Trying to clean glass, especially windows, and leaving a streaky finish is a real pain. And clean windows, as well as other surfaces, can do an awful lot to change the overall look of your house, both inside and out. That’s where the window vacuum cleaner comes in.

Capable of removing excess moisture from a variety of surfaces, not just windows, they clean quickly and leave no streaks. They’re also far more efficient than using a towel or other cleaning cloth. With that in mind, we’ve collected a selection of the best window vacuum cleaners on the market today for you to choose from.

1. Kärcher WV5 Window Vac

Without a doubt, Kärcher is one of the most well-known names when it comes to industrial and household cleaning. The iconic yellow and black colourway is present on their WV5 window vacuum cleaner, which efficiently catches waste water before it drops down surfaces. It also comes with various nozzle attachments, including two different blades depending on the size of the window to clean.

The wastewater tank is 100ml, and the overall appliance is a fairly feathery 0.7kg with battery. The battery itself has a decent runtime of 35 minutes, and will charge up in slightly over 3 hours. It also ships with a specialist concentrate detergent, as well as an extra spray bottle with microfibre head attachment on top of the two blades.

2. TECCPO Cordless Window Vac

Teccpo’s Cordless window vacuum cleaner certainly looks the part, with a smart black colourway with yellow accents. A 70ml tank takes care of wastewater, and a 30-minute runtime on a single charge ought to be enough for most households. A useful anti-drip system also ensures leaks are preventing no matter the cleaning direction.

Also supplied with the 280mm cleaning blade are a spray bottle and microfibre cleaning cloth. Weighing in at around 1.1kg, the Teccpo offers a decent cleaning quality at a reasonable price, despite not being the most instantly well-known household cleaning brand. A 2-year manufacturer’s warranty also offers a little extra peace of mind.

3. Bosch GlassVac Cordless

Bosch are known for offering a good balance between high quality appliances and tools and reasonable prices. The cordless GlassVac is a compact and powerful choice with a number of useful features. It has a runtime of around 30 minutes which combines with a couple of different blades to give you good versatility while cleaning. The blades also borrow from Bosch’ experience in the automotive industry, specifically with car windscreen wiper blades, to ensure quality cleaning.

Charging takes around 3 hours via the micro USB cable/adaptor, and you can keep an eye on battery life as you use it courtesy of an LED integrated into the handle. A spray bottle and microfibre cloth are also supplied, and at less than a kilo, it’s a user-friendly piece of kit.

4. Armyte 4 in 1 Window Vaccuum Cleaner

This 4 in 1 window vacuum cleaner by Armyte fits a lot of functionality into a small unit as a capable handheld vacuum as well as window cleaning appliance. It does so by integrating two different tanks into the main body – one 90ml wastewater tank for picking up after window cleaning, and a dust tank with a 200ml volume for regular vacuuming.

The accessories are another big plus, with 4 nozzles for a variety of cleaning needs, as well as a 60cm extension tube designed to make it easy to clean tall or high-up windows. The nozzle also rotates through 360° for added convenience in hard-to-reach spots. Power comes courtesy of a 30W motor, with a claimed runtime of 50 minutes on a single charge. The unit itself is around a kilo and a half, so while not the most lightweight, offers a lot.

5. Vileda WindoMatic

Vileda’s WindoMatic is a compact but powerful window vacuum cleaner, with quality that proves why the brand is a household name. A smart and striking black/red colour scheme shows that it means business, but it also walks the walk with strong cleaning capabilities. Vileda claim it can clean up to 120 1m² windows on a single charge, certainly more than most houses have, but it also has a ‘max power’ mode for 50% extra power for really stubborn grime.

The neck of the unit is flexible, allowing you to get into trickier areas, and the water tank is easy to remove for straightforward emptying. It’s also notably dishwasher safe, for that extra standard of cleanliness, and is super lightweight to keep your arms from getting worn out!

6. MVPOWER Window Vac

At first glance, this does bear more than a passing resemblance to a certain more well-known brand. However, that’s not to say it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, as MVPower’s window vacuum cleaner offers great value and performance. The unit utilizes two power levels which make the most out of the 10W motor, giving a runtime of between 18 and 35 minutes depending on which setting is used, which equates to approximately 100 1m² windows. The battery will also charge in between 3.5 and 4 hours.

Accessories coming with it include a spray bottle with microfibre cloth and a telescopic extension rod, which can add 44-75cm to the length of the unit – perfect for difficult spots or tall windows. It also benefits from a huge wastewater tank of 200ml, minimizing the time spent emptying.

7. INTEY Window Vacuum Cleaner

Intey’s window vacuum cleaner is a lightweight and user-friendly piece of equipment, also representing good value for what it offers. A strong suction ensures good cleaning performance on a variety of surfaces like windows, car windscreens or tiles, while two interchangeable blades give you the versatility to get into smaller spaces. A spray bottle with a microfibre cloth is also provided to dampen surfaces while picking up dust.

Charging in just 2.5 hours, with a full runtime of up to 45 minutes, you’ll get plenty of cleaning and a much smaller time between uses than similar models. The wastewater tank is also a generous 150ml in volume, giving you extra freedom of use without the need for frequent emptying, and at less than a kilo it’s not too taxing to use for longer periods.

8. BESTEK Cordless Window Vac

Resplendent in a vibrant orange and blue casing, Bestek’s handheld window vacuum cleaner presents great value and performance with a set of accessories you might expect to see specced on a more expensive model. With a runtime of around half an hour on a single power level (with a 3-hour charging time) it’s surprisingly multi-purpose, which is one of its best features. One attachment has a spray head, which can then be easily switched out for a sponge attachment or the regular blade to wipe and clean. It also has a dust filter attachment which can clean computer keyboards.

The wastewater tank is a roomy 180ml, which paired with the runtime means you shouldn’t need to make regular trips to empty it. Additionally, a telescopic extension pole offers some extra versatility for those high-up windows, saving you from more precarious step stools!

9. Zehnhase Window Vacuum Cleaner

The window vacuum cleaner by Zehnhase is a compact and lightweight option with an uncomplicated 3 in 1 functionality. Two water tanks – one of 100ml for wastewater, and one of 90ml for cleaning water – remove the need for extra spray bottles, while the cleaning head itself has a Velcro strip to attach and remove a microfibre cleaning cloth. Also offering a battery with a runtime of 30 minutes (and a charging time of 4 hours), it’ll likely have enough cleaning potential for most houses.

The product also comes with 2 of the microfibre cloths to ensure that you’re not stuck when one’s been used to its limit. As such, you get a lot out of a straightforward, great value window vacuum.

Which Window Vacuum Cleaner to Go for?

Best quality & features – The accessories and value of Bestek’s Cordless Window Vac cement it as having the best quality and features of our selection. It matches a good runtime and charge time with 3 useful attachments that should take care of most cleaning tasks, while a solid yet lightweight build quality makes it easy to use. Finally, it’s also a very budget-friendly option compared with some of the other big-name brand offerings, especially when you compare quality.

On a budget – Zehnhase’s Window Vacuum Cleaner is the most wallet-friendly cleaner in our list, coming in a few pounds cheaper than the rest but by no means compromising on what it has to offer. The 3 in 1 functionality of the unit means that you’re covered for more or less everything with the initial cost, so you won’t find yourself needing to buy extra accessories and spending even more cash.

The best for versatility with accessories – Armyte’s 4 in 1 is without a doubt the most versatile machine here, with a wide range of different accessories that highlight it as not only a capable window vacuum cleaner, but also a useful vacuum for other areas of the house. Attachments for picking up dust, for getting into tricky corners, and the telescopic extension pole all contribute to make this the go-to if you’ve got several different things to clean with only one appliance.

For cleaning big windows – The Window Vac by MVPower clinches it for big windows, on a combination of decent runtime and useful accessories. While it may not have the longest battery life on test, it is nonetheless a competitive one, and with the telescopic extension pole going out to a huge 75cm there’s not likely to be any surface out of your reach.

Most powerful cleaner – Vileda’s WindoMatic, and its 2-stage power settings, are sure to be the best bet for the most stubborn of grime. Already offering a powerful level of suction guaranteed to be enough for most, a power increase of 50% on the ‘max power’ setting should leave every surface sparkling no matter how dirty they are.

Window Vacuum Cleaner Buying Guide

Window vacuum cleaners are a fantastic tool for around the house and make the often-laborious task of wiping windows an absolute breeze. There are a few different considerations that you need to make before you buy one, based around what your needs are likely to be. These relate to how much use you’ll get out of one and how easy they are for you to use day to day. As such, let us make things a little bit clearer with a buying guide on what to look for while shopping for window vacuum cleaners.

Runtime

The majority of window vacuum cleaners nowadays are cordless, and therefore have rechargeable batteries. While the battery life will typically range from 20 minutes up to 45 minutes, bear this in mind in terms of how many windows, or other surfaces, you have to clean and make sure to pick a model that gives you enough usable time between charges.

Cleaning Performance

Obviously, one of the selling points of a window vacuum cleaner is the streak-free clean, paired with efficient moisture removal. As such, it’s important to have a cleaner with a powerful enough motor to do this capably.

Another facet of performance is getting into tight nooks – after all, not all windows are easy right angles. Make sure you get a window vacuum cleaner that is capable of getting into corners if your windows are going to need it.

Accessories

Following on from the notion of getting into corners, some cleaners do come with accessories making this job easier. Additional microfibre cloths or specialist spray bottles, among other things, may only be small extras but they can be very useful, and it of course saves you buying them separately.

Weight

Weight in cleaning appliances is surprisingly overlooked sometimes. Especially when it comes to handheld appliances, you don’t want to have to take breaks every few minutes just because it’s too heavy to carry. When it comes to window vacuums it’s particularly pertinent if you’ve got large windows that take a bit more cleaning.

A window vacuum cleaner is a great shout if you’re keen to increase the quality of window cleaning. After all, dirty windows can make a huge difference to the appearance of your home, and the perpetually rainy British climate does nothing to help that! Now you know what to look for in a window vacuum cleaner, so hopefully your household cleaning can be a little easier.