Robot hoover buying guide: Who really cleans?
25.9.2019
Translation: machine translated
While I go to work, the little robot hoover keeps my home tidy. That was my idea when I wanted to buy my first electronic butler. But the range on the market is now very large - some robots are particularly flat, some have a lot of power, some mop at the same time and others are intelligent and draw a map of the home before they get started.
To help you find the right model for your home, the following overview sorts the most important functions of robot hoovers into four categories.
Hassle-free, but flexible and affordable
The cheapest robot hoovers have no idea where they are or where they have been. They don't draw a map of your home and simply criss-cross through the room. But they are very flexible. You can simply place the robot in the room to be cleaned and start it up. They are also flatter than six centimetres and can therefore get under a lot of furniture such as sofas, beds and cupboards, which I can't reach with my normal hoover, or only with a lot of effort.
The result is not always perfect, as the robots miss some parts of the room but visit other areas more often. But if you don't feel like swinging a hoover yourself, you'll be relieved of a lot of work. The robots are also practical for short-haired pets. I emphasise the "short" here, because long hair gets caught in the wheels or brushes of most inexpensive robots. The robots are best suited for use on hard floors such as laminate, parquet or tiles without higher carpets. This is because robotic hoovers often get stuck on carpet edges or door thresholds and have to be rescued manually.
The top class among robots
The smartest robot hoovers are equipped with sensors that first map your home and then systematically clean it. For me, this is the decisive argument for investing more money in a robot cleaner. The models are controlled via an app. So I can lie on the sofa and tell the robot to clean the whole flat or a specific area. I can also enter a timetable for automatic, regular cleaning. This actually takes almost all the cleaning work off my hands. "Almost" because I still have to empty and clean the dust bin myself. Some suppliers even offer models that empty their dust container automatically at the charging station, so that you don't have to do it yourself as often.
The suction results of the top appliances are really excellent. Crumbs and hair are reliably collected even next to the edges. Only dirt sitting deep in the corners needs to be removed by hand. Door thresholds and carpets are also no problem for most models. Depending on the manufacturer, the robots can overcome different heights. However, the autonomous hoovers have one disadvantage for anyone who wants to clean several floors. Due to the recorded map of the home, the robots only orientate themselves on one floor at a time. The new model from Ecovacs, the Deebot Ozmo 950, is the first device that can memorise several floors.
Combination appliances that vacuum and mop
Robotic hoovers that can damp-mop at the same time are very practical. Especially on parquet and laminate flooring, this binds the last remnants of dust. However, most robots are geared towards "either or". You would therefore first have to start a run with the vacuum function, then wait until the battery is recharged if necessary, convert the robot to a mop and then start the damp run. High-priced robot hoovers can also do both at the same time. However, real stains, such as those caused by dripping grease in the kitchen, are not removed. The right mopping robots are much better suited for this.
Mopping robot
I recently bought the Braava 390 robot mop from iRobot. This device works wonders in the bathroom and kitchen. I fill a water tank with water and cleaning agent. Then I place the robot in the room, press "Start" and close the door. After a while, it comes back and presents my tiled rooms in a new splendour. I'm still impressed by how good the mopping result is. When you watch it at work, it quickly becomes clear why. It dispenses the water through the cleaning cloth in measured doses and then moves forwards, backwards and forwards to the other side in diagonal wiping movements. The pressure and this movement also removes stubborn dirt from the floor, such as soap, detergent, toothpaste or make-up spillages in the kitchen when cooking or in the bathroom.
Those who want to spend less money will also be happy with the Jet model from the same manufacturer. This works slightly differently: the robot sprays the water in front of it and then moves over it in diagonal wiping movements. Disposable cleaning cloths with an integrated cleaning agent that is activated by water are available for this model. There are dry cloths available if the robot is only supposed to dust, cloths for damp mopping wooden surfaces and cloths for wet mopping tiles and stone floors. As the cloths end up in the bin after one use, you need to factor in the regular costs. Suitable cloths are also available, which are reusable but do not contain any cleaning agent.
Conclusion - general buying tips
When buying, you should make sure that the robot's battery is large enough to clean all your desired square metres. If you want a really clean home, the higher-priced robot hoover models with more power are recommended. If you just want to have the crumbs vacuumed away regularly, you can also opt for a simple and inexpensive model. Combination appliances consisting of a mop and vacuum cleaner are practical for removing dust, but do not help with removing stubborn dirt. You should get a separate robot mop for this.
Before you buy a robot hoover, it is important that you either put any cables lying on the floor in a cable duct or at least tape them to the floor. Otherwise, the robot hoover will "eat" them and cry for help. Then you have to rush to it and unravel the tangled cables. People with severe allergies should always wear gloves when emptying the dust container, as the robots do not use bags.
Finally, some dreams of the future:
Stefanie Enge
Autorin
Most of the time I'm living between bits and bytes, testing alternative Android operating systems and trying to make my life smarter with Open Source technology - always with a focus on privacy and data protection. When I'm not testing cool gadgets, I'm developing video games, writing stories and playing the accordion.