best robot vacuums UK 2021

Why you need a robot vac Granted, robot vacuums have been around for years, but it’s only until quite recently that the technology has improved enough to make the robot vac a genuinely viable alternative to the humble vacuum cleaner. Of course, a standard vacuum cleaner will always be a useful addition to any household’s cleaning armoury, but in the main, a robot vac alone will effectively keep a house well swept on a continual basis while you go about your daily routine. This includes areas that are difficult to reach with a standard vac, like under beds and sofas. Although you may need to initially sync the vac to your wi-fi for full functionality, all robot vacs are a breeze to use. Simply tap start and retreat. How does a robot vac work? All a robot vac needs is a slim, unobtrusive mains-powered charging/docking station sited next to a wall to function correctly. Simply switch on the vac and it will head off across the floor, using its bank of sensors – and sometimes a camera or two – to help it negotiate around obstacles like furniture and toys. When you first set your new robot vac on its way, you may be alarmed by the haphazard nature of its cleaning. This is a normal process the robot undergoes while it maps the room it’s in. Although some models seem to use a more erratic room mapping process than others, they all get the job done eventually. The secret is not to watch it and just let it do its thing. When the robot vac has finished cleaning – or when the battery is running out of juice – it will return to its base station for a full recharge in readiness for the next outing. And so on and so forth. There’s an app for that The vast majority of robot vacs work in conjunction with a phone app that provides access to a plethora of settings, including scheduling (every day or individual days), the vac’s cleaning history, plus maintenance tips and notifications. You can also start the vac, stop it and command it to return to base while sitting on the sofa sipping a G&T. How to get the most out of your robot vac Before you jump into the robot vac arena, we should point out a number of key considerations that may affect how well it performs. Depending on how dusty your home is, you may need to empty the robot vac’s dustbin on a daily basis and, if you have pets, possibly once or even twice during a single vacuuming session. This is because all robot vacs have small dust collectors – around half a litre – that can fill up very quickly (you will normally receive a phone notification or a shout from the machine when this happens). Another thing to consider is the amount of clutter you have on the floor. Although many modern robot vacs are equipped with sensors and cameras to detect and avoid obstacles like furniture legs and toys, they will nearly all tangle themselves on loose wires, shoelaces and some items of loose clothing. Therefore, the more simple the room’s configuration the more efficient the cleaning process – open plan properties are far and away the most suitable layouts for a robot vac. Similarly, hard floors are unanimously the best surface for robot vacs though many will happily tackle low to medium pile carpets. Be aware that even the best robot vacs will miss a small section of floor from time to time and their spinning side bristles won’t reach into corners very well. Some of the cleverest machines can detect heights like stairs and other drop offs but with some cheaper models you will need to draw a prohibited zone on the phone app – or simply block off the danger area with a household item.

Robot vacuum cleaners: 5 best robot vacuums in the UK 2021, from iRobot, Eufy, and Robotrock