Robot or vacuum broom, which is the best option?

Robot vacuums have gained tremendous popularity in recent years. This has caused a significant drop in terms of prices and a very attractive improvement in terms of benefits. But, Is a robot vacuum cleaner better than a broom vacuum cleaner? If you are wondering which device might be most interesting for you to keep your house clean, let's talk about it.

Robot vacuum cleaner vs vacuum broom

Hay household chores that are very tedious, mainly because they are repetitive and to some extent you need to do them every day. One of them is to clean or sweep the floor, to eliminate all kinds of elements that may fall. For example, food remains, hair from us or from pets that we have and in general from dust and mites.

Luckily, technology goes far beyond devices with screens that allow us to connect to social networks to see what a person is doing on the other side of the world. The main purpose of this is none other than to solve everyday problems and cleaning the home is one of them.

This is how they were born robot vacuum cleaners. iRobot was the first company to present one of these devices that over time have become very popular. So much so that today we not only have options for all budgets, but also needs. Because there will be users for whom a simple time schedule is enough, while others will want to have more data on the cleaning process and even control over the Internet in case they want to activate it from outside the home.

However, Are these types of devices valid for everyone? Even what you think may be the best option for everyone turns out to be only for you. Or even the opposite, you are wrong and by not giving it a chance you are still investing a certain amount of time every day in a task that you could automate. So, let's see the keys of each of the devices.

Advantages and disadvantages of robot vacuum cleaners

Roomba-type robot vacuum cleaners have a clear and main advantage over any other system: they can autonomously clean the house. Depending on the model you choose, you will have more or fewer options, but the basic one will always be there. And yes, it is very practical to be able to sweep the floor and vacuum up all the dirt while you continue doing other tasks or simply rest after a day's work at the office.

In addition, the latest models of many brands include advanced features that improve their performance. For example, home mapping has been improved and cleaning is much more efficient by covering the entire surface of the room you clean in. There are also sensors that are capable of detecting which surfaces are dirtier and require extra cleaning time. With a moderately advanced model, you can also program the cleaning schedule —ideally, set a time when we are not at home—, as well as give you the possibility to control the device remotely, either with a remote control distance or with voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Alexa. Regarding the latter, there are models with great integration, allowing the development of routines and all kinds of automated tasks.

Thanks to the latter, you can not only establish what days and what time you want it to clean. You can also indicate the rooms that it must do every day or even activate the robot from work or while you are away from home by simply accessing the options of the mobile application.

All these advantages allow you to enjoy time that you otherwise would not have. Of course, there is no perfect system and despite its advantages, it also has disadvantages that you should consider. The first is that the cleaning process is much slower. This means that the robot must be running longer to clean the house completely.

Also, in addition to time, there is the problem that if the house is too big you will have to do it in stages. Well, if the battery runs out, you will have to return to base, recharge and continue where you left off. All this without counting that the garbage can does not fill up and also stops because of it. Here it is true that there are models that even allow automatic emptying to have greater autonomy. But they are the least common and, therefore, you will have to be the one who takes care of emptying it every day or the days you use it.

These types of devices are also especially useful for keeping dust, mite and particle levels at bay in case we have respiratory problems or live with people who suffer from diseases of this type such as asthma or allergies. By choosing the right model and programming it properly, we can reduce allergen levels at home with almost no effort.

And finally there is the issue of noise. They are not as annoying as the first models, but they are still heard and can be quite annoying. Although you also have the option of using headphones or listening to some music while cleaning and so it doesn't bother you so much.

Best

• They are autonomous.
• They can be programmed and controlled remotely.
• If they have self-emptying, you hardly have to worry about the device.

Worst

• They are a bit louder.
• They require more time to clean.
• Maintenance of cleaning rollers.
• Getting a quality model means investing more money.

Advantages and disadvantages of vacuum brooms

On the other hand, there are those who prefer to continue using a traditional vacuum cleaner or a vacuum broom. This last option is the one that has been gaining the most points lately for various reasons. So, even at the same price, there are users who prefer these cleaning systems to one of the previous robots.

The main reason is agility with which you can get to sweep the whole house. Now that there are many completely wireless models, there will be no cable in the way to bother you while vacuuming the entire house. In addition, since it collects all the dirt in its deposit, you should not worry about going with the dustpan, that it falls and those typical things that usually happen.

In addition, the vacuum brooms also have a wide variety of accessories that give you the option of using them in different types of scenarios. You can not only sweep the floor, but also pick up the crumbs that fall on the sofa if one day you dine while enjoying a movie or meeting with friends. Well, introduce a length to access more complicated places, such as under furniture or on top of them.

Of course, all these advantages imply one that robot vacuum cleaners do not have: you. You have to use these brooms, so you are not gaining that extra time that a "Roomba" gives you. Even so, since you direct at which points you want to vacuum or not, the average cleaning time is much less than what a robot vacuum cleaner needs to invest.

Best

• Quick and direct cleaning.
• Better cleaning in corners and small places.
• Versatility.

Worst

• The user is required to clean.

Robot or broom vacuum cleaner, which one to choose?

At this point, what is the ideal cleaning device for your needs? Well, you may already have it clear, but if not, this may help you. The idea is that you consider aspects such as type of house, people and even pets that live with you, time you spend and level of dirt that can be generated as well as other personal conditions. With all this, choosing is much easier.

Still, this schematic will be useful to you:

• If you want to forget about the task of cleaning the house and save time for other activities, robot vacuum cleaners give you that option.
• Robot vacuum cleaners are also very useful for people with disabilities or mobility problems.
• A robot vacuum is slower than using a broom vacuum, because you go directly to where you need to sweep.
• The maintenance of a vacuum broom is usually less.
• Vacuum brooms are more versatile for cleaning in other settings far from the floor of your home.
• The most advanced models of robot vacuums are more expensive than vacuum brooms.

Evaluate which one can best adapt to your lifestyle. Do not get carried away by the opinion of who so much one or the other without thinking carefully about what you need. Because what may be very convenient for some may not be so convenient for you.

Recommended robot vacuum cleaners

Now that you know what it's all about. If you are looking for a robot vacuum cleaner, you should know that there are many options on the market. We ourselves recently proposed several proposals for you to find the best robot vacuum cleaners. Still, these are three of our favorite options for price and performance.

Conga Series 1099

See offer on Amazon

Inexpensive robot with good floor cleaning capabilities and remote control options via an app that you can install on your mobile phone. It also integrates a remote control and can be used through Amazon and Google voice assistants. The only drawback is that compared to other models the suction power is less.

Xiaomi Mi Vacuum Cleaner 1C

See offer on Amazon

One of the most sold and valued vacuum cleaners on the market. The simple fact of being from Xiaomi is already a guarantee for many, being able to offer a good design with attractive features at an attractive price. It really is like that and along with the ability to sweep the floor it also offers a 200 ml tank to scrub if we want it. The robot also offers app for remote control and voice command support.

iRobot i7+ Roomba

See offer on Amazon

The most advanced iRobot proposal, the Roomba i7+ not only offers the latest technology from the brand, but also a base station that allows the device to be charged and the main tank to self-empty. Thus, the robot vacuum requires less maintenance than other options. Ideal if you want to ignore more throughout the week. Of course, these extras imply a higher price than the previous proposals.

iRobot Roomba 692

See offer on Amazon

Model with extraordinary features, with great suction power, Wi-Fi connection, three-phase cleaning system, personalized suggestions for use and compatible with your virtual assistant (Google, Alexa or Siri) from the mobile screen. It has two multi-surface brushes that catch everything from the smallest dust particles to other larger debris present both on carpets and on the floor.

Roborock S7

See offer on Amazon

One of the robot vacuum cleaner models that we liked the most from the last ones analyzed. Its price is true that it is somewhat higher than cheaper options that can be found out there, but features such as its height adjustment when cleaning long-haired carpets are aspects that add positively to the user experience. In addition, it also offers an option to scrub the floor and that will be for those who are interested.

neato d800

See offer on Amazon

Its "D" shaped design allows you to reach the corners that other cleaning robots do not cover, especially when it comes to sweeping completely straight corners and corners that form 90º angles. It is effective on surfaces such as wood, carpets, tile, etc. It has an autonomy of 90 minutes and if the battery runs out during service, it returns to the base and later continues with the program it was running. It has a high-performance filter capable of capturing up to 99% of allergens and, of course, we can control their activity wirelessly through the mobile screen.

Recommended vacuum brooms

If you decided that robot vacuum cleaners are not for you, vacuum brooms will allow you to sweep dirt from home quickly and efficiently. Once again, there are many models on the market, but we will focus on three alternatives that offer quality and greater freedom by being wireless.

Xiaomi Mi Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

See offer on Amazon

Once again, Xiaomi has a vacuum broom that, due to its design and performance, has earned the trust of many users. Not only is it attractive, it also has a great cleaning capacity and multiple accessories to clean all types of surfaces from dust and mites. It can also be easily disassembled for a complete cleaning of all its elements.

Robo Rock H6

See offer on Amazon

Halfway in price, the Roborock handheld vacuum cleaner or vacuum broom model offers interesting features and again a wide variety of accessories to clean in corners and other hard-to-reach places. A proposal with which you can clean the house or other places for 90 minutes without the need to charge in ECO mode or 10 minutes at maximum power when required.

Dyson V11

See offer on Amazon

As with robot vacuums, Dyson is one of the most respected brands and has several models, including the Dyson V11. This vacuum broom offers impressive suction power, capable of quickly picking up any type of dirt from the floor or other surfaces. It is true that the investment is to think about it, but those who bet on it do not regret it.

Rowenta Force Flex

See offer on Amazon

This new proposal from Rowenta has the particularity of offering a flexible tube that you can bend and reach in a much easier way and without having to bend down to complicated areas such as the bottom of furniture, chairs, sofas, etc. An improvement that is becoming common in most of the vacuum brooms that you can find right now on the market and they are recent models.

Rowenta XPert 3.60 Flex RH6971

See offer on Amazon

One of the great virtues of this model is its arm capable of turning almost 90 degrees to reach the most hidden corners of the house. It is a cordless model, with three functions in one, 45-minute autonomy of use, lithium battery and lights on the broom to better see all the dirt anywhere in your home.

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