The age of the robot vacuum cleaner is here. They work, they save time, and as long as you pick the right one, can get the job of cleaning your house done with minimal fuss from yourself.
But with so many options to choose from and a range of robot vacuum cleaners that now seemingly specialising in different functionalities, picking the right one can be confusing. So, before you do, here are five tips for choosing the best robotic vacuum for hard or tile floors.
Bristles
Making sure you have the right bristles for the job is important as that's the main bit that flicks the dirt up off the floor to be sucked up into the dirt bin. Pick a vacuum with bristles that are too hard, and you'll scratch your wooden surfaces. If you're after better performance on tiles or floorboards make sure the main brush is high-density and soft. That should ensure the dust is picked up effectively.
Mopping
If you're mostly cleaning carpets then you don't need to worry about a mop feature on your robot cleaner, but if you've got tiles or wooden floors, then a bit of a water does wonders to the overall clean. Make sure though that the mopping function offers a uniform and even flow of water, so you aren't left with puddles in one part of the room and dry spots in another. If you're really going all out, make sure you get a model that can have no-go mopping areas.
Edge cleaning
Without a carpet to hide the dirt at the edge of your room, a robot cleaner for tiles or hard floors needs to be able to get to the very edge of the room and right up to the skirting board. Roborock's vacuum cleaner range, for example, has brushes that are designed to spin at a higher rate when cleaning along edges to ensure it brings out the dust reliably.
Suction power
It goes without saying that suction is important, but perhaps more so with hard floors or tiles as you need the robot vacuum to suck up all that dirt without leaving a trace. While carpets can help disguise the lack of cleaning, even the smallest spec of dirt can be felt and noticed on tiles. When picking a tile vacuum cleaner make sure it's got plenty of power.
Air Filters
You don't want to kick up all this dirt with powerful suction and fast-moving bristles if all you are doing is putting it all into the air. Make sure you pick a robot vacuum that has decent air filters, preferably one with HEPA-like filtration that can grab allergen particles before they are released back into the air.
Top 3 cleaners to consider
There are various companies that make robot vacuum cleaners, so how do you pick a good one? Here are three to consider from Roborock.
Roborock S5
This is similar to the Roborock S6 above, but is more affordable. Side brushes can speed up at the side of the room to increase dust pickup, and slow down in the middle of the room so as not to throw dirt around. The mop attachment is easy to use with a microfibre cloth that slides on to the water tank and clips on to the cleaner. We really like that there's a moisture-resistant mat which attaches to the charging dock so the microfibre cloth doesn’t wet the floor while the battery is recharging.
See Roborock S5 deal on Amazon
Roborock S6
It’s hard to find both exceptional vacuuming and impressive mopping in the same machine, but the Roborock S6 manages this trick easily. With powerful suction and the ability to mop too, it will leave your floor clean and dry behind it. A filter means it can take impurities out of the water to prevent blockages. It’s 50 per cent quieter than the S5, and comes with adaptive route algorithm to calculate the most efficient cleaning room based on a room's shape and obstacles and selective room cleaning allowing you to select specific rooms or even times to clean those rooms while you're out of the house.
See Roborock S6 deal on Amazon
Roborock S5 Max
The intelligent electronically-controlled water tank accurately controls the water volume ensuring a perfect flow to the water being supplied for the clean. We really like there are water based cleaning levels too all controlled via the accompanying app. The intelligent electronically-controlled water tank accurately controls the water volume, ensuring a perfect flow to the water being supplied for the clean. We really like there are water based cleaning levels too all controlled via the accompanying app and you’re able to set a higher water volume for dirtier floors in the kitchen, while adjusting for a lower water volume for other areas if needed. Better still, you can also set no-mop zones so you don’t get that lovely rug wet when cleaning the rest of your floor.
