Squeaky clean: 6 household jobs you can tackle with a window vac

You'd be forgiven for thinking a window vac is a one-trick pony, but it's actually a surprisingly useful tool that can help to keep your home's surfaces spotless.

Below, we run through some lesser-known uses for your trusty window vac, as well as highlighting our independent tests on the best cleaning sprays, steam cleaners and other essential tools for an immaculate home.

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What is a window vac?

A window vac is a handheld cleaning gadget designed to remove moisture from windows, leaving a streak-free finish.

It's a quick and efficient way to deal with water marks and leftover cleaning solution.

To clean your windows, start by spraying them with a suitable glass cleaner or simply use water.

Then wipe the surface with a cloth or sponge to loosen any dirt. Once the window is clean, run the window vac over the glass to remove excess moisture, ensuring a crystal-clear result.

Can a window vac help with condensation?

While a window vac can't prevent condensation, it can be an effective tool for tackling it.

By quickly sucking up excess moisture from windows, mirrors and other hard surfaces, it helps to prevent water from pooling and causing mould or damp issues.

Regular use can reduce the need for constant wiping, making it a handy solution during colder months when condensation is more common.

Read our tips on how to stop condensation and our guide to the best dehumidifiers

Six things you can clean with a window vac – aside from your windows

All the window vacs we tested are designed to be used on a variety of flat surfaces, some of which we've listed below.

However, if you own another brand of window vac, check the instructions to be sure of its capabilities on surfaces other than windows. 

1. Deal with mucky bathroom tiles

An effective window vac can be a game-changer for convenient bathroom cleaning, helping you tackle dirty tiles and spilled water quickly. Make sure you scrub away any dirt or grime first, though.

To leave your bathroom tiles glistening, start by spraying them with a top-rated bathroom cleaning spray – see our guide to the best cleaning sprays if you need to stock up. Then, get to work with a non-abrasive sponge and use a soft cloth to remove loose dirt.

Turn on your window vac and slowly and methodically work your way across the tiles. Note, a window vac won't do much to clean the grout between tiles – you're better off using a grout brush or a dedicated grout cleaner.

Read our bathroom cleaning tips for keeping your bathroom in good shape, and find expert tips on how to clean your toilet

2. Clean your shower screen

Drying your bath, sink and other wet surfaces in the bathroom after use will help to prevent mould forming.

Using your window vac to clean the shower screen is often easier than buffing out water spots manually. First, use a cloth or soft sponge to wipe down both sides of the glass and loosen dirt clinging to the surface.

For a cleaning solution, we recommend adding a couple of tablespoons of citric acid to a spray bottle containing around 500ml of water and shaking it to mix. Spray the entire shower screen and leave the solution to work for a couple of minutes before reaching for your window vac. For more tips, consult our guide on how to clean a shower screen.

Start at the top of the glass with your window vac and slowly work your way down. Keep the suction nozzle pressed against the glass and move the vac in smooth motions to prevent streaks. Overlap your strokes to ensure you don’t miss any areas, and adjust the angle of the device to tackle corners.

Remember to empty the window vac's reservoir when you're done.

A clean shower is great, but what about a clogged drain? Learn how to unblock a sink and find the best shower drain unblockers

3. Tackle kitchen surfaces

Your window vac can offer plenty of help in the kitchen if you need to deal with excess water, grease splashes or condensation after cooking.

Before you get to work, make sure you've got an effective cleaning spray. Our advice on the best kitchen cleaning sprays reveals the top picks from our tests, which pitted sprays against a range of tough cooking stains including baked-on grease and curry sauce.

• Cleaning your hob – if you have a smooth, flat hob, such as an induction or ceramic hob, you can use a window vac to help clean it. Ensure your cooking surface is switched off and completely cold, then deal with food debris with a cloth and one of our top-rated kitchen sprays. Grab your window vac, start from the top-left corner of your hob and work down in smooth strokes, moving slightly to the right each time. Remember, your vac is for removing moisture, not scrubbing grease.
• Cleaning your splashback – tough stains can ruin the look of your splashback, so scrub them away and then remove excess moisture using your window vac.

Want to get your whole kitchen spick and span? Read our tips on how to clean your cooker hood, how to clean your oven and discover the best steam cleaners – our recommended models take the hard work out of refreshing your floors and surfaces

4. Freshen up your mirrors

As you start your spring cleaning, be sure to give your mirrors some attention to keep them looking bright and sparkling.

Remove any dust around the mirror, spray your glass-cleaning solution and wipe with a dry microfibre cloth. Avoid using rough fibres to clean your mirrors, as they could cause scratches. If you're cleaning a bathroom mirror over the sink, move anything underneath that you don't want to get wet, such as toothbrushes.

Next, you can put your window vac to work. If you're cleaning a circular mirror, run the window vac around the edge of the glass before finishing with the centre.

Find 7 ways to whizz through the spring clean and, if you're not looking forward to a cleaning challenge, we have simple ways to help with household chores you hate

5. Restore garden tables

As the weather warms up, you might be thinking about wiping down glass tables in the garden. If so, remember that you can use a window vac to remove streaks after cleaning the surface with an effective spray and cloth. While you're out there, you can also clean the outside of your windows.

For tougher garden stains – for example, bird droppings on the patio or dried moss – it's worth joining forces with a high-scoring pressure washer. The best we've tested effortlessly blast grime to effectively clean all kinds of surfaces.

You can use a pressure washer to clean garden furniture in some cases, but you need to be especially careful not to damage the surface through excessive force. We recommend checking the furniture manufacturer’s guidelines if you're unsure.

Clean your car, patio or driveway with our pick of the best pressure washers, or read our guide on how to buy the best garden furniture

6. Clear your car windows

Your window vac isn't just for your home and garden; it can also be effective against streaky car windows. If your windows are covered in fingerprints or smudges (perhaps from an excitable child or pet), give it a go.

Spray the windows with a cleaning solution (check the label to ensure it's suitable for cars) and wipe away any dirt. If needed, spray the window again before using your window vac to remove any remaining liquid.

It might take some practice, especially when cleaning the inside windows where space is limited, but using the window vac at the right angles can give you great results.

We don't recommend using a window vac to clean the bodywork – tiny bits of debris caught in the vacuum head could rub against the paint and cause scratches. Instead, use a sponge or a lamb's-wool wash mitt.

Is your car looking a bit sorry for itself? Read six mistakes to avoid when washing your car, including how to avoid damaging your paintwork

Our window vac tests

Buying an underwhelming window vac means you'll struggle to get the spotless finish you want. To help you choose wisely, we've put several window vacs to the test.

As part of our testing, we spray the same amount of water evenly across a large glass panel and use the window vac to clean the water off multiple times. Our experts also judge the battery life and charging time of each window vac, taking into account how many minutes of use you get per minute of charge.

We've rated several window vacs rated on their performance, including the following models:

• Karcher WV 6 Plus N Cordless Window Vacuum Cleaner – this model has a battery-life display, and Karcher promises an 'extra-long battery life of 100 minutes' – we've put that claim to the test.
• Tower Cordless Window Cleaner T131000BLG RWV20 – has a 150ml water container and comes bundled with a microfibre cloth, squeegee and 300ml solution spray bottle.
  
• Beldray Cordless Window Vacuum Cleaner BEL0749N – features a 28cm squeegee to help you tackle stains.

To see what we think of the models listed above, plus access to our Best Buy and Great Value recommendations, explore our guide to the best window vacs