Understanding what robot vacuum cleaners can and cannot do. Can robot vacuum cleaners clean thick carpets? Can they operate when you’re not at home? What about stairs? Can an apartment be maintained solely with a robot vacuum cleaner?
Considering purchasing a robot vacuum cleaner but hesitating because you’re unsure if it’s a worthwhile investment? Here are a few advantages and drawbacks of robot vacuum cleaners. In short, the entire story about robot vacuum cleaners can be summed up in one sentence – they are useful but not a complete replacement for traditional vacuum cleaners.
Advantages of Robot Vacuum Cleaners
The greatest advantage of robot vacuum cleaners isn’t necessarily reducing your workload, although that’s typically the primary motivation for acquiring this device. The greatest advantage lies in achieving a much cleaner house than usual. With our demanding lifestyles, most of us typically handle housekeeping on weekends. However, by midweek, accumulated dust under furniture and in corners becomes noticeable, not to mention crumbs under the table.
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With a robot vacuum cleaner, such messes will be significantly reduced or, depending on the room configuration, might not exist at all. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean there won’t be any cleaning required come the weekend. There will always be areas the robot vacuum cleaner couldn’t reach, such as corners, stairs, shelves, and similar spots. Of course, the amount of work will be incomparably less.
Limitations of Robot Vacuum Cleaners
It’s already clear that robot vacuum cleaners aren’t a complete replacement for traditional ones. It’s essential to note that robot vacuum cleaners may struggle to pick up larger amounts of dirt, such as spills like coffee or sugar. In such situations, it’s more efficient to use a traditional vacuum cleaner.
Additionally, when something breaks, such as larger pieces of glass, it still requires manual vacuuming in the end. Similarly, clearing cobwebs from ceiling corners, shelves, and elsewhere would still necessitate the use of a traditional vacuum cleaner.
What Robot Vacuum Cleaners Can Do
Although they can’t climb stairs and clean them, robot vacuum cleaners can handle carpets. While they may not be ideal for very plush carpets, they can easily navigate over thick carpets and clean visible dirt. Depending on the model, robot vacuum cleaners typically handle thresholds up to 25 millimeters (aprox. on inch) in height.
With a thickness of about ten centimeters (aprox. 4 inch), robot vacuum cleaners can easily reach challenging areas, such as the floor under large beds that are difficult or impossible to vacuum with a traditional vacuum cleaner.
You can program a robot vacuum cleaner to stand on its base and recharge while you’re at home, and then vacuum while you’re at work. Although significantly quieter than traditional vacuum cleaners, this is a convenient option. Additionally, newer smart devices can be connected, allowing you to control them from a completely different location. This means you can start vacuuming even while you’re at work.
When the battery runs out, the robot vacuum cleaner will autonomously return to its charging base. However, what these devices cannot do on their own is empty the dirt bin. Additionally, occasional maintenance of the brushes and cleaning them of hair is necessary to keep the vacuum cleaner efficient.
In conclusion, it’s clear that robot vacuum cleaners are not a complete replacement for traditional vacuum cleaners, and purchasing one does not mean you’ll no longer have household chores. However, having a robot vacuum cleaner will certainly reduce the amount of work, and your house will be cleaner thanks to more regular vacuuming.