IFA 2026: Kärcher tackles stains with hot water
At the tech trade fair IFA, Kärcher is once again showcasing several new products – two of which particularly caught my eye.
Cold water doesn't do much against a grease stain on the sofa. That is exactly where Kärcher comes in with the new «SE 2 Spot ActiveHeat». The compact spray extraction cleaner is designed for the targeted cleaning of carpets and upholstery and can be operated with either cold or hot water.
The device is said to heat the water to 50 degrees within 20 seconds. This should make it easier to remove beverage stains and greasy dirt. In the demo video, the stain remover successfully tackled chocolate sauce. However, I wasn't allowed to try that out live. For other types of stains, the manufacturer explicitly recommends the cold water mode.
A spray function applies a cleaning agent to the surface and then vacuums up the dissolved dirt in the same step. The device is expected to hit the market in April of next year. The RRP is expected to be under 200 euros.
Vacuum mops for cleaning under furniture
The company is also showing two new vacuum floor mops, the «FCV 5 Agile» and the «FCV 6 Agile», for hard floors and carpets. You can also clean your low-pile carpet with the pure vacuum mode.
Most noticeably: you can guide the devices 180 degrees horizontally across the floor. This is intended to make it easier to get under furniture. However, a minimum height of just under 14 centimeters is required. During a brief test at the booth, I found the new joint on the mop's floor head easy to maneuver. A new comb on the rollers is designed to prevent vacuumed hair from getting tangled.
The charging station doesn't just supply the cordless mop with power. It rinses the rollers and lines with hot water and dries them with 80-degree hot air. This is said to take between 20 minutes and an hour. You should also be able to put the rollers in the washing machine at 60 degrees. Kärcher did not reveal prices or availability.
Hamburg local, bookworm, and ice hockey fan. Dad and granddad. Constantly tinkering around with my smart home setup. I love DIY, the outdoors, fashion, and cosmetics.
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