Kärcher WV 5 Plus N Window Vac

Product Information

There are several accessories available including replacement pads, belt holders, cleaning liquid and extra battery chargers. Having made use of the Karcher Window vacuum for a couple of weeks now we’ve found that one of its most useful applications is in the bathroom. We use regularly after a shower to remove water from the door and tiles. We were surprised to find that it can even remove condensation from the large mirror we have above the sink. It’s worth noting that it isn’t an essential cleaning appliance. It’s more of a handy add-on, as you can clean surfaces with spray and a cloth. But it did an effective job leaving areas streak-free, so it’s worth it if you’re looking for a simple way to keep on top of windows, mirrors and tiles. Interchangeable suction heads: Most window vacs come with a 280mm suction head as standard, but many include an additional smaller head for fiddly jobs such as leaded windows and front door panels. Pivoting suction heads can also help to get into awkward spots.

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.The WV2 Plus and WV5 Premium models are pretty much the same base unit, the only difference being that the WV5 has a removable rechargeable lithium-ion battery for even extra run time. The WV1 uses the older, bulkier and heavier, base unit.The difference is mainly in the accessories you are supplied. We recommend that you avoid the WV1 model as it only comes with a standard wide nozzle and has no cleaning tool (plus it’s the old base unit). The best bet is to go with the WV2. 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.

Mel uses her Kärcher on 11 panes of glass every morning during the winter months. She says that not only does this save time (as well as her paintwork), it also means that she is not going through tea towels at a rate of knots. “I was getting through three or four tea towels each time, wiping the water up and then wringing them out,” she said. “I fill up the reservoir on the Kärcher twice while doing the windows. It's amazing actually how much water you get. "It saves me hours." Read next: Unibond Aero 360 Compact Moisture Absorber review: an honest review of the budget-friendly dehumidifier alternative How we tested Battery charger, standard spray bottle with microfibre cleaning cloth, window cleaner concentrate (1 x 20ml), interchangeable suction nozzle 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. I 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.I sprayed the cleaning solution on the harder-to-reach areas of the shower screen first, then turned on the window vac. I moved in a vertical direction and could see the buildup (almost) vanish. This was a great result. 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. Mel has been using the Kärcher Window Vac for several years, on a daily basis throughout the winter months, to remove water from single-glazed windows. It is also frequently used on the shower and to vacuum up spillages from the kitchen worktop. About the author