People really love their robot vacuums. They give them names and personalities, in some cases treating the vacuum like a family pet. But do they keep your floors clean? I’ve seen various robot vacuums at clients’ homes, and I was curious as to how effective they are. After doing some research, I decided to put this quick guide together for anyone who might be considering buying a robot vacuum.
Robot vacuums have stormed the market, promising to revolutionize our cleaning routines. But do these autonomous cleaners truly deliver on their promises? Let's weigh the pros and cons to help you decide if a robot vacuum is right for you or if you should stick with a traditional house cleaning service.
Things to consider Before Buying a Robot Vacuum
The Allure of Robot Vacuums
- Convenience: Set it and forget it. Robot vacuums offer hands-free cleaning, allowing you to focus on other tasks.
- Consistent Cleaning: Regular automated cleaning can help prevent dirt and allergens from building up.
- Ideal for Pets: Many robot vacuums excel at handling pet hair, reducing the frequency of manual cleaning.
Limitations of Robot Vacuums
- Limited Power: Compared to traditional vacuums, robot vacuums often lack the suction power for deep cleaning.
- Obstacle Navigation: While improving, robot vacuums can still struggle with cords, furniture legs, and other obstacles.
- Spot Cleaning: Robot vacuums are generally not as effective for targeted cleaning, such as spills or specific areas.
Size of the space
Many of the reviews I read claimed that robot vacuums work best in smaller homes and apartments. Most of the vacuums hold their charge for 60-70 minutes, which wouldn’t be enough time for larger spaces. The maximum charge of any robo vac that I could find was 90 minutes. They also can’t do stairs at all. If you have a multilevel home that is an important consideration to make.
Type of flooring
The robot vacuums work well on hard floors and tile, for the most part. I saw varying reports on their performance on carpeting. Some reviews say they don’t work on any kind of carpeting, and others say they work on shorter pile carpet. If you have a thick pile carpet you should probably stick with the traditional vacuum.
Pets
If you have pets who shed a lot, a robo vac can be an invaluable assistant in keeping the floors from collecting too much hair daily. However, one big caveat: if you have pet who is prone to accidents indoors, the vacuum can and will track the mess everywhere if you run it unattended.
Free Time
If you’re already vacuuming the house daily, then a robo vac probably isn’t going to improve things all that much. A traditional vacuum still provides much more powerful suction than any of the robot vacuums on the market. However, if you find vacuuming consistently falling to the bottom of your weekly chores list, these vacuums can help fill in the gaps.
Conclusion
If you’re busy, have pets and kids, and/or need a relatively small area vacuumed, then a robot vacuum could be a good fit for your home. Most reviewers acknowledge that robo vacs aren’t really a replacement for your manual vacuum, and you’ll still need to do some of your own vacuuming on occasion. It’s just another tool in your floor cleaning tool kit. And hey, if you really don’t want to ever vacuum your floors ever again, drop us a line. We have a “never vacuum again” guarantee.
If you’re interested in more about robot vacuums, this article has a very comprehensive rating of a lot of the most popular models on the market right now.
