Our pick of the robot vacuums
THE ADVANTAGES ARE THAT THEY’RE WIRELESS, RECHARGEABLE AND MOST MODELS WORK ON BOTH HARD AND SOFT FLOORS (PLUS RUGS), BUT SOME HANDLE THE TRANSITION BETTER THAN OTHERS. THEY’RE EASY TO USE, OFTEN WITH JUST A BIG “GO” BUTTON, AND THERE’S NO BAG: DIRT GOES INTO A POD THAT YOU EMPTY OVER THE BIN. HOWEVER, THEY COST MORE, CAN’T DO BIG HOUSES WITHOUT EMPTYING AND RECHARGING, AND CAN ALSO GET TANGLED ON WIRES OR OBJECTS ON THE FLOOR, OR SMEAR DIRT AROUND WITH THEM (AS ONCE FAMOUSLY HAPPENED WITH DOG POO!).
£ VILEDA CLEANING ROBOT
£109.99, AMAZON.CO.UK
THIS INEXPENSIVE ROBOT VACUUM HAS THREE BIG BUTTONS: SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE,
FOR DIFFERENT-SIZED ROOMS. IT SWEEPS AND HOOVERS ON HARD FLOORS OR SHORT PILE CARPETS, HAS A SIDE BRUSH FOR GETTING INTO CORNERS, AND IS LOW-PROFILE ENOUGH TO FIT UNDER MORE FURNITURE THAN THE BIGGER MODELS.
££ IROBOT ROOMBA 616
£299.99, IROBOT.CO.UK
THE ORIGINAL ROOMBA IS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND EASY-TO-USE. YOU CAN SCHEDULE IT TO VACUUM AUTOMATICALLY AT A SET TIME, AND IF IT DETECTS A PARTICULARLY DIRTY AREA, IT’LL SPEND LONGER THERE. AFTERWARDS, IT NAVIGATES BACK TO ITS BASE TO RECHARGE (UP TO THREE HOURS OF CHARGING FOR TWO HOURS’ CLEANING TIME). ROOMBA EVEN SINGS A LITTLE TUNE AS IT DOCKS, TO LET YOU KNOW IT’S SAFELY HOME.
£££ DYSON 360 EYE
£799.00, DYSON.CO.UK
RELEASED IN SUMMER THIS YEAR, THE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED DYSON ROBOT HAS POWERFUL CYCLONIC SUCTION AND A SMART, INTUITIVE DESIGN. IT RUNS ON TANK-STYLE TRACKS INSTEAD OF WHEELS – HELPING IT TACKLE ALL TYPES OF FLOORS – AND THERE’S A FREE APP THAT LETS YOU START, STOP
AND SCHEDULE THE ROBOT REMOTELY.