Robot vacuums have revolutionized the way we maintain our homes by providing the utmost convenience with cleaning chores. However, with their ever-growing market, choosing the model that would perfectly fit your needs is a challenging task.
To make your hassle easier, we have compiled this guide that outlines all you need to consider before choosing the right robot vacuum for your place.
1. Suction Power
To clean the proper way, a robot vacuum needs a strong suction power to collect debris and dust in your rooms. Measured in Pascals (Pa), the suction power is probably the main criteria and you might want to make sure it matches your needs (especially in large homes or for pet owners).
Typical robot vacuums offer suction power ranging from 600 to 2700 Pa. Seek vacuums with adjustable suction settings to handle various flooring types efficiently, and find the right balance between price and performance when choosing a robot vacuum. Premium brands like Ecovacs offer devices with stronger suction power, usually around between 3000 and 8000 8000Pa. Pa, is particularly effective in homes with carpets, as it can efficiently remove dirt and debris deep within the carpet fibers, which is often challenging for conventional cleaning methods. Robot vacuums are worth the investment for their convenience, automated cleaning processes, and ability to handle various floor types efficiently, saving time for busy homeowners.
2. Battery Life
To ensure hassle-free cleaning, you should choose a robot vacuum model with a longer battery life. This is more important if you have a large house. Longer battery life ensures that it covers a larger surface area without recharging it over and over.
Extended battery life also means reduced energy costs associated with recharging cycles. To decide on what battery life best suits your needs, evaluate your home’s size and estimate the time it will take to clean it.
3. Customized Cleaning Modes
Different cleaning modes enhance the robot cleaning vacuum’s adaptability and versatility. This is because different floors, including hardwood, tile, and various carpet types, require distinct cleaning approaches. Robot vacuums designed for multiple floors adjust their cleaning mechanisms, ensuring optimal performance on each surface while minimizing wear on your flooring materials.
For example, a tile or hardwood floor wouldn’t require a lot of suction but needs mopping. Yet, carpeted floors would require strong suction power to pick up all the dirt and debris within their fibers.
Customized cleaning modes ensure to tailor all your varying cleaning needs. They are basically setting presets for the robot vacuum cleaner that change by the press of a single button. As such, when your vacuum is cleaning different surfaces, it adjusts its settings based on the mode, and cleans the surface accordingly.
So, for example, if you want to clean specific spots or want to pick up dirt along walls and edges, the robot vacuum’s spot and edge cleaning modes will allow you to do it.
4. Navigational Technology
Though all robot vacuum cleaners have navigational technology, some have more advanced versions of it—and that’s what you should consider getting. This means that the robot uses laser mapping or lidar technology to map out the room, helping it avoid collisions with walls and furniture and move seamlessly to every corner of the room.
Advanced navigational features will also help the vacuum get to difficult-to-reach areas which would’ve been a challenging task with traditional vacuum cleaners, like the underside of your racks and sofas.
And the best part? Advanced navigational technology often also consists of a cliff sensor that prevents your smart vacuum from falling off the stairs. This way, you’re not ending up with a broken vacuum, just because you used it on the first floor or a loft.
5. Dustbin Capacity
You need to take care of the dustbin capacity before buying the robot sweeper especially if you are cleaning a large home. A large bin would ensure that you’re not emptying the dustbin every few hours because it’s full and the cleaner has stopped picking up more dirt.
An alternative option if you don’t find a vacuum cleaner with a large capacity is choosing one that has a self-emptying feature. Such robot vacuums move back to their dock once their dustbin is full. Then, they move the dust from their built-in bin to the bin in the dock. And finally, they go back to cleaning your house.
The end result here is the same: you wouldn’t be emptying the bin yourself every few hours.
6. Noise Levels
Different models of smart vacuums have different noise levels. While some are as loud as traditional vacuums which may cause damage to ears, most have silent cleaning modes. Make sure to read reviews of the vacuum you’re eyeing to ensure it isn’t going to be too loud for you.
It is a good idea to buy a floor vacuum robot that offers silent modes if you are planning to use it at night when everyone is asleep or if you have kids or pets that are easily disturbed by loud noises.
7. Scheduling and Controlling Options
One of the most important features to consider before choosing an ideal auto-cleaning vacuum is examining its scheduling and controlling options. Check if it allows app or voice integration since it would make your work a lot easier.
You can control your robot sweeper with its app, asking it to start or stop cleaning while sitting anywhere. Then, app integration also allows you to schedule cleaning at a specific time during the day or the week, eliminating the need for commanding it every time you need to clean the house.
Voice integration is another lifesaver technology that allows the robot to be controlled with voice. You wouldn’t even have to program it using the app to get the work done. All you need to do is connect them with smart home assistants and you are good to go.
