Best window cleaning robot – sparkless glass without headaches

Cleaning windows is in multiple ways different from cleaning floors. People who clean vertical surfaces often complain about the “physicality” of the process. Arms get tired a lot faster and if there’s a large glass area involved, the process is also difficult and time consuming. The answer to these problems should be some sort of autonomous system. Mopping robots designed for window cleaning are very different from the normal ones. Every moment, these gadgets must fight the gravity in order to stay on the glass .The weight of the robot becomes a key factor. This limits the cleaning solution and amount of battery the robotic window cleaner can carry on to the task. The work capacity is limited as well, so this brings up the first question I’ll tackle today:

Are robotic window cleaners useful?

In case your office or home features large windows, in an ideal world, a robot window cleaner should provide obvious benefits. Imagine you need to go over a 12 ft windows. Not only these innovative  devices can help, they can also protect you from dangerous & hazardous situations. Most of the times, these products come equipped with micro fiber pads that can clean glass with great efficiency. Before placing the robot on the window you need to clean, many robot window cleaners allow you to spray the micro fiber pads with special solutions. With this combo in place, you can say goodbye to streaks and other marks which are usual in the classic cleaning process.

Trivia: There’s a particular breed of autonomous window cleaners: those which are destined for large aquariums. I’m not going to get into those.

How effective are they & what’s their working principle?

In our modern society, home robotics is increasingly becoming the norm. The trend is to not attend any mundane household task without the help of robotic devices that can automatically perform it for our great convenience. While robot vacuum cleaners have taken over house cleaning and virtually outsourced the concept of vacuuming, the robot window cleaners aim to introduce similarly automate window washing to those owners who are most tech-friendly.

Robot window cleaners perform their task in various ways. Some of them use suction to ensure that they stay on the glass pane. This is the most obvious solution. These robots wash your windows with two rotating cleaning disks. Both disks create vacuum power when standing still, and keep the robot safe onto the surface. One disk stays still and rotates the body slowly around when moving and cleaning, while the other disk spins in order to wash the area around the fixed disk. They switch when this is done and go to the next segment of the window. The robot goes around and cleans the entire window, by using this movement technique. However, there are robot cleaners which work in a different way. E.g., there are devices which consist of two separate units that are held together by a permanent magnet. The separate units are battery powered and they go on either sides of the window pane. Each unit has a specific role in the process. While one of the units cleans the opposite side of the glass, the other unit is responsible for the movements of the robot. When this is done, in order to clean the other side of the window, the two parts have to be swapped.

How to choose a good robot window cleaner

Our guide to robotic window cleaners will help you choose the most suitable type of device for your office your home. When shopping for such devices, here’s some things you should definitely take into account:

Glass Surface

Some robot window cleaners are not able to clean on uneven or rough glass surfaces, such as patterned, textured, frosted, filmed, leaded, or coated. This limitation is due to the fact that the uneven surface prevents the robot unit from creating a secure vacuum seal.

Windows’ Shape

Circular, small, or unusually designed windows are not suitable for using robot window cleaners. Square, large windows are best suited for these gizmos.

Framed or Unframed Windows

If the robot can’t feel the edge of the unframed window, it can’t clean it. Special sensors are require for this job. Check first if the product you want to buy is technically suited for your windows.

Glass Thickness

Most robot window cleaners can clean only within a specific range of glass thickness. You need to first get an estimate of your window’s thickness and then shop for a robotic window cleaner that matches your specifications. Otherwise, the device may not generate enough pressure or could generate too much.

Power Cord Length

Most robot window cleaners have power cords connected to them, so you must check their electric cable comes with enough length in order to suit the cleaning needs of your home. Most robots have at least 15 ft of cable and many include extensions in their bundle.

Scheduled Cleanings and Remote Control

You are able to schedule a cleaning with most robot window cleaners on the market today. However, this is not always a good idea. It can be dangerous to schedule an automatic cleaning without your supervision, because these devices are not 100% secure. It is recommended that someone is present at home when the robot performs its windows cleaning task. Most of the models come with a remote control, so you can guide your robot and clean exactly where you want.

Spare Parts

From time to time, you will need to replace some parts such as the cleaning pads. Therefore, it is recommended that you choose a model for which the spare parts are readily available or that accepts generic replaceables.

Best robot window cleaners

Cop Rose Smart Robot Window Cleaner

One of the most efficient window cleaner comes from CopRose. This product (the X5 version) differentiates from the competition thanks to its intelligent navigation which is backed by a powerful microcontroller especially programmed for this job. Cop Rose is not small, yet it is very light (5.5 lbs). It needs to, because it has to hang vertically. Besides that, it can also clean floors or tables, not only windows. Here’s how it looks like:

It’s worth mentioning that the remote control comes with a CR battery. A newer version of this robot can even be controlled by phone.

Cop Rose x6 Smart Robot Window Cleaner

A bit more expensive, the Cop Rose X6 comes equipped with range laser to process the routes easier and a 50 ft. long power cord. This robot can be used for commercial window cleaning, covering 10 sq. ft. (1 sq m) in less than 150 seconds. Like it’s smaller brother, it can be purchased directly from Amazon of GearBest.

Conclusion

Whether you are looking to save costs on window cleaning or to clean glass surfaces that have not been cleaned in years, robot window cleaners offer a compelling solution. My advice is to take advantage of it. As always, I am open to any kind of input concerning this new type of appliance so don’t be shy and write your comments below.