Window cleaning robots seem to defy gravity: they suck on the window and then crawl along the window on microfiber cloths without falling. Swiss testing magazine Saldo tested ten shoe-sized upright cleaners – Click here for the original paid article.
The result: Unlike a previous test from 2018, this time there are also good window cleaning robots. There are two of them also in this country: the Create Wipebot (150 euros) and the Ecovacs Winbot W1 Pro (325 euros).
Two good people clean quickly and cleanly
Good models clean even corners without leaving marks, are silent and can clean two square meters of glass in less than eight minutes. The mediocre Liectroux YW 509 On the other hand, I walked around the same area for almost a quarter of an hour. It and five other devices also left marks on the windshield of the last place finisher. Hobot HB 298 he even spread dirt with his microfiber cloths. For window grime, testers mixed a mixture of grease powder and diluted all-purpose cleaner and brushed it on the windows.
Best in Large Glass Panels
Before the robots can start working, they need a tank with water and cleaning agent. As they have to be repositioned on each surface, it is more worthwhile to use window cleaning robots on picture windows than on split box or lattice windows, such as those found in many older buildings.
Robots on a leash
Drawback: The rope provided must be able to be fixed somewhere in any location to catch the robots in case of falling. They also hang from a cord – so a nearby outlet is also recommended. After all, all devices have an emergency battery that can cover a power outage for a few minutes. This way, you won’t immediately lose control if you get out of breath.
They can also side by side
As an experiment, Saldo also made the robots crawl on the bathroom tiles. The result: at least good devices also clean the “Plättli” well”, write the Swiss colleagues.
Alternative: battery-powered window cleaner
If you hate cleaning windows but still don’t want to trust a robot, you may be well served with cordless handheld window vacuums. They look like window cleaners, but they simply suck water from the window. Stiftung Warentest has Cordless window vacuum cleaner tested in 2019. Many devices were good, almost all of them cost less than 100 euros. With one exception, they can only suck up water – you have to wet and clean them yourself. Suppliers provide a separate spray bottle with a mop.
Tip: Window cleaning professionals Pre-treat nicotine deposits, scrape window frames with glass sandpaper and avoid newspapers.