Does anybody really enjoy vacuuming? Maybe it’s fun to test out your recent purchase of the ‘latest and greatest’ stick vacuum, but even that gets old fast. Vacuuming becomes an even more ominous chore the larger your home is. Not many people have time to walk their entire floor space, and even if they do, there are simply more fun things we would rather be doing instead. The prospect of a robot doing this tedious chore is undoubtedly an appealing one.
The first robot vacuum cleaner has been around for over twenty years, giving the market two decades to innovate and improve the technology. While they have come a long way in this time, they’re not quite the miracle The Jetsons would have us hoping for. Undoubtedly they’re exceptionally good at regular, automated dust-busting. Tricky crevices and deep cleans? Not so much. If you’re time-poor as it is, their appeal is undeniable. If you’re used to manually vacuuming, their benefit might not be so clear. So how do robot vacuum cleaners stack up in 2020, are they worth your investment?
Robot Vacuums are designed to clean efficiently
Robot vacuums are specially engineered to do almost all the work for you. They work exactly like a regular vacuum, sucking up dust and debris. The difference is that they use a range of advanced methods to achieve the task as efficiently as possible on your behalf. Robot vacuums are usually smaller than their manual alternatives, yet pack a whole lot more tech.
Many robots have multiple brushes, extra-wide suction channels and even side bristles to reach as much dust as their form allows. They all use smart sensors to map your home, devise the most energy-efficient route and stop themselves from severe damage (such as accidentally falling down a flight of stairs). Robot vacuums are agile enough to navigate small rises and declines - for example, changes in the cleaning surface such as a raised carpet or floor incline.
“When their battery runs low, they’re smart enough to return to their charging dock”
Also, they intelligently register the surface they’re currently cleaning. Meaning they’ll pump up suction when moving over carpets and turning it off again when they’re done, to conserve precious battery power. When their battery runs low, they’re smart enough to return to their charging dock and power up again automatically, so they’re ready to go when you next need them.
The best part is that you don’t even have to be there to tell them what to do! Almost all modern robot vacuum cleaners come with a mobile app that allows you to control them on the go. Set the mode, speed, where you want cleaning, and when you want it done. Have a friend coming over? Ask your robot to zip around for a quick clean as you’re leaving work, leaving your floors spotless by the time you get home.
What robot vacuums are great at
If we had to pick just three things robot vacuums excel at over everything else:
- They’re straightforward to use. Once you get yours set up, it’s mostly set-and-forget (apart from regular maintenance). Robots work well on almost all surfaces and are incredibly time-efficient machines - it usually only takes about five minutes to clean a large bedroom.
- The most obvious benefit is the ability to schedule automatic times. This automation means that you don’t even have to be home to keep your house spick and span. It’s a great tool to conduct regular maintenance cleans, no matter where you are in the world.
- The best models do more than vacuum. Excellent robot vacuums such as the Roborock S5 Max can mop your hard floors, providing a whole other level of automated cleaning.
What other vacuum types do better
To justify an investment in a robot, we also need to consider their shortcomings. If you’re looking for either of these two capabilities, a quality stick vacuum is your best bet:
- The ability to clean stairs, vehicles, furniture or other hard to reach nooks and crannies. Manual vacuums take advantage of a range of attachments and the human mind to ensure every last bit of your home is cleaned to perfection.
- Extra-strong suction power. Robot vacuums are small so that they’re maneuverable, agile and efficient. However, this also means that they pack far less punch. Their motors are small and lack the power of their larger cousins, as well as having less dust holding capacity.
The verdict: robot vacuums are an excellent investment
Robot vacuums make a great backup or a staple for your regular clean. The key is to select a model that balances function, effectiveness and cost. If you’re using a robot to run a light backup clean every now and then, you don’t need a top-of-the-line model. If you’re using a robot alongside your primary vacuum, have it run daily, performing a manual clean with your stick or barrel vacuum once a week. Almost every home can, and should, take advantage of a robot vacuum cleaner. They’re now as affordable as ever and the time savings easily outweigh the cost, making them a fantastic investment.
Roborock is a global leader in the robot vacuum space, continually pushing innovation and the latest in smart-home cleaning automation. Our most recent model, the Roborock S6 Pure, is a vacuum and mopping powerhouse. The Roborock S6 Pure is exceptionally efficient, comes packed with features, and comes at a more affordable price than it’s award-winning predecessor.