Robotic Vacuum cleaners - housework made easy!

A bit like a Trilobite running around your house (yes they even named a model after them) doing the cleaning, robot vacuums are experiencing a huge rise in popularity because of their ability to clean your hard floors and carpets with you do better things.

Some models are bump and go, meaning they bump into something and then head off in a random direction (the Rooma) or otherwise have sophisticated sensors that stop the robot vacuum an inch from a wall before it heads off in a preset direction (Trilobite).

Of course those with the extra sensors are more expensive than the bump and go robot vacuums, but also mean nothing with get marked and you won't be woken by bumps in the night.

Of course no wall means your robot vacuum could escape, so many manufacturers have made infrared 'virtual walls' to keep your robot vacuum in the right room.

Next you will see some robot vacuums you can buy.

See also All about Robot Vacuums

All about Robot Vacuum cleaners

Robot vacuum cleaners, sometimes referred to as robotic vacuum cleaners are the stuff dreams are made of...a vacuum cleaner that does the cleaning of floors all by themselves!

The idea is that they work on floor surfaces ranging from full long-pile, to mid-pile carpet to hard floors. Domestic robotic vacuum cleaners are all battery operated, and battery life is generally claimed to be around 1-2 hours depending on the manufacturer, before the vacuum returns to base for a recharge which can take 3-12 hours depending on the brand and the on-board battery type. Some of the really smart robot vacuums can navigate their own way back to the recharger.

One of the beauties of a robot vacuum cleaner is they can access hard to reach places simply - now under-bed areas can be cleaned on a regular basis! The other, of course is they do the work by themselves.

Sizes of robot vacuums

Sizes of robot vacuums varies, but most fall into the 13-15" diameter and are 3-5" high and weigh in at about 7lbs. Given the sizes of these units, their ideal operating space is one room. A large area or a very dusty/dirty floor could see the dust bucket filled up, requiring the robot vac to be emptied mid-room cycle.

How robot vacuums manoeuvre

Most robot vacuums operate with sensors that help bump guide them around a room. Most are not sophisticated enough to sense a wall or table leg before it hits it, but the bump tells the unit to try to follow what they have hit (i.e a wall). If it cannot (it is not a wall) it will head off in a different direction. These are what are called a random spiral navigation technique.

Some, like the Electrolux models have ultrasonic and infrared sensors that prevent the bumping (especially useful if your home has valuable furniture or objects that may topple over) and also have the capacity to map the room. The stopping distance from objects using these sensors is 1". The Irobot Roomba uses bumping and random spiralling to achieve its floor coverage, but this can lead to some areas being covered several times, while other areas remain uncleaned. 

If the robotic vacuum drives into a corner, it will be smart enough to know to back up and head off on a different direction. Some brands, like Irobot Roomba, even come with an invisible door so that doors can be left open without the cleaner escaping into another room.

Brands of robot vacuums

There are many brands of Robot vacuum clears available on the market. This is not an exhaustive list

IRotot Roomba
Wild Electronics  RV-9
ELECTROLUX Trilobite
KARCHER RobocleanerRC3000
Stiftung Warentest
Genius Robotic cleaner
Eureka's Robo Vac,
Dyson
Robotic vacuums prices

For a low end robotic vacuum cleaner, you can expect to pay anything upwards from US$60. High end units cost nearer US$1500.

Factors to consider when buying a robotic vacuum:

• Price - lower priced units are generally non-programmable and are bump and deflects navigation, while higher end products are programmable, do not bump walls
• Battery life and recharge - these vary considerably
• Dust pans - some have indicators showing when full, which prevents dust and dirt being redeposited onto the floor.
• Removable/replaceable brushes - some higher-end units allow brushes to be easily removed for cleaning - an important aspect if long hair may be on the carpet which can jam brushes.

Shopping Warehouse offers a great range of robotic vacuum cleaners.

Buy a Roomba Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

P3 Robotic Vacuum

• Smart Programming To Move Around On Its Own
• Able To Get In & Out Of The Tightest Places
• Clean All Floors Including Carpet, Tile & Wooden Floors
• Built-in Smart Technology
• Automatically Determines 1 Or 3 Preprogrammed Patterns
• 3 Modes
• Random Mode For Tight Spaces
• Spiral Mode For Large Open Areas
• An Along-the-wall Mode For Room Perimeters.
• Read More

Roomba iRobot Roomba White Vacuum - Remanufactured Refurbished

• Roomba Vacuum
• Instructions
• Air filter
• 2 Virtual Walls
• iRobot fast charger
• Measurements: 3.5 inches Tall, 13 Inches Wide, 13 Inches Deep
• Please Note: This is a certified iRobot factory remanufactured item with 90 day limited warranty.
• Read More

iRobot Roomba Burgundy Vacuum - Remanufactured

• Roomba Vacuum
• Instructions
• Air filter
• 2 Virtual Walls
• iRobot fast charger
• Measurements: 3.5 inches Tall, 13 Inches Wide, 13 Inches Deep
• Please Note: This is a certified iRobot factory remanufactured item with 90 day limited warranty.
• Read More

See more colors here

Refurbished iRobot Roomba 560 Vacuum Cleaner - Refurbished This is a re-furbished version of this great machine. No quality has been sacrificed, however, as this robot comes fully backed by a 90 day limited warranty from iRobot.

The iRobot Roomba 560 Vacuum Cleaning Robot features on-board scheduling that allows you to preset up to seven cleaning times per week for Roomba to clean when it's most convenient for you. Roomba systematically cleans four rooms on a single charge, gets into hard-to-reach areas like wall edges and beneath furniture, avoids stairs and automatically adjusts from carpets to hard floors and back again. Each Virtual WallR LighthouseT (2 included) confines Roomba to one room until the entire floor is vacuumed before Roomba moves on to the next room. When its battery is running low, or when the cleaning is complete, Roomba automatically returns to its self-charging Home BaseT to dock and recharge.

It may be circular, but the RoombaR still cleans edges and corners using its spinning side brush, which rotates outside the unit's housing diameter to gather debris from tough-to-reach spots. Just turn it on and walk away!

Standard Features

• A smart, efficient vacuum that picks up dirt, dust, pet hair and more from carpets and hard floors
• Cleans the whole floor, under and around furniture and along wall edges
• Automatically adjusts from carpets to hard floors and back again
• Detects dirtier areas and spends more time cleaning them
• Spot Clean provides quick clean-up of spills and concentrated messes
• Automatically senses and avoids stairs and other drop-offs
• Simple to use! Just press the Clean button and Roomba does the rest!

Advanced Features:

• Automatically returns to its self-charging Home Base to dock and recharge between cleanings
• Each Virtual WallR LighthouseT (2 included) confines Roomba to one room until the entire floor is vacuumed before Roomba moves on to the next room.
• On-board scheduling - preset up to seven cleaning times per week for Roomba to clean when it's most convenient for you
• Faster counter-rotating brushes with improved design pick up more hair, debris and dust and are easy to remove and clean
• Improved filter captures more dust and allergens while a larger bin holds more debris
• Improved anti-tangle technology keeps Roomba from getting stuck on cords, carpet fringe and tassels
• Improved side brush makes Roomba even more efficient at cleaning edges and corners

What's in the box:

• 1 iRobot Roomba 560
• 2 Virtual Walls (Each requires 2 C batteries, not included)
• 1 Self-charging Home Base
• 1 Power Supply (3 hour charge time)
• 1 Rechargeable Battery
• 1 Extra Filter
• Read More