Window Vacuums

Window Vacuums

A window vacuum solves two different Irish problems with the same tool. The obvious one is streak free glass: the squeegee blade lifts the cleaning solution off in one pass and holds it in a tank rather than pushing it into the corners, so there is no drying mark and no cloth to wring out. The one that gets more use between October and March is condensation. Pulling the morning water off the inside of bedroom windows takes a couple of minutes and stops it running down onto the sill and into the frame, which is where black mould starts in a lot of houses. The specification worth reading is not suction but blade width and tank size, since a wide blade covers a large pane in fewer passes and a small tank means stopping to empty halfway up a stairs window. Battery life is quoted in minutes of continuous use and is generous on every model, because the motor is small. Check the blade is replaceable, as it is the part that wears, and check the unit stands up on a worktop without tipping. The same tool works on shower screens, tiles, mirrors and the inside of a car windscreen, which is usually where it ends up being used most.

Karcher effectively defines this category and covers it here through the WV range, including the compact WV 2 Plus with interchangeable blade widths. Ecovacs takes a different route with the Winbot units, which attach to the glass and do the work themselves. If reaching the glass is the problem rather than drying it, see Robotic Window Cleaning. The wider range is in Vacuum Cleaners.

Window vacuums are small enough to be a common gift, so the reductions cluster around Christmas and again in spring when condensation season ends and the glass cleaning season starts. Prices are live all year, so see what is reduced now on vacuum cleaners on sale.