The Best Robot Vacuums for 2023
Cleaning our home is one of the chores we undertake with greater determination, as a clean house will always be synonymous with well-being and peace.
In order to perform this job, sometimes it is not enough just to have a broom and a mop handy. Technology offers an infinite number of articles to turn your home cleaning into something simple and hassle-free. A clear example of this is the vacuum robot, a perfect ally to perform household chores. Due to the diversity of these devices available on the market, it is necessary to learn how to choose the best one.
What should be considered?
Beyond the price /size relationship, it is also necessary to take into account the individual capabilities of each appliance. Therefore, there are certain aspects that can be assessed such as:
Size
Modern vacuum robots are not those bulky appliances that used to take a tremendous amount of home space. Today, these home appliances are compact and with a diameter that in most cases is no greater than 31 centimetres. The smaller the size, the better they will be able to reach difficult-to-access places and corners around the house.Those of larger size are ideal for cleaning open spaces such as large rooms, garages or spacious foyers.
Brush shape and quantity
Both of these elements are important because they will determine how deeply the robot vacuum cleaner will clean the area.
Those with a central rotating brush are great for cleaning rugs and wall-to-wall carpets as they can remove dirt more efficiently. Those without the central rotating brush only clean through a nozzle; they suck up dust but do not remove any dirt stuck onto the surface.
Smart devices
One feature that stands out from all the devices on the market is their intelligence, so some models are more advanced than others.They use sensors in order to determine the route to follow and collect this way the largest amount of dirt. These sensors also allow them to detect obstacles on their way, ground unevenness and distance between objects.
In addition to this, they have a navigation system, which allows them to store in their memory the spaces they have previously visited and learn routes in the process. Moreover, the artificial intelligence present in the most advanced devices empowers the appliance, making it capable of making on-the-spot decisions on what areas in the house should be cleaned with the highest priority.
Our recommendation is for buyers, in addition to asking the salesperson about the qualities of each appliance, to conduct a previous research that will keep in mind their needs for home cleaning. This is an important step because within the large range of devices on the market, you can run into appliances that move around randomly, not having a fixed objective, what considerably affects the quality of the final cleaning.
Can they be programmed?
Another aspect that should be considered when buying a vacuum cleaner robot is the programming feature, so that the device may clean automatically and without the need to turn it on manually. This feature is very advantageous when on vacation, because you can set the days and times for the appliance to work.
Remote connection
Among other features, the latest appliances offer the possibility of operating the robot through WiFi or Bluetooth connection with mobile applications to assess the cleaning process or whether the device worked as scheduled.
What types of robot vacuum cleaners are there?
Mainly, manufacturers have focused the production in four types:
- Robot mops: Its main function is to mop floors. They can spread water and soap on the surface to be cleaned.
- Vacuum cleaners: They are the simplest and first on the market. They only hoover floors.
- Dusting: they only dust floors, do not hoover or remove dirt. They deliver only a superficial cleaning.
- Hybrids: They have a double function: hoovering and dusting.
Price and brands
If price is not an issue limiting our purchase capability, you will have many more options to choose from. As price is related to brand, we will find low, medium and high-end robot vacuum cleaners.
For instance, ILife has a wide variety of products and prices. In the case of hybrid appliances, prices range from less than £130 to £180, depending on the model.
Other options are brought by Cecotec, Taurus and Vileda. Their appliances, considered to be low-end range but able to perform efficiently basic jobs around the house, would require from us an investment under £250. In this case, it is best to compare the characteristics of each device and see which one is the best for us.
Roomba and Neato Robotics are focused on mid-range appliances, so if you are looking for hoovers with a high efficiency / price relationship, this is one of the best deals on the market. Of course, the budget in mind should be from £300 to £650. These are expensive devices but first-quality.
LG and Dyson manufacturers lead the market with their high-end vacuum cleaners. They use state-of-the-art technology; the robots are very intelligent and use WiFi connection so they can be controlled remotely. Prices run higher but the investment is worthwhile. You can get one starting from £550.
Homes with pets
Keeping a home with pets hygienic is a bit more complex. Fortunately, these robots have also been designed to clean homes with on-four-legs furry friends and there are different models designed to collect animals' hair in an optimal way.
For the robot to be effective, certain points must be taken into account when undertaking such a job:
- Position and number of brushes: check whether it has up-front or side brushes, or a combination of both. Materials used in the manufacturing will be very influential as far as cleaning is concerned, as soft materials will have little cleaning capacity.
- Presence of high efficiency filters, since pets’ hair causes many allergies.
- To be able to suck up animal waste, both liquid and solid, and if the navigation sensor can determine the spaces where more hair and dirt usually accumulates in order to establish them as a priority at cleaning time. In this category, the brands Topspeed and Ecovacs deliver good appliances and cover all these issues.
Where can you purchase them?
Buying this type of appliances is not a hard job. In United Kingdom, there are specialized shops where you can easily get the robot vacuum cleaner that best suits your home cleaning needs. But if you are short of time to go out and visit different stores to compare features, prices, size and quality, you can always do online research and purchase.
Large online stores such as eBay, Amazon and other such as Argos, also stock all brands and models of this appliance. As a matter of fact, they often have very attractive deals on these robots.
This is why we put forward this definitive guide to buying a robot vacuum cleaner, so you can learn the characteristics a good robot hoover should have, as well as all the points to keep in mind when acquiring one. We do not want to end up paying more money for a poor quality device or buying a robot that is not worth the investment.