Washing windows without fear and reproach: vacuum cleaner, robot – still want to?

My window is “on the fifth floor – almost where the moon is…” And the height of the window is higher than average. I dread cleaning windows by standing on a window sill, stepladder or furniture – and I don’t think I’m alone in this predicament. It’s the eternal problem of how to wash windows without leaving streaks on the pane. Wouldn’t want to rent a company to clean your house every time you buy it, and don’t want to let strangers in. What luck that the manufacturers of equipment have reached and to the windows, it only remains to choose what to use.

WHAT’S ON THE MARKET?

Basically, there are 4 types of equipment with which you can clean windows: these are actually devices, only for this purpose – window cleaners and robotic window cleaners, as well as appropriate attachments and devices in some models of steam cleaners and vacuum cleaners. Let’s start with them.

Vacuum cleaners

A wet vac is possible to wash windows, doors, tiled and painted walls, as only clean water is delivered to the surface to be cleaned and immediately sucked in with the dissolved dirt – no streaks, fast and high quality. Unfortunately, few manufacturers supply their vacuums with an attachment that can be used to clean windows and glass. One of these few is a German manufacturer Thomas.

Thomas has a special microfiber cloth adapter that is used to clean parquet, laminate, windows, and mirrors.

It’s really simple – just attach the adapter with wipe to the carpet cleaner attachment, and you clean the window from top to bottom, strip by strip. The benefits of cleaning windows with Thomas are obvious – only clean water is delivered, and dirty water is immediately sucked out.

It’s also very quick and economical to clean your windows: no more rags, scrapers or chemicals. The wipe adapter is already included with the Thomas Twin t2, Black Ocean, Cat&Dog XT, Lorelea XT. And it can be retrofitted to any HT series vacuum cleaner”.

Nozzle for cleaning windows and glass is also equipped with the most advanced and most expensive model from KRAUSEN – KRAUSEN ZIP LUXE PREMIUM “WOLVERWOOD SUPERZVE” with aquafilter and, by the way, a lot of other interesting attachments – such as a nozzle for drilling, electric whip, nozzle for cleaning … animals. It costs about 42,000 Dollars. However, it is possible to buy such an attachment separately to wash vacuum cleaners of this brand, it costs 2100 Dollars.

Advantages: environmental friendliness, thoroughness.

Weaknesses: You have to get used to washing: the water goes down pretty fast, and you have to move pretty fast to have time to suck it into the nozzle, and it’s hard when you hold the telescopic tube with the nozzle vertically.

Nozzles steam cleaners

Nozzles for cleaning glass and mirrors in steam cleaners are mainly designed as follows: a flat nozzle-scraper, which allows you to clean windows, mirrors and other smooth surfaces with an even distribution of steam. The advantage of steam cleaning windows is the ability to clean them without using detergents and chemicals, which leave behind an invisible film on which grease and dust rest. Window cleaning nozzles do not just clean the surface, but also remove this film. How to clean them?

Very easy: First the entire surface is steamed from top to bottom no need to move the steam in and out, this only makes the job more difficult . The minimum distance from the nozzle to the surface must be at least 10 cm. After treatment with steam, the surface is cleaned and simultaneously dried with a rubber scraper, which should be successively, track by track, moving from top to bottom.

It is important to wipe the scraper dry after each pass to prevent the formation of traces and streaks. The small amount of water is removed with a microfiber cloth, which is usually included with any steam cleaner. Kromax steam cleaners ODYSSEY Q-601, Mie Bello and Mie Deluxe, and others have such nozzles.

In addition, many manufacturers make nozzles that fit all of their steam cleaner models. The Vaporetto window cleaner, for example.

It costs 1600 Dollars, and is suitable for all steam cleaners and steam cleaners of this company. Two interchangeable wiper blades with a width of up to 300 mm are included.

Eco-friendliness, thorough cleaning, affordability it is quite possible to buy a steam cleaner model for 3000-4000 Dollars .

This is a slow process, and it is also important to consider the distance over which the steam is delivered. In universal steam cleaners not specifically designed for window cleaning , it is very hot, and if it is fed closely, the glass can crack. That’s why, by the way, if you don’t have such a nozzle, it’s not worth experimenting with the usual microfiber nozzle.

Glass cleaners

So, here it is – a machine designed specifically for window and glass cleaning! The pioneer of the window cleaning movement can be considered the company K&auml The first device of this kind appeared from under the article of rcher company a few years ago and caused a mass of Chinese fakes and gave an impetus to the development of wipers in general.

Windshield wiper K&auml rcher WV 50 can be called the world’s first cordless “window cleaner”, but it collects water, not dust at all. The working principle is the following: water with or without detergent is sprayed on the glass, and the device with the help of fast and hygienic suction system immediately collects dirty water, not letting it drop on the floor and prevents the formation of leaks.

The wiper allows to clean thoroughly even high windows with the help of extension kit, consisting of a microfiber nozzle with an abrasive strip for removal of persistent dirt and two telescopic rods – for fixing the device and for wiping glasses. Boom lengths are adjustable from 120 to 190 cm.

The volume of liquid sucked by the wiper – 100 ml, the width of the nozzle – 28 cm, battery charging time – 2 hours, battery life – 20 minutes. The device is very compact, its dimensions are only 130x280x355 mm, the weight is comparable to the weight of a small hairdryer – 0,7 kg. It costs about 3300 rub, the price includes sprayer, which is included in the kit. You can choose the WV 75 plus, which features a narrow head 17 cm wide .

Exactly the same principle is employed by a window cleaner of another renowned manufacturer – British brand VAX. The company calls it a window cleaner. Specifications of the model VAX H86-WV-B-R Spray and Vac are as follows: water tank 125 ml, battery life – 30 minutes.

In addition, the device has a dual tank for clean and dirty water, which allows it to simultaneously spray a cleaning solution and collect dirty water from the glass, and swiveling nozzle washes windows from edge to edge, easily bypassing obstacles. Price of fun – 3490 Dollars.

Another similar device – Hoover Jive, sales of which will start in summer 2014. The model is noticeably heavier – 1.1 kg, working time of 2 hours, the volume of sucked liquid – 100 ml, as in K&auml The nozzles are the same width – 28 and 17 cm. But the novelty costs a little bit cheaper than its competitors – 2900 Dollars. And quite a novelty of the season “Autumn-winter” 2014-2015: a window cleaner from the German brands Bomann and Clatronic the manufacturer is the same, so the models are the same . See it “in action” can be seen on the p. 13. Expected to be less expensive than all wiper models described above.

Affordable, fast and high-quality cleaning of glass and all smooth surfaces, e.g. tiles.

The problem of “getting” to high windows is solved only in K&auml Easy to use thanks to the extension kit.

Robot window cleaners

The case when, really, “robots work, people are happy”: no gestures, no fear of heights, no complaints about the quality of washing. While manual window cleaners are essentially vacuums for windows, robot window cleaners are true robot vacuums.

There are three types of robots on the American market: like the models Ecovacs Winbot W710 and W730 16 990 and 19 990 Dollars. respectively , Hobot-168 12 480 Dollars. and Windoro WCR-I001 19,800 Dollars. . They all wash the glass both inside and out. Robots are very well protected from falling by the whole system of safety: in Ecovacs Winbot and Hobot-168 models a special vacuum sensor detects the pressure applied to the window and checks the quality of adherence to the surface to be cleaned.

If there is not enough pressure, the robot will stop, turn around and send a special signal to inform about the problem. In addition, these models have a safety cable that also prevents falls. Windoro WCR-I001 can be attached to both sides of the window and held in place by a magnetic block.

The principle of operation of Ecovacs Winbot W710 and W730 is as follows: the robot wets the window surface and removes the main dirt layer with a special cleaning solution which the user applies to the front nozzle, then the built-in squeegee removes the remaining dirt and moisture, and the rear dry microfiber cloth finishes the cleaning process by wiping the glass dry.

Moreover, the built-in battery continues to provide energy to the motor even after the power failure, so the robot holds on to the glass for another hour, moving to the lower frame, giving audible and light signals. The device is suitable for different types of window structures: for single, double or double glazing, mirrors, glass shower enclosures, etc.d.

The device builds its own cleaning path, depending on the size, shape and type of window. Anti-slip treads prevent the robot from slipping and veering off the route. There is no fear of the robot damaging the window: the bumpers and side rollers reduce friction and minimize the risk of glass breakage, and the rubberized casing is safe for the frame.

The robot can be controlled remotely using the remote control: for example, to correct the route. W730 can be used on windows with or without frames. Weight of the robot – 2 kg, size – 232h225h95 mm, suction volume – 100 ml, battery charging time – 2 hours. The set includes 3 microfibre mops each for the front and back cleaning plate. Better yet, buy an extra set to wash more windows at once.

The more compact, lightweight and inexpensive Hobot-168 model cleans even very thin 3 mm glass safely. It can be used on different surfaces, regardless of their inclination and thickness. Processor with artificial intelligence controls all the actions of the robot, and special sensors detect the edges of windows or other surfaces.

In addition to the vacuum sensor, this model uses a safety cord for extra safety, which will not let the robot fall. Hobot-168 does not moisten the surface by itself – you need to apply a small amount of detergent to the cleaning cloth of the upper wheel and a little more to the lower wheel and plug the robot into the outlet.

The wipes are made of microfibers, can be easily removed and cleaned under water or in a washing machine. The kit already includes 14 wipes, and an additional set of 12 wipes you can buy for 700 Dollars., And it is recommended to do it at once, especially if there are many windows in the house: 2 fresh wipes are needed for each new pane. Hobot-168 can work on the backup battery for a while, if a power outage happens. Also comes with remote control.

Windoro WCR-I001 has a different way of attaching it to the glass: it is not held by a suction cup, but by a magnetic block on the back of the glass, it is squeezed tightly between the two “halves” of the robot. And the way of cleaning is the same: spraying of cleaning liquid note that this model sprays it by itself , washing with microfiber heads. And this model also uses rubber scrapers on the edges of the robot – to prevent streaks and improve the quality of washing.

Important difference from the two models above: this robot is battery operated instead of mains/powered. The navigation unit makes sure the robot goes through all the glass areas. Before you start cleaning, the device determines the size of the glass by passing from one side of the frame to the other horizontally and vertically, and then starts cleaning by zigzagging. When the robot finishes, it goes back to its starting position and beeps. The manufacturer emphasizes that the glass must be dry, otherwise the robot will not start cleaning.

Lithium-ion battery charge is enough to clean up to 15 m² of window surface it takes 2 hours to clean such an area, 2.5 hours to fully charge the battery . There are 2 models Windoro – for cleaning windows with the width between panes of 5-15 and 15-28 mm it is just standard double-glazed windows . Spare wipes and scrapers for this model can be bought for 250 Dollars

Automatics, safety, and good results, if the robot works properly.

Ecovacs Winbot and Hobot-168 operate from the network. Cord length Ecovacs Winbot W730 – 5 m, an extension cord costs 590 Dollars. The battery only serves as a backup hold on the glass in case of power outages. Judging by the reviews of users on the site of the official dealer, the Hobot-168 model has problems with movement and traction, if you moisten the cloths not strictly according to the instructions: only the edges should be wet, and the center remain dry.