What is it that's so damn frustrating about cleaning glass?

Probably something to do with how tricky it is to get them absolutely streak-free.

Sure, the professionals always seem to have some magic formula in their spray bottles that makes it look easy. As for their squeegees, where do they get those streak-proof magic wands from?

Karcher may have an alternative that's actually kind of fun...

 

The WV 2 Premium window vacuum does not instantly, effortlessly clean your windows for you. But used properly, I found it pretty much guaranteed a totally streak-free result in a fraction of the time.

Till now, my usual method had been based around lots of paper towels. I'd tried a soft-cloth followed-by-squeegee technique, but it never seemed to work as efficiently as I wanted it too. There's nothing more depressing than coming inside and seeing the sun catching all the dried-up drips you missed.

I'd initially hoped the WV 2 Premium was an all-in-one window cleaning machine - a bit like some kind of wet'n'dry carpet cleaner. But it's much more accurate to think of this device as a window drier - because that's what it does so perfectly.

I was surprised to discover a few other things in the box, other than the window vacuum itself. Aside from 2 different sizes of suction nozzle, there's also a cleverly designed spray bottle with a microfibre cleaning cloth attachment. A sachet of Karcher's own cleaning concentrate is included too. You can buy this by the bottle but I assume regular glass cleaners work almost as well.

Yes, I'm afraid you'll still have to spray and wipe before you suck, but the good news is, with Karcher's ingenuous all-in-one bottle/wiper, you can hold that in one hand and the WV 2 Premium in the other, rather than swapping between bottles, cloths, paper towels and squeegees.

So while it's still a two-step operation, the steps are so easy, I reckon even my teenagers could figure it out without breaking or spilling anything.

After spraying and wiping the first window, I turned the WV 2 Premium on and vacuumed up the dirty water. Just like that. Three swipes and one window was done. No streaks. It was an emotional moment.

I was only going to try it out. I was supposed to be making dinner. But this thing is so well designed, once you start using it, there's no stopping.

I had the whole bottom storey of my house done in under an hour, inside and out. It was almost as though I'd dreamed it but no, as I sit here, I'm definitely looking out through crystal clean, streak-free glass.

I even did some table-tops. I was out of control.

Karcher's new way of doing things is so great, it's easy to be fooled into thinking it's perfect. There are still a few pitfalls to be wary of, however. I've found it's a bit tricky steering the WV 2 Premium's suction nozzle right into the edges, top, sides and bottom. It's possible, but you do have to take your time about it and it may be more efficient to quickly run a dry cloth around to finish each pane off.

The process is literally streak free - provided the window is wet enough when you vacuum it. I found cleaning windows in bright sunlight was a bit more challenging because they'd dry more quickly and then the WV 2 Premium has nothing to suck up. This is easily sorted with an extra spray and an extra swipe of the vacuum.

So both those things are just about technique and practice really.

The only actual design flaw I've detected is the streamlined cover on the top of the spray bottle nozzle. I kept knocking this off and in the end I simply left it off altogether - it doesn't serve any useful purpose other than making it look cool, sleek and black. A weird little blemish on an otherwise inspired cleaning device.

This model doesn't sit in its own charging base unit, instead it just plugs in. The power light flashes until it's fully charged then it turns itself off. In terms of how long that charge lasts, I'm not sure because it was still going strong when I finished that first storey.

I'm just popping out to get the extension handle now so I can do the high windows. That sounds even more fun. Yes, I said it; the Karcher WV 2 Premium makes doing windows fun.

I don't know what's real anymore.

Click here for more information on the Karcher WV 2 Premium window vacuum