Ambiano Rechargeable Electric Window Cleaner Vacuum

Last Updated on March 9, 2024

This post contains affiliate links.

My front windows are notoriously difficult to clean so that streaks don’t show. They’re under a covered porch and they face southeast. In the mornings, the bright rising sun shows every little smudge and smear that I missed. My house also has a sunroom addition on the back, and it’s always a chore to clean the multitude of windows out there.

Enter the latest Aldi product I didn’t even know I needed: a rechargeable electric window cleaner vacuum.

This little handheld device features a spraying mechanism, a small vacuum, and a squeegee. It has two water tanks — one for clean water to spray onto surfaces, and one to hold dirty water that’s been vacuumed up. It also comes with separate cleaning cloths. So, you spray your surface, clean it with the cloth, and then squeegee it while simultaneously vacuuming water up. It promises to leave you with a streak-free finish, which is just what I was looking for with my windows. It also works on mirrors, tile, or any other glass surfaces.

The German-based company Karcher claims to have invented the original Window Vac more than 10 years ago. I found Karcher Window Vac systems starting around $80 on their website, with some packages costing more than $100. The Aldi system, in contrast, is $19.99.

The Ambiano Rechargeable Electric Window Cleaner Vacuum is an Aldi Find, so it’s only in stores for a short time. Each store receives one shipment, and after that sells out, it’s gone unless Aldi decides to bring it back later. Aldi does not offer online ordering for this if it’s sold out at your local store.

As mentioned above, this cost $19.99 at the time of publication.  That’s a lot less than what other window vacuum systems on Amazon cost.

The back of the box. (Click to enlarge.)

Here’s more information, according to the box:

• Offers streak-free cleaning of windows, mirrors, and tiles
• Includes integrated spray bottle tank with 3.4-ounce capacity
• Features 6.8-ounce dirty water tank
• Includes 2 microfiber cloths
• Features LED charging status display
• Comes with integrated Li-ion rechargeable battery
• Includes integrated suction nozzle
• Weight: approximately 2.09 pounds
• Features extra-wide 11-inch squeegee blade
• Battery running time: 45 minutes

This comes with a three-year warranty serviced by Wuenshe, a common Aldi warranty provider. For after-sales support call 1-866-558-8096 or email service@801service.net.

Unboxing and Setup:

What comes inside the box: the vacuum, a charging cord, the wiper (in two pieces), the squeegee blade, and two microfiber cloths.

When you open the box, you’ll find several pieces, including the main vacuum, the charging cord, a separate wiper (in two pieces), the squeegee blade, and two microfiber cloths. You also get an instruction manual and a warranty sheet.

You can go ahead and fasten the squeegee blade onto the vacuum and assemble the wiper. Then you’ll need to charge the vacuum before using it. Connect the charging cord and plug it into an outlet. It takes about 3 to 3.5 hours to initially charge the vacuum. (My vacuum took about three hours.) When it’s charging it will display a red light. The light turns green when it’s fully charged. The manual recommends fully recharging after each use.

Using the Window Vacuum:

Ready to use.

To use the vacuum, start by pouring water into the tank at the top of the vacuum (not the dirty water tank at the base of the vacuum). The clean water tank doesn’t hold much water, so it will fill quickly. The manual says to “only use commercially available glass cleaner” with this, so I am guessing you can use either water or standard glass cleaners.

The clean water tank.

Put one of the microfiber cloths on the wiper and fasten it with the included Velcro fastener. Then spray your surface to be cleaned using the spray button on the vacuum. (You might want to use a lot of spray.) Wipe over the surface to clean it. For heavily soiled surfaces, repeat that process. For very dirty surfaces, you might need to rinse out or change the microfiber cover.

Then, press the on/off button on the vacuum. Guide the squeegee lip of the vacuum attachment slowly from top to bottom over the wet surface. Hold the vacuum parallel with the surface to be squeegeed so the squeegee lip is positioned at the correct angle. The moisture will be squeegeed off the surface and sucked into the dirty water collection tank. Keep squeegeeing until you’ve finished your surface, and then turn off the vacuum. The manual says to remove any remaining streaks or moisture residue with a dry cloth.

A closeup of the squeegee.

If you’re cleaning floor tiles in a horizontal position, the manual recommends holding the vacuum vertically from time to time so the water flows into the water storage tank. Otherwise, water may end up in the vacuum fan. If water gets in the fan, you’ll hear a buzzing noise and water will leak out of the bottom of the vacuum.

You can hand wash the microfiber cloths and hang them up to dry.

The dirty water tank fastens into the vacuum’s base.

Thoughts:

I’ve been slowly using this around my house on mirrors and windows. It does okay at vacuuming up moisture, although I sometimes have to make a few passes to get it all. I know it’s working because I’ve seen small amounts of dirty water collecting in the dirty water tank. When I tried this on the mirrors in our two bathrooms, there was some dirty water at the bottom of each mirror that I had trouble suctioning up with the vacuum. On the other windows I tried it on — a pair of sliding glass doors, some interior windows, and the exteriors of my front windows — it seemed to suck up most of the water fine. When the sun shines brightly on my front windows, I can still see some streaks, so either it’s not perfect or I have not yet mastered the technique.

When I put my hand up near the squeegee, I can feel a bit of suction. It’s not very strong, but it seems like enough to get the job done.

I initially tried this with just plain tap water. Later I emptied the last bit of a bottle of Aldi Pinalen Glass & Surface Cleaner in with the water to give it some extra cleaning power.

It is hard to get the dirty water out of the tank. There’s a flap inside the tank opening that prevents water from spilling when you’re using the vacuum, but it also makes it difficult to empty the tank. I’m not sure if there is some trick to emptying it that I haven’t discovered yet.

Some people might feel like you can get the same cleaning effect using a bottle of spray cleaner, a cloth, and a regular manual squeegee. I also don’t know how this Aldi vacuum compares to a name-brand Karcher Window Vac.

It seems like a nifty little device, though, and I’ll keep using it. I’m looking forward to giving all of my sunroom windows a good cleaning on the next day with mild temperatures. I’ll update this post with any new developments on the window vacuum.

The Verdict:

The Ambiano Rechargeable Electric Window Cleaner Vacuum features a handheld device that sprays water or cleaning fluid on windows, mirrors, or tile. You wipe the surface with the included microfiber cloths. Then you vacuum and squeegee the water off of whatever surface you’re cleaning. It’s supposed to leave you with a streak-free finish, although I can still see some streaks when the morning sun hits my windows just right. This looks like an imitation of a name-brand Karcher Window Vac, which sells for a lot more money than the Aldi version. You might be able to accomplish something similar with a regular cleaning cloth, some cleaning spray, and a squeegee. Still, this is kind of a fun product to use, and the price isn’t bad.