Whether you have wood floors, tile floors, or carpet, the truth is that your floor surfaces will get dirty and cleaning them simply isn’t a lot of fun. It’s a job that is seemingly never finished and even if you clean them once a week, you will still find debris, dust, dander, and hair on their surfaces. This frustration with cleaning floor surfaces is one of the reasons why an automatic vacuum cleaner was finally developed. If you have not yet seen one of these in action, you will not believe what you have been missing out on.

Click Here For Best Price on Automatic Vaccum Cleaners

What are Automatic Vacuum Cleaners

An automatic vacuum cleaner is a vacuum cleaner that is able to travel around your entire home, or just part of it, and vacuum up all of the debris without any human interaction at all. The intelligence of these machines is actually quite amazing and not only are they able to keep track of where they have been, but you can also set up boundaries for places that they shouldn’t go, and they can even find their way back to their charger when they are done!

Although most people who own one of these vacuum cleaners will use it as their primary vacuum cleaner, you will also want to have another one on hand to do smaller areas or to do the stairs. But, for the most part, they are ideal for everyday cleaning and will save you a lot of time while also keeping your floor surfaces cleaner than ever.

The History of the Automatic Vacuum Cleaner

Ever since vacuum cleaners were developed, companies and individuals have been trying to find a way to automate the process. The first company to bring a real robotic vacuum cleaner to the market on a wide-scale basis was Roomba, a company that was founded by MIT roboticists in 1990. They developed robots for space exploration, mining, and searching Egyptian pyramids before finally developing one that could manage and maneuver a vacuum cleaner.

In 2002, the first Roomba floor vacuum was launched and the company has been developing these products in addition to other robotic or unmanned ground vehicles ever since.

How Much Do Automatic Vacuum Cleaners Cost?

A good vacuum cleaner will always set you back a bit, but the good news that a quality automatic vacuum cleaner is in the same price range as manual ones. At the low end, you will find the iRobot Roomba 440 goes for around $160, while the more advanced professional models such as the iRobot 610 Professional series sell for around $600. The model you choose really depends on the type of cleaning you need and how autonomous you want the vacuum cleaner to be.

What Are the options?

Depending on the make and model of the automatic vacuum cleaner that you are buying, you will find that they do come in several different colors, but primarily they are in black, gray, and white. These are all cordless models that are able to be put back into a charger. In most cases, the device will need to charge overnight and will then have up to three hours’ worth of vacuuming time, which is more than enough for most homes.

What Are the Main Advantages of an Automatic Vacuum Cleaner?

Obviously, the biggest advantage of this product is that you don’t have to drag a large piece of machinery around your home. But there are also other advantages that people who have never seen them might not know about.

1. They are able to go under beds, couches, and other cramped areas because they are very small in height.
2. You can set them to run when you are or aren’t home, and program them to run on a regular basis.
3. Because they are working on their own, they won’t take up any of your time and you can work on other house cleaning chores while the robotic vacuum cleaner is running.

What Are the Disadvantages of Automatic Vacuums?

With any new technology, there are always a few problems that go along with the product:

1. They don’t work on stairs.
2. Pets and children are sometimes afraid of them.
3. Although they are short in height, they are large in diameter, which means that they might not be able to get close enough to some debris to suck it up.
4. They work on battery power, so they need to be charged all the time.

How Should You Buy Your Automatic Vacuum Cleaner?

The first factor that you should consider is whether your home is actually designed to be cleaned by such a vacuum cleaner. If you have lots of levels, stairs, or small areas in your home, you might be disappointed with the amount of coverage that you get. However, if you are tired of having to sweep your floors, vacuum your carpets and other floor surfaces and just want a way to save time, then this is the way to do it.

Because this is not necessarily an inexpensive product, it is definitely worth your time to shop around for an automatic vacuum before you buy one. They all have different features and you may find that buying an inexpensive one doesn’t give you all the features that you want. For instance, some of the higher end iRobot models allow you to electronically block off certain areas of your home that you don’t want cleaned and can also alert the robotic vacuum of stairs or unstable surfaces.

There are also some models that are specifically designed to pick up pet hair and dander and have a built-in allergen filter for homes where people are particularly prone to allergies.

The best way to save money on an automatic vacuum cleaner is to first shop online. You can certainly go looking for them in your local electronics or home goods store, but the truth is that you won’t get a very good price. What you will get, though, is an idea as to which models do what you need them to do and which features may be overkill for your situation.

Once you have established a particular range or model that you are looking for, then it is time to go online. You can find some very good prices on almost all models online, depending on which retailer you are working with. Because these are higher priced pieces of merchandise, you should have no problem getting free or at least discounted shipping, and since the warranty is through the manufacturer and not the retailer, you will still have the same warranty you would have had if you had bought the product in person.

Usage and Care Tips for an Automatic Vacuum Cleaner

The first thing to remember is that although this is essentially a “robot,” its intelligence only goes so far. It is important that you electronically set boundaries for your automatic vacuum so that it doesn’t go places where it could cause damage or where items could fall onto it. Also, remember that just like any other vacuum cleaner, it is not designed to pick up liquids, so don’t send it through the home when there is liquid on the floor or carpet.

All automatic/robotic cleaner products also have built-in filters that will need to be changed from time to time, depending on the amount of debris that you are picking up. Especially if you live in a home with pets or small children, you should expect to change the filter fairly regularly in order to get the most out of your vacuum.

When it comes to charging your automatic vacuum, you will be asked to first charge it up all the way before using it, and that usually means keeping it in the charger overnight. Depending on your particular model, your vacuum might just let know when it is ready to vacuum by lighting up either on the vacuum or the charger. After the first use, you should keep the vacuum charged fully all the time to prolong battery life.

Unfortunately, if there is one downside to an automatic vacuum cleaner, it is that getting them fixed isn’t something that you can do down at the local vacuum cleaner store or electronics store. These are extremely high-tech products with built-in computers, and they are essentially robots. This means that they will always need to be sent back to the manufacturer for repairs. There are some replacement parts that you can handle on your own and that can be bought from online retailers or direct from the manufacturer.

Which Type of Cleaner Do You Want?

When you think of a vacuum cleaner, you generally think of only carpet, but you can also buy a robot vacuum cleaner that is designed for hard floors, carpets, or even ones that can discern the difference and make adjustments to both their height and sucking power. Generally speaking, finding a high-quality automatic vacuum cleaner that will do both floors and carpet effectively will cost you a little more.

Which Automatic Vacuum Models Are Best?

Because Roomba was first to the market, their products are still the ones that sell best online, but there are other brands that you might also want to investigate. Here are the five top models online right now:

1. Evolution Robotics Automatic Hard Floor Cleaner – This is designed for hard floors only and unlike most other cleaners, it is square in shape. It comes equipped with removable cloths that sweep your floor and pick up debris, and comes with a one-year warranty. If you have large areas of tile or hardwood floors, this will save you an enormous amount of time and keep your home more healthful.
2. iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot – This has a sleek black and silver design and it is perhaps the smartest automatic vacuum cleaner on the market. It allows you to set up “no go” zones throughout your home so that both your vacuum and your possessions stay safe. This iRobot also works with a number of other Roomba products that can help you get more out of your vacuum.
3. Neato XV-11 All Floor Robotic Vacuum System – This does carpet, hardwood floors, and tile floors, and you can schedule it to run when you aren’t home. It works through a laser-based room positioning system, which allows it to see everything in your home and determine if it needs to be cleaned.
4. iRobot Roomba Pet Series 562 Vacuum Cleaning System – This automatic vacuum cleaner is specifically designed for homes with animals and is able to pick up pet hair, allergens, cat litter, and more debris from floors and carpets. It is able to clean four rooms on one charge and works with all other Roomba products.
5. iRobot 530 Roomba Vacuum (White) – This is a good-looking model that comes with all of the high-tech features you need. It is able to sense stairs (so that it doesn’t fall down them), and it has a built-in fine filtration system to catch allergens. These filters should be changed on a regular basis and they are available online.

Click Here For Best Selling Automatic Vacuums

How Do You Choose The Perfect Automatic Vacuum Cleaner?

It will take a little time to determine which one of these is the right automatic vacuum cleaner for your needs. You will obviously want to determine your budget first and then determine which of the extra features you really need and really plan on using. If you have both floors and carpet, then make sure the device you are buying is able to pick up debris on all surfaces. If you are more interested in having a vacuum that is able to work when you aren’t at home, then you should invest in one with more high-tech features. Either way, you will find that having a vacuum cleaner that works on its own is not only fun, but it will also enable you to have a cleaner and more healthful house all the time. It is really a small investment for the amount of time savings that you get.