has been mixed. I don't like the machine clean up process, the dirty water tank is too small and can be spilled if moving/lifting the machine from one room to another. The clean water bottle is also a bit too small and the battery life isn't what they claim. The fresh water bottle sensor also drives me nuts - but I do enjoy the mopping process more than using a mop and bucket.
Unbelievable for a Karcher product to fail such as the FC7 – My wife and I purchased the FC7 in 09/2021 as we were moving to a home with tiled floors. Please note, we have 2 Karcher pressure cleaners (one heavy duty for years and a lighter unit 4 years old both of excellent quality), the glass window cleaner (good) and we also have the wet/dry outdoor vacuum cleaner (terrific unit) all our excellent… Read more
products. One pressure cleaner we have had for 25 years. One Sunday in August 2023 my wife wanted to use the FC7, nothing - it was dead. Cannot believe it! Luckily it was still under warranty, and it appears the battery has failed. Now for 30 years I have used the same type of batteries in Notebook computers. I have NEVER experienced a fail with any computer battery ever. I am told Karcher are clearly aware of this FC7 battery problem, I was also told it (the battery) would cost $500 to replace - if we had been out of warranty. So the battery price appears to in the order of 60% plus of the cost of the FC7!!! On investigation today 21/08/2023, it is clearly obvious this battery problem is an ongoing problem! For a product created in Germany and also with years of using Karcher equipment, I find it impossible that Karcher have not rectified this problem ages ago, because all and sundry are complaining about this FC7 battery problem. We use it once a month, charge it after use take it off charge, then recharge before using. Remember I have the same form of battery type in all my computers - no recharge problems ever note! In view of the number of other persons having this same problem, I sincerely fell we should be given a complete replacement unit, especially when I have used Karcher gear for well on over 30 years and have NEVER experienced any problems! Sincerely Robert and Robyn Hollywell Gold Coast Queensland..
Recent reviews
If only the battery lasted at least the same time as the cleaning fluid tank takes to run empty. By the time the battery is flat less than half of the floor cleaner is still in the tank. This was from new, and discouraged us from using the product regularly. I probably should have bought the corded unit, as the battery really lets this unit… Read more
down. It cleans well if you maintain it properly. But the battery!!! It is not a user exchangeable battery and even though I have the qualifications and skills to replace it, the battery is very expensive and it is almost cheaper to buy another new floor cleaner from another brand.
Hi Matt J, We are sorry to learn of your recent… Read more
Died, replaced, died – Purchased in January 2022. Got used about once a month. It died in October 2023. Harvey Norman replaced it, but the replacement unit died 11mths later. Seems to be a problem with the battery on these because I keep reading reviews about the same problem. Anyhow, I contacted Karcher and they refused to replace the replacement stating that the… Read more
warranty goes back to the original purchase date, not the date when I was given a brand new replacement. They didn't even offer a repair alternative, so now I've got a useless piece of $750 plastic.
Hi Glen, Thank you for taking the time to share your… Read more (+1 reply)
Useless. Poorly manufactured and very expensive for what it is – The device was quite expensive, but appeared to be good quality. Appearances can be deceptive though; it never quite did what it said on the tin, and lasted for about a dozen uses before it failed. The roller gearbox lunched itself. It was repaired under warranty. When it was returned, there was no cleaning fluid delivered to the rollers. It… Read more
went back again, only to be returned with a note saying 'no fault found'. It still didn't work, though.
The item cost £240. It lasted for 12 uses. That's £20 a use. I could have paid someone to do the job with proper equipment for that price.
Don't waste your money.
Hi Chris, We are deeply sorry for the situation you… Read more
Find out how Karcher Steam Mops & Hard Floor Cleaners compares to other Steam Mops & Hard Floor Cleaners
Know better, choose better.
DO NOT BUY! – DO NOT BUY. Works fine but nothing special. Like so many other reviews, it stopped charging after about 2 years, conveniently when the warranty expires. Karcher should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to sell a defective product and not having any resolution to the problem.
Hi Chris, We are deeply sorry for the situation you… Read more
Overpriced and poorly designed – I used their very expensive cordless mop and a small (1mm) plastic valve broke after using it 3 times! Couldn't replace, fix. The most badly designed product I have ever used. Show details
Hi Yvonne, We are deeply sorry for the situation you… Read more
Kärcher FC7 cordless floor washer - a very expensive piece of non working kit – I purchased this product September 2021 and was delighted with it's preformance. However, less than a year into its life it stopped charging, I asked Kärcher for a replacemnt charger but this didn't do the trick. As the unit was under warranty I had it sent back for repair, it worked for about 6 months and the same thing happened. Long story short… Read more
- after the 3rd failure I complained to Kärcher that there was a defect with the unit and was offered a band new replacement, this was in June 2023. Guess what, about 7 months later the same problem with the band new unit as with the old one. Kärcher want me to send the unit back for repair which is a joke as it will be a repeat exercise. I have complained to Kärcher and told them that there is obviously an inherent defect with this product - and reading all of the reviews confirms this. I find it amazing that Kärcher continue to sell this product when they know it is inherently defective. It is an expensive piece of kit, I have totally lost faith in it and will not give up my battle with Kärcher for a full purchase price refund.
Hi Maura. We are sorry to hear about your experience with… Read more
Beware!! – This is both the best and worst design. The cleaning process, when it works, is excellent. It is both easy to use and cleans the floor far better, in my opinion, than a mop and bucket. The battery is powerful enough for me to do the whole house without recharging it. Just emptying the waste and refilling the water container a couple of times is… Read more
all that's necessary. However, reliability is terrible. The product has been returned twice for failing to charge, both under warranty. It failed a third time and I accidentally discovered that it would charge if you persist with periods of disconnecting everything for a day and then retrying. Just pure luck or a work around? There are two top covers which are removed for cleaning and then click back into place. These no longer re-fit. Why? There are two small springs which allow the cover to refit, but these are totally rusted and broken. This is just poor design. Finally, the cleaning product will no longer feed to the rollers so it is now totally useless. The product is out of warranty, but I have no faith that it will work over time, even if I have it repaired. So sad as Karcher normally make good products.
Unreliable, DO NOT recommend – Bought this very expensive cleaner and guess who don't get what you pay for any more. When it first worked was great however soon thereafter it stopped charging and so took it back for that repair, have it back now and the water doesn't discharge to the rollers and therefore it won't work. Waste of time and money. Show details
Poor warranty – Expensive product with poor warranty. Bunnings said that I will get extended warranty if I register online but Karcher did not honor. Not a reliable product or brand for that matter as this specific product was only used twice a month- 2 people in house so not a lot of cleaning. Show details
Time saver – I feel I must review after seeing so many negative reviews. I have found it to be a massive time saver for me. I didn't need to vacuum prior and it has picked everything up perfectly & cleaned my floors very well. It was easy to put together & easy to use. The water worked first go & the rollers stayed on, so have had no dramas so far at all. Only… Read more
thing is I probably wouldn't recommend for elderly customers based on its weight. The height and handle I find is far kinder on my back than my current vacuum & mop which is good.
Brilliant, when it works – Unlike steam cleaners, it's safe to use on floating floors. Leaves no more wetness than a Swiffer does. Effortless cleaning, although the dirty water tank could be a little bigger. Unfortunately, after 2 months it had the same dreaded complete death that others complained about. No lights, no charge, nothing. Confirmed powerpack was still… Read more
supplying 30v as required, but the machine is dead. I guess you can't leave it plugged in and charging for more than a week at a time. I've returned it for a refund. If a v2 is released that fixes this problem, I'd buy it, but not this revision.
Fantastic Product! Cleaning my floors has never been easier! – Bought this product 2 months ago and can't believe how easy my floors are to clean with this machine! I love the fact that it is constantly using clean water compared to the dirty water my mop used to spread around! I used to dread having to get the mop out but now I use this product multiple times a week! Fantastic product! Show details
Find out how Karcher Steam Mops & Hard Floor Cleaners compares to other Steam Mops & Hard Floor Cleaners
Know better, choose better.
Twice bitten... never again – We bought our first Karcher FC7 about 18 months ago. We have a large tiled area through our living area and do a lot of cooking and entertaining, so thought this would be a worthwhile investment. It works pretty well on our matte finish ceramic tile, though it did leave some minor streaking. Definitely more efficient and hygienic than a mop… Read more
and bucket! I found the cleaning and refilling very awkward, but my husband, who does the floors most of the time, thought it was okay.
In April we went to use it and it was completely dead. Nada. Nothing. Tested the power pack and it was fine. Returned to Harvey Norman and they facilitated an exchange through the Karcher rep. We were surprised by the failure but happy with the outcome.
Two days ago we went to use it for the second time since it was replaced (we had been away.. don't judge our housework ) and exactly the same thing! Dead! Like Groundhog Day, we returned to Harvey Norman.. this time we were only interested in a full refund, and we got it, again after authorisation from Karcher. Reading other reviews it's apparent that there is a known fault - maybe the battery pack? - with this model.
Unless you love high risk situations I'd give this model a miss. When we bought our first there were very few alternatives on the market but that situation has really changed. We have replaced with a Tineco and it seems way more ergonomic and the self cleaning of the rollers is much better. Still love our other Karcher products, but this one will do their reputation no favours.
Useless – Used 3 times - really badly made and the clip holding the spray nozzle broke. Tends to want to get away from you all the time and the cover above the rollers keeps coming off and is not an easy job getting it back on. Leaks. Cannot believe Karcher allowed this product to be sold before being fully tested. Show details
Really not great – Interesting idea to clean floors. The mop it self is very heavy. Seems to mop surface dirt okay but not anything slightly stuck on. Also, I have a dog that sheds a little. This mop seemed to spit out wet clumps of dog hair, this is on a floor that was pretty clean to begin with. Doesn’t do a good job of picking anything up. It also drips dirty… Read more
water from somewhere even when I’ve thoroughly cleaned and emptied the device. Short cord and small clean water tank. Probably easier to use a simple steam or old fashioned mop.
Worked really well for a month...then no go – Worked well for a month. Then no go. Took in for repair under warranty. Service agent claimed there has been a bad batch of these and the control board was replaced. Went to use it after repair and same issue persists - no go, lights flash rapidly. Unhelpful service staff with lengthy process for replacement/refund Show details
Karcher agreed to a full refund on 7 June 2023. Refund had NOT been received 19 June 2023. An email… Read more
No charge ! – Purchased Jan 2023 … after not using for a few weeks I plugged it in and it blew a fuse & wouldn’t charge.(approx start of April .) Requested a new power adapter/charger after many emails and too and frowing …. STILL NOT WORKING . such a shame was brilliant when it worked . I will be attempting to return it … and probably not buying anything else from Karcher . Show details
MMMM replacement machine rear wheels now not working either.
Second machine to completely fail – I purchased this to replace my broken FC5 that would not charge. I though it was my own fault as I had not used it for some time. Sadly now my FC7 has also failed. I only used it 4 weeks ago Battery is completely dead and will not charge. I should have taken note of the reviews, but I thought maybe just bad luck. $800 down the drain, I am so… Read more
disappointed in this product. You have been warned do not purchase this is a faulty product and you will be wasting your money.
Karcher FC7 Saves you time and so easy to use – Amazing product the Karcher FC7 - Life changer saving me time. Can now mop and sweep all in one go. And Cordless as well. Doing it all in 50% of the time. So easy to use and long lasting battery. Reaches under everything and has full edge to edge cleaning. Floor is dry within mins of cleaning. Great product. Show details
Great time saver – The FC7 has proven to be a great time saver around the house. The ability to clean right up to the skirting boards and clean in both forward and backward directions is a real bonus.The floor is dry in around 2 minutes using the Karcher detergent. Highly recommend. Show details
Rubbish – Took back first machine twice for repairs and gears were still slipping. Was replaced today for a brand new machine and gears slipping right from the word go. Using it on linoleum flooring. Very disappointed! Show details
Two repairs in just over 12 months – After just 10 months the detergent tank wasn’t feeding water to the mob, then the springs went on one of the dirt filters, 5 months later the springs have gone again. Took it back to Harvey Norman, rather than being apologetic they just had a massively bad attitude, and now I have to wait again for it be be fixed. Don’t waste your money. Show details
ProductReview.com.au has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence our content moderation policies in any way, though ProductReview.com.au may earn commissions for products/services purchased via affiliate links.
Hi Rachel, We are sorry to learn of your recent… Read more