How do I choose a robot vacuum cleaner?

Before you purchase a robot vacuum, it's important that you ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you expect from the robot vacuum?
• What type of floor do you have?
• Do you have allergies?
• Do you have pets?
• Do you want the robot to create a navigation route in your house?
• How big is your house?
• Do you want to charge the robot via a charging dock or via a charging cable?

Do you occasionally use the robot vacuum as an addition to your normal vacuum, a basic model will probably be enough for you. If you want to use your robot vacuum every day, or control it via your phone, for example, you'll need a more advanced model. A € 100 robot hasn't got as many qualities as a € 800 one. Keep in mind that a robot vacuum is above all an addition, and won't completely take over your cleaning jobs. You'll still have to vacuum your stairs and baseboards yourself.

All robot vacuums work well on hard and smooth flooring, but some have a hard time tackling high-pole carpet or rugs. If you have a hard floor, every type of robot vacuum will be suitable, but if you have a lot of carpet or many rugs, you'll need a more specific robot vacuum.

If you have a dust allergy, you'll need a robot vacuum with a special exhaust filter. A HEPA 13 or 14 filter is the most suitable for people with allergies. The filter stops fine dust, pollen, and allergens, so they don't end up in the room via the exhaust air.

Dog and cat hairs lying around can be a challenge for a robot vacuum, as they usually have a rather small suction brush. If you want to be sure it vacuums pet hairs, go for a robot vacuum with rotating central brushes. These brushes are better at picking pet hairs from hard floors and low-pole carpet than those with nothing but a suction brush. In the product filter, you can easily select a robot suitable for pet hairs under 'application'.

The navigation method is the way the robot maps the room and chooses its route. Starter models don't have a navigation method, which means they take a random route through your house. More advanced models create a 3D map of the room or continuously scan the room using lasers. The more advanced the model, the more systematic the navigation, and the smaller the chances the robot will miss anything.

I'm referring to the floor surface the robot has to cover. Not all robot vacuums are equals when it comes to this. Do you want your robot vacuum to vacuum multiple rooms in 1 go? Make sure you go for a robot vacuum with a battery life of over 90 minutes.

Starter models will stop when the battery is empty. You have to put the robot vacuum back into its charging dock yourself, or charge it via a charging cable. More luxurious robot vacuums will go back to the charging dock themselves once they're empty. If you go for the most advanced robot, it will automatically charge itself at the charging dock and continue vacuuming once it's charged.