The water tank, which holds 150ml of dirty water, is also easily removed for emptying. Since dirty water takes some time to accumulate, you won't have the hassle of frequent emptying. Among its many included accessories are a smaller 170mm suction head for hard-to-reach areas and a microfibre attachment to spread detergent on your windows. There’s a built-in LED battery indicator and you can buy additional batteries so that you’ve always got a fully charged one ready to go. Before I could start cleaning I needed to set up the window vac. Since I hadn't used such an appliance before, I was relying on the instructions included in the box. These were terribly poor, comprising a set of linear drawings – as opposed to step-by-step written instructions – to provide some clue as to what to do with the appliance. I interpreted the double-sided A3 sheet of instructions as best I could, and did get the Karcher Window Vac working –but the process could have been easier. Karcher has a strategy of offering “basic” products alongside “premium” versions with extra (admittedly useful) accessories; this is common with their pressure washer range as well as their window vac range. It can sometimes be frustrating to choose which is better because it’s the tools and attachments that are useful to us and not really the base unit. Another good use for the window vac is cleaning up liquid spills from hard floor surfaces, such as laminate, tiles or hardwood flooring. For this test, we simply poured water on the laminate/tile floor surface and the window vac handled this with ease. Again the surface was left clean and streak-free but we were surprised to find that the floor was almost entirely dry to the touch.

Having added the cleaning concentrate to the spray bottle with 150ml of water, my first cleaning job with the Karcher Window Vac WV 6 Premium was the three- window bay in my front room. The spray tool is very easy to use and the vac did a good job of cleaning up the dirty water first time. We only had to re-do a few small areas. We only used washing up liquid in the cleaning bottle but overall the windows looked clean and streak-free when we’d finished. We must mention that there was some stubborn bird poo on the window and we had to redo this area. We feel that if your windows are extremely dirty then some preparation might be needed beforehand to ensure the vac is as efficient as possible. The best window vacs you can buy in 2023 1. Karcher Window Vac WV5: Best all-round window vacuum cleaner

For use all around the home

So, what can the window vac be used for? Well obviously, the main use is for cleaning windows but in our experience, it can also be used for cleaning shower doors and removing condensation from surfaces. The window vac is extremely versatile and we found it particularly useful for cleaning up liquid spills but you may find it handy for other applications. In fact, it will perform great on all smooth surfaces. What’s in the box? The set consists of two extending poles; one for the window vac and a separate one that has a washable cleaning head attachment. Each pole is 1.2 metres in length but can be extended to 1.9 metres. Your Karcher window cleaner can be securely mounted on the base plate and attached with the rubber strap. Reviewer Mel King has had many happy years of use out of her WV50 Plus, which is still going strong, proving that sometimes the original really is the best.

Suction power is excellent and you get oodles of extras in the box, including a smaller head and microfibre attachment. However, what pushes the Bosch behind the Karcher and Vileda in our list is its failure, reported by some users, to clean quite as well to the very edges of your windows. The WV2 Plus is supplied with the main vac unit, a 11″ (28cm) wide suction blade head, a spray bottle/microfibre cloth cleaning tool, charger plug and a small sample sachet of cleaning solution. I sprayed a generous amount of the cleaning solution over the window, then working the Karcher window vac vertically down the pane. I started with the smaller squeegee head, but later switched to the larger one to cover more surface area at once. Spurred on by the success on my bathroom tiles, I turned my attention to the shower screen – which was in a pretty dire state. Although we have a squeegee sitting on the tiles for use after each shower, we seldom use it – which results in a buildup of limescale on the shower screen. We would like to point out that lowe have stumbled upon some forum posts that seem to highlight that the Karcher Vac does seem to have a vulnerability when it comes to the battery. People have mentioned that after only a few months the battery life has significantly decreased. While we can’t vouch for that as that hasn’t been our experience the battery on the WV2 is not interchangeable. Therefore, if you are worried about this potential problem then maybe the WV5 premium with the interchangeable batteries might be the better option for you. We recommend you follow the manufacturer’s instructions to help protect and prolong the battery life of your window vac. Karcher Window Vac AccessoriesI have to say I was impressed by the results. Surprisingly, I didn't have to repeatably go over the area with the spray bottle, and the squeegee blade wiped away all of the diluted concentrated cleaning liquid to reveal a shiny surface – with no water marks to be seen.

You use a separate spray bottle with window cleaner concentrate to help lift the dirt from the surface. While not exactly groundbreaking, a microfibre cleaning cloth head can be attached just above the spray nozzle to wipe over the spray when triggered. Ensure that the trigger is securely fixed to the bottle to avoid any leaks.

The Karcher WV2 Plus Review: In summary

It comes with two interchangeable squeegee heads, which can be detached from the suction nozzle for cleaning after use. These heads measure in at 18cm and 28cm. Both feature the new lip technology to allow for upper-edge cleaning to the ground without interruption, to achieve a streak-free finish. Battery charger, standard spray bottle with microfibre cleaning cloth, window cleaner concentrate (1 x 20ml), interchangeable suction nozzle