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Review: Karcher OC3 Portable Cleaner

Written by Fiona

July 19 2017

I have been testing the new Karcher OC3 Portable Cleaner.

I like my Karchers! I have a Karcher pressure washer for cleaning the campervan and de-griming paving stones. I own a Karcher window vac, which brilliantly gets rid of the condensation that forms overnight when two people sleep in the campervan,

Now I have a Karcher OC3 Portable Cleaner. This is a mobile version of the pressure washer. It’s smaller, lightweight and runs off a rechargeable battery.

You can store the Karcher OC3 Portable Cleaner in the car boot, caravan or campervan and use it for task such as rinsing dirt off your bike, cleaning wellies or walking boots or washing a dirty dog.

Features include:

  • 5 bar pressure
  • 4 litre water tank
  • Sealed water tank cover for prevention of water loss
  • Up to 20 minutes run time
  • LED battery indication.

The Portable Cleaner is actually quite useful. It is one of those things I never imagined I would need until I got one. It now sits in the boot of my campervan, charged up and ready to use on muddy boots, trainers and my bikes.

I haven’t yet tried it on the whippet but I think it will be useful for times when we are away from the home and she is horribly muddy.

The power of this Karcher is not super powerful. Don’t imagine it’s a pressure washer. However, the spray power is enough to wash off loose dirt and wet mud.

The water tank does run out quite quickly do you need access to water, which means the mobile aspect of the washer is somewhat lost if you are washing anything more than a slightly dirty bike. You could refill at a campsite or somewhere with an outside tap if you happen to be near one.

The run time of 20 minutes is useful if you want to keep it stored in a vehicle and only charge up every so often. The four litres of water takes on a few minutes to use up so it will take a while to decharge the battery.

I can see another use for this. If you live in a flat or house that doesn’t have an outside tap, being able to wash dirt off your outdoors equipment is quite handy.

The water tank does leak a bit if you are not careful to properly seal it.

See this video for an idea of the power of the washer.

The Karcher OC3 Portable Cleaner coast £129 at Halfords. See pressure washers.

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