The Vileda Windomatic is a good quality window vacuum available for a very reasonable price. It may not be packed with a load of features or be particularly versatile, but it does what it does very well.
Vileda Windomatic Review
Getting windows clean and streak free is no easy task. Even with a professional technique, you need the right equipment and even then it’s easy to get water everywhere. The Vileda Windomatic aims to make cleaning windows easy and less messy, acting as both a squeegee and vacuum, drying the window without leaving streaks.
It is easy to put together, with the flexible head just snapping on the front. This head has two rubber lips to guide the water into the tank as the vacuum works. There is also a removable tank slung underneath the body of the vacuum to make it easy to empty.
Battery life
It runs cordless with a rechargeable built-in lithium battery. Like other cordless vacuums it does take quite a while to charge and before the first use will need a full 6-hour charge. Once charged it provides a decent amount of use and was still going after cleaning 3 windows, 2 large French doors and a big mirror.
Once put together and charged you can use it to suck up water from any smooth surface, whether that’s a lathered up window, a wet shower screen or a spill on a table. You press the button on top of the vacuum and then draw the head along the surface to collect the water.
In practice, it works very well and we were particularly impressed with its performance on windows. While we did see a few streaks, this seemed to be down to some dirt collecting on the rubber head and once this was clean again it didn’t produce streaks. There is a trick to making the most of the vacuum, especially when it comes to getting in awkward corners – although the flexible head does help a little with this – but overall it is easy to just pick up and use.
Once the tank has filled it is easy to empty by just pressing a button and removing the tank. The tank then pulls apart and you can pour the water away.
It is light enough at just over 800g for most people to easily use even on a high window and the generous handle makes it comfortable to hold. It’s also not overly loud at 69 decibels which will interrupt normal conversation but won’t be nearly enough to disturb the neighbours.
Price
Originally priced just under £50 it is not especially cheap but it does compare well with competitors such as the Karcher WV2 Window Vac which starts at around £80. If you shop around you can also pick up the Vileda for closer to £30 which makes it a very good buy.
Verdict
The Vileda Windomatic is a well-priced, very capable window vacuum. We found it did a good job and while the hardest to reach corners can be a little tricky, this is the case with all handheld window vacuums.