My robot vacuum review: Is it worth getting a robot vacuum?

My robot vacuum review and my honest opinion about whether or not it's worth getting a robot vacuum.

I’ve wanted a robot vacuum for years. I have three children and a dog and I vacuum the downstairs of my house most days, if not twice a day. I really should mop daily too but I don’t and the floor constantly looks grubby!

I’m very lucky that I have big windows in my south facing kitchen and the gorgeous sunlight streams in all afternoon. Beautiful. But that sunlight shows up every speck of dirt and dust, every muddy paw print and every dog hair! So while I wouldn’t say I’m a clean freak, I hate having dirty floors.

I also have light grey carpets throughout the upstairs of the house (that was a bad colour choice!) so my carpets constantly need hoovering too.

Anyway, I’m all about life hacks that make life a little easier and when I discovered robot vacuums I knew I needed one. This was a few years ago and they sold for around £300 which was a price I couldn’t justify, not when I already had a cordless Dyson V10 which is really very good!

But when the price of robot vacuums and mops came down and they were available for £100, I couldn’t resist! Especially once I got a new puppy who is constantly walking wet footprints all over the kitchen. 

Having clean floors instantly makes the whole house look and feel so much cleaner and I love that my floors are always clean now.

What I was looking for in a robot vacuum

I did a bit of research and realised I wanted:

• Something under £150
• A vacuum and mop
• Something that automatically goes back to it’s charger
• Something that will work on a rough, uneven surface

After reading lots of Amazon reviews I went for the Lubluelu robot vacuum and mop. The 5,000+ 4.5 star ratings on Amazon was what swayed it for me and I’m so pleased I finally bought one.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the price of this vacuum and it does go up and down on Amazon. I paid £135 but it does go up to £190. It’s often £169.99 but then you can click for a £30 off voucher too. So keep an eye on it!

I shared my robot vacuum on Instagram and I had so many questions about it! So I know this is off topic but I thought I’d write a detailed review to give you more info and answer some FAQs.

How does a robot vacuum work?

It’s really quick and easy to initially get going with the robot vacuum. You need to set it up in the app and connect it to your wifi (this was straight forward) and then you just press ‘go’ and it starts. If you’ve got the mop attachment on then it will automatically mop but if you don’t then it will automatically vacuum.

It has LiDAR mapping technology so it will automatically map up to 5 rooms so it knows where to go. This will make it faster the next time because it won’t bump into as many objects. If you’ve got more than 5 rooms then it doesn’t matter, it just gently bumps into things from time to time. 

Can a robot vacuum clean all types of floors?

Yes, it automatically detects when it is going from carpet to hard floors so it can increase suction. I have a mixture of carpet, solid wood and uneven slate tiles and it works well on all surfaces.

A tip for mopping

I’ve found that it uses up all the water very quickly when it’s mopping. But if I wet the microfibre mopping cloth before it begins then it uses a lot less water so I don’t need to refill the tank half way through a mop.

This was the mircofibre cloth after the first mop! Bear in mind that I do have a cleaner who had been a few days before and she does a brilliant job at cleaning the floors. So this was just 4-5 days of everyday family life in the kitchen.

I now set it to mop almost every day and the cloth isn't nearly as grubby but it's showed me that I really do need it mopping most days.

Do robot vacuums work well on carpets and rugs?

Yes. I think it works best on hard floors but it’s very good on carpet too. I usually use a Dyson V10 on my carpets and it’s not as good as that but it does a good enough job, especially just for a daily clean up.

It also handles rugs with no problem. If you have a really loose rug or a blanket on the floor then it will get stuck but it’s fine with normal rugs. My dog often pulls her blanket on the floor and it can get tangled with that.

Does the robot vacuum work well with edges?

When I first set up my robot vacuum I didn’t add the additional side brush bristles and it didn’t clean all the way to the edge of the wall very well. But once I added the side brushes it works well.

Can robot vacuums handle pet hair?

Yes! So this was one of my main reasons for getting the robot vacuum. My dog has lots of very fine, soft hair and it gets everywhere! The vacuum sucks it up with no problem.

How do robot vacuums navigate around furniture and obstacles?

Robot vacuums have sensors so they know when there’s an obstacle in front of them. Sometimes mine will gently bump into the furniture and other times it goes straight around it. It slows down when an obstacle is coming up.

Once they know the furniture is there, it will avoid it next time. If it’s an obstacle that isn’t normally there (like a shoe) it just bumps into it and goes around it.

I’m really impressed how well it navigates around the legs of the dining chairs and kitchen stools. It does a better job at vacuuming around them than I do!

Will a robot vacuum fall down stairs?

No. I have two sets of stairs so I was a bit worried but it doesn’t fall down and seems to know where the edge is.

How long does the battery last on a robot vacuum?

Battery life doesn’t bother me too much because it automatically goes back to its charging dock when the battery is low and will continue cleaning once it is charged again.

But mine lasts longer than my Dyson!

I think it will depend on how dirty your floors are and if it’s vacuuming carpet or hard floor or if it’s vacuuming or mopping. Mine can vacuum the whole house (5 bedrooms) on one charge. I rarely do this though because it only does the bedrooms once or twice a week and, realistically, not all the bedrooms are every tidy at the same time to do them all in one go!

Based on past experience with vacuum cleaners, I’m assuming the battery will worsen over time.

How often do I need to empty the dustbin?

I empty it after every use, so most days. It’s quick and easy to empty so I figure I might as well.

Lots of robot vacuums have an additional ‘empty station’ where it will automatically empty it while it’s charging. I don’t think this is worth it because it’s so easy just to empty it manually. 

Can a robot vacuum map my home?

Yes it does. Mine will only map 5 rooms but it just means it’ll be slightly slower in the other rooms.

Do robot vacuums require Wi-Fi to operate?

Mine does. You have to connect it to an app on your phone. 

Can I control a robot vacuum with a smartphone app?

Yes you can. You can set it to clean from the app whenever you want. This is also where you select things like ‘no-go zones’ or smart cleaning if you’ve made a mess in a specific place.

I think some people will really like all the app extras like being able to control it with voice functions from your Alexa or Google Hub and setting different zones and times. But for me I only use the app to check the battery life. I don’t set it to clean at certain times, I just press ‘go’ when I want it to work. If I’ve made a mess, I just pick it up and carry it to the mess and press go.

What happens if a robot vacuum gets stuck?

Mine is really good and getting ‘unstuck’ because it can go backwards. But if it gets really stuck (it got tangled up in a dog towel that was on the floor once) it just powers off and stops working.

Are dogs OK with robot vacuums and mops?

This was a biggy because my dog is a pain with a normal vacuum and a mop. She barks at the vacuum and attacks the mop so I have to put her out whenever I mopping!

She did bark at the robot vacuum at first but she’s used to it now and just leaves it alone. I think because it’s running so often she’s just got used to it.

Are robot vacuums noisy?

Mine is quieter than my Dyson V10. 

I wouldn’t have it vacuuming while I was watching TV and I wouldn’t do the bedrooms while someone was sleeping. But it isn’t nosy. Mine does downstairs while we go to bed or does the kitchen while I’m watching TV in the living room and it’s fine.

How do I clean and maintain a robot vacuum?

It does need maintaining. You’ll need to wash the microfiber clothes it mops with, empty the trashbox and I wipe down the trashbox filter too. I also cut out or untangle any hair stuck in the bristles.

Can a robot vacuum handle high thresholds or uneven surfaces?

So far so good.

I knocked over a plant in my bedroom so there was soil everywhere and it handled that really well.

And it does very well on my uneven slate tiles.

Do robot vacuums return to their charging dock automatically?

Yes, mine does. And then will continue vacuuming once it’s 80% charged.

What’s the difference between a robot vacuum and a traditional vacuum?

A robot vacuum works automatically. You don’t need to hold it or touch it. You don’t even need it to be home.

Can a robot vacuum clean under furniture?

If it fits then it will! If it doesn't fit then it will get as far underneath it as it can.

How do I choose the best robot vacuum for my needs?

I’d start by setting a budget and ask yourself if you want it to vacuum and mop or just vacuum. There are so many out of there so it is difficult to choose but it really comes down to budget.

The size of your house, frequency you’ll be using it, how mucky your house is and if you want it to clean the entire house or just a high traffic area will probably influence how much you want to spend.

Are robot vacuums worth the investment?

Personally, I’m really happy with the investment I’ve made and I think it’s 100% worth it. As a single mum I find it overwhelming to keep the entire house clean and tidy and this really helps.

I love being able to pop it on when I'm busy doing something else and then come back to a spotlessly clean house. Having a clean floor encourages me to keep other areas clean and tidy too.

It’s obviously really nice not having to vacuum and mop the floor all the time but it also encourages us as a family to keep the house tidy. My kids are really good at moving everything off the floors and once you’ve tidied and cleaned the floors, half the job is done.

I have, however, kept the box and packaging just in case mine breaks and I can send it back to Amazon. I’m not 100% sure how long it will last