Is it time to hand over our cleaning to robots, or are the old ways still best?
For the first time ever we tested robot vacuum cleaners looking at how well they clean compared to a conventional plug-in model…
Testing robot vacuum cleaners
The best robot vacuum cleaners in our test can suck up 50% of the fine dust that we embed into our carpets, but that’s not much compared to the best corded vacuum (86%), or the best cordless (83%).
But you can schedule a robot vacuum cleaner to come on every day if you want to, and clean much more often than you might do with a normal vacuum cleaner.
Not only did we test how well robot vacuum cleaners suck up debris and pet hair from carpets and hard floors. We also built a specially designed test room to see how well they navigate.
We filled the room with tables and chairs, floor standing lamps, rugs, fold out chairs and low lying curtains. This showed up the stark difference between one model of robot cleaner and another. Some navigated around obstacles effortlessly and cleaned nearly all of the available floor space. Others got stuck and left large uncleansed patches.
We thought we had considered every type of obstacle in our testing – until we read about the poopocalypse. Perhaps it’s something to consider for our next batch of robot vacuum testing.
Would you but a robot vacuum?
Head straight to our robot vacuum cleaner reviews to get the lowdown on the best and worst, and see them in action in our testing room.
So what do you think? Is it time to welcome our mechanical overlords and get yourself a robot vacuum cleaner? Or is the high price – as much as £800 – too much for a product that might not quite meet your high expectations?