A robotic vacuum cleaner can be programmed to clean the house when you’re away shopping at the local shopping mall or enjoying your favorite program on TV. Sounds great, isn’t it? However, just like every other product in the market, it has its own share of cons too.
Smart Indeed!
Some models of robotic vacuum cleaners are smart enough to move up to the charging dock when it’s time for a recharge.
A robotic vacuum cleaner, otherwise known as an automatic vacuum cleaner, is designed to make the task of keeping your home clean, a lot easier than before. Equipped with this wonder device, you would never again have to worry about dust and dirt in your home. What’s more, it sets you free from the trouble of maneuvering a bulky machine around the entire house, and gives you time to indulge in your favorite activities.
But before you run off to get a brand new robotic vacuum cleaner for your home, just go through this HomeQuicks article to know what are its pros and cons. This way, you’ll be more equipped to make an informed decision regarding the purchase of this device.
What are the Pros?
In this section, we shall learn about the benefits of these devices that have, in a way, revolutionized the way we clean our homes. So, let us look at the pros one by one.
Less Noisy
Now this one is important. If you’ve ever used a manual vacuum cleaner, you must be aware of how noisy it can be. In fact, we all remember being scared by the noise of a vacuum cleaner as kids, don’t we? However, the new generation vacuum cleaners are designed to emit low noise, and hence, are preferred by many over the traditional manual models.
Saves Time
As we have already learned, automatic vacuum cleaners are rightly called so, because they do not require you to put in any efforts in the cleaning process. All you need to do is switch the device on and place it on the area you wish to clean, and the device takes care of the rest! Thus, you can utilize the time, erstwhile spent in cleaning your home, in more fruitful activities.
Using an automatic vacuum cleaner significantly reduces the effort put in by you, which makes it possible for you to clean the house more often. This is great news, because it means you’ll have a cleaner house, with less of dust.
Requires Less Maintenance
When compared to the manual vacuum cleaner models, the automatic or robotic vacuum cleaners reportedly require far less maintenance. All you need to do is empty the dirt box and clean the roller brushes after every use. In addition to that, you might be required to replace the batteries occasionally. However, note that this does not mean that you discard the manual vacuum cleaner that you’re using right now for the sake of its robotic cousin. At the end of the day, if you’re happy with the performance of your manual vacuum cleaner, then you should continue using it.
Compact Design
One look at a robotic vacuum cleaner and you’d know that it is significantly smaller and less bulky as compared to your average manual vacuum cleaner. This automatically translates to a smaller space required for storage, which means you can conveniently tuck it in a corner of your wardrobe without having to worry about looking for a separate storage unit for it.
The smaller dimensions also make the robotic vacuum cleaner extremely portable, which means you can easily carry it with you if you wish to.
What’s more, a compact design ensures that it reaches the narrowest of spaces and under low furniture and appliances.
Presence of Powerful Sensors
The most advanced models of robotic vacuum cleaners come with improved sensors that are powerful enough to detect sharp edges such as the corners of a room and the edges of stairs. In fact, equipped with these sensors, these mini devices can efficiently cover the entire available floor space of a room, and even prevent falling off the staircase. The sensors can effectively detect obstacles, including furniture. So, you see, you needn’t even worry about the safety of the device after you have left it to ‘wander’ about the house. Can it get better than this?
What are the Cons?
Here, we shall learn about some of the drawbacks of using a robotic vacuum cleaner. So, let’s begin.
Only for Level Surfaces
Perhaps the biggest drawback of an automatic vacuum cleaner is that these devices are designed to work on flat surfaces only. What does that mean? Well, it means you cannot possibly use a robotic cleaner to clean your stairs or any surface that is not a level one. So, if you have staircases within your house, then you’d be required to use a manual vacuum cleaner to remove dirt and dust from them. Also, these devices cannot be used to clean vertical surfaces or hanging fabric, such as curtains and drapes. However, you can remove the upholstered fabric and then use the vacuum cleaner to clean it.
High Initial Cost
When planning to purchase a robotic vacuum cleaner, you must take into consideration the initial cost, which is higher than that of a manual cleaner. Most high-end models are priced around USD 400, with just a few budget models priced close to USD 200. While the prices vary greatly with the features and specifications available, the starting price range for upright or manual vacuum cleaners is USD 100. However, the cost should not be the sole deciding factor when selecting the type of vacuum cleaner to buy. Note that most high-end automatic cleaners fall in the same price range as upright cleaners with all the advanced features.
Not Completely Fuss-free
While a vacuum cleaner that does its job on its own may sound like a dream, the reality is far from it. Why? Well, it’s because an automatic vacuum cleaner is not designed to do everything on its own. To begin with, you may occasionally find it stuck at a narrow corner unable to move further, or it may stop functioning due to an exhausted battery. In such a scenario, it’s you who must intervene to sort things out. Add to that, the task of clearing the dust box and charging it after every use, and you have a lot of work to do!
Takes Longer to Clean
This is another problem with the automatic cleaners, that is if you consider this to be a problem in the first place. After all, we’re seldom in a hurry when cleaning the floors of our house, which is why the fact that these advanced machines are slower when compared to your upright vacuum cleaners is not that big a deal. However, this may pose a problem when cleaning big rooms or the entire house at one go.
On a parting note, a robotic vacuum cleaner can be a boon for the aged who might find it difficult to maneuver an upright vacuum cleaner around the house. However, its limitations might require you to use a manual cleaner, albeit occasionally. So, what have you decided? Would you go for a robotic vacuum cleaner for your home?