Robot vacuum cleaners can be as cheap as RM80 or as pricey as RM5,000+. But other factors beyond price matter too when choosing a robot vacuum cleaner model – like the size of your home or if you have pets living with you.
The whole point of a robot vacuum cleaner is to do the cleaning remotely with minimal attention required from you so that you can do other things – like relax after work!
Hence, there are some features that are worth paying more for, as you’ll learn in this guide.
Table Of Contents:
What Are Robot Vacuum Cleaners?
When the first robot vacuums made an appearance in Malaysia, they didn’t work efficiently. Wasting battery (and time) bumping into objects with no set direction!
Small steps and carpets would cause these early robotic vacuum cleaners to fall or get stuck frequently. Still, with regular use, all floors will eventually be free of dust – even under beds and sofas.
Today, these modern home appliances are a lot better than their clumsy predecessors.
Some robot vacuum cleaners have built-in mapping capabilities to define the most efficient cleaning path! In addition to various sensors that help them detect obstacles.
How To Choose A Robot Vacuum Cleaner
When selecting a robot vacuum cleaner model, you need to consider the following factors:
1. Your Home Size And Layout
If you live in a small apartment, home size isn’t such a big deal for you.
But those with multi-storey homes may want to double check the battery capacity, dust and water tank capacity of a robot vacuum cleaner.
You need to get a robotic vacuum cleaner with a tank (water and dust) that’s large enough to cover your home unless you don’t mind frequent water top-ups!
Similarly, you don’t want to have to recharge the robot vacuum cleaner halfway to get your whole house clean! High end robot vacuum cleaner models can run for up to 2 hours.
Furthermore, your home may have height differences of a few cm between rooms. Like a small step into a bathroom or kitchen. If that’s the case, you’ll also have to look into the climbing ability of a robot vacuum cleaner too.
Do you have carpets in your home? Look for a robot vacuum cleaner with high suction power (Preferably above 2,500 Pa). Or a carpet boost mode.
2. Budget
Pricier robot vacuums have many different sensors for more time spent on cleaning and less time banging into things repeatedly or cleaning the same area over and over again while neglecting other areas.
These days, the average robot vacuum cleaner (RM500 and up) comes with both vacuuming and mopping capability (and water tank capacity).
But premium robot vacuum cleaners (more than RM1,000) are able to empty out their own dust bin containers. However, emptying out and refilling their own water tanks is now possible too!
And expensive robot vacuum cleaners have mapping technology (i.e. sophisticated navigation system) that enables them to “remember” rooms.
Other Key Features To Look For:
- Running time – longer is better for larger homes
- Charging time – shorter is better if you want to frequently clean your home
- Auto-return to docking station
- Remote control via smartphone
- Voice control with Google or Alexa
- Strong suction power
- Carpet Boost
- Side brushes, filters and battery – is it easy to get replacements if these wear out?
- Customized cleaning – Control where and when you want the robot vacuum cleaner to clean (or not clean)
Conclusion
Getting a robot vacuum cleaner can be a life changer for better or worse. So choose a robot vacuum cleaner wisely with this guide and avoid spending your money on cheap models that will break down quickly and are not powerful (or “smart”) enough to clean efficiently.
If you have a small home, an expensive robot vacuum cleaner may be overdoing it. But if you’ve got a sizeable home to clean, investing in a pricier model is better in the long run.
See our recommendations for robot vacuum cleaners in Malaysia.
