The way things were
One of my favorite things about this house is the large windows. What light there is this far north streams in. However, the down side of this is that there is quite a lot of glass to keep clean. I've never got the knack of doing a streak-free clean and it isn't for want of trying. So when I got offered the chance to review something that has "revolutionised" window cleaning and is the first of it's kind to make it "easier than ever to achieve streak free windows with ease, leaving surfaces completely dry and crystal clear", I said "yes please". Karcher said they'd send us a WV60 that the blurb promised it would "make light work of removing liquid from mirrors, shower screens, tiles, condensation from windows and even spills from floors and worktops". It went on: "Perfect for those who don't want to spend a long time on their housework but aren't willing to compromise on the results." Well, actually, I've long ago decided to accept a great many compromises on the results, but we'll let that slide. What was in the box?
Less complex than it looks
At first glance it looked like it was going to be complicated to get going, but it wasn't. The box contained baffling-looking instructions, the machine, a cable to charge it, two blades and a squirty bottle with a sponge attached. Oh and a little sachet of window cleaning liquid. Use the long blade for big windows and the small one for little windows - although I tend to find the small blade does most things perfectly well.How does it work?
Squirt the window and wipe it with the sponge. Sadly this isn't actually magical so some effort is required to shift the dirt. Then use the Window Vac in steady strokes from the top to the bottom of the window. It sucks the moisture off the glass leaving it clean and see-through. Is it any good?
Double yuk - from only two windows
I'd say so. This is the color of the liquid that collected in the reservoir after I cleaned both windows in my kitchen. They're biggish windows, but even so.... It gets the windows clean and is much less effort than any other method I've tried previously. It also does shower screens, car windows, bathroom tiles and formica sheets on the wall in the kitchen. It's not perfect though. As I said before, it's not magic. You still have to actually use the thing. Also if your sweeps down the glass aren't smooth, there may be slight smears (but much, much fewer than previously). Sometimes - especially if the window finished at the floor - it was hard to get a sweep all the way to the bottom. I'm working a method of doing cross-wise ones.Is it worth it? The WV60 has a RRP of £79.99 which is quite pricey when you think that it replaces a shammy. However, if you have lots of windows and hate to see them streaky then it's probably a good investment. Another way of looking at it is that I spend £9 a month getting the outside of the windows cleaned. This is a waste of £108 a year if the inside of the windows are still mucky. So, on balance, it probably is.
Disclosure: Karcher sent us a WV60 to try out.
