Tested: Karcher WD 6 P Premium

One of the great joys of caravanning is being able to hitch up and head out far away from the city, travelling on dirt and gravel roads to enjoy some camping in remote, unspoilt locations.

However, a downside is the big cleaning job when you get home from your dream Outback trip, with the visible remnants of nature spread on and throughout your once pristine tow vehicle and caravan.

Whether it's cleaning the outside or inside of your adventure rig, having the right equipment can make all the difference in reducing the amount of time and sweat involved.

While a broom, dust pan and hand-held vacuum cleaner are great for keeping interiors clean when out on the road, you really need something with a bit more grunt once you get home.

One multi-purpose option is a wet/dry vacuum cleaner like the Karcher WD 6 P Premium, which we recently got to test out after a somewhat dusty and muddy trip away with caravan and tow vehicle.

Built for big suction jobs with its large 30kg storage capacity, the semi commercial-style unit comes with similar attachments to a domestic hoover including a 2.2m long flexible suction hose and two stainless steel suction tubes, plus a wet and dry floor nozzle with switchable rubber and brush strips for different floor surfaces.

Despite weighing around 10kg, the sturdy upright vacuum is easy to pull around on its five swivel wheels with the 3-in-1 carry handle, and there are spots for storing attachments and a hook for the 6m long power cable, to keep everything tidy and in one place.

Technically speaking, Karcher says its range-topping wet/dry vacuum offers "extremely high suction performance of 2000 watts, with an actual power consumption of only 1300 watts". Suffice to say, suction performance is impressive, whether hoovering up dirt and gravel on the caravan's lino floor, or sucking up hard-to-get grime and grit in cupboard and upholstery crevices.

At home, it was also a much quicker and more efficient way to clean a concrete garage floor than using a broom and dustpan. In fact, it sucked so hard I had to turn it down to the lowest 'minimum' setting over the car floor and boot carpets to allow the head to move back and forth!

While the vacuum comes standard with a crevice nozzle attachment, it's worth getting the optional car interior cleaning kit which includes different shaped crevice nozzles and soft and hard bristle brush heads, for getting the best result on upholstery and other tricky areas like the centre console, windows and door pockets.

Also part of the standard kit is a large fleece filter bag which can be emptied and re-used depending on the type of waste material, or additional bags can be purchased. For 'wet' jobs, the liquid goes straight into the stainless steel 'tank', with a drain screw to empty it out.

Also impressive is the patented removable filter cartridge that self-cleans with a clever 'air blaster' system, while replacement filters are also available.

Downsides? This particular model is on the bulky side, so you'll need space to store it in the shed or garage, and it's too big to take away on holidays (Karcher has a smaller and cheaper 20L version that might fit more easily in the caravan).

And while you can use it inside the house, it's a bit noisier than many domestic vacuums so is best suited to outdoor use.

It's priced at RRP$429, with the car vacuum cleaning kit adding another $100 or so depending on retail supplier. But it's likely you'll find plenty of other uses for the Karcher when doing the week-end clean-ups, from woodworking jobs to home renovations.

For the home handyperson, there's also an adapter to connect a power tool and suck up sawdust and other fine grit on the go. It will do a good job of sucking up unwanted water spills around the house, and also comes with a separate outlet to turn it into a half-decent leaf blower.

Easy to use and operate, the Karcher appears built to last too, with its eye-catching yellow and black plastic moulded 'bumpers' and stainless steel hardware.

For further details check out the Karcher website.