In April, after a month of being confined to our four-bedroom flat, my family began to argue over household tasks — something that hadn’t happened since I was in my early teens. Four grown adults working and schooling at home during the quarantine period meant that household mess was at an all-time high. We were washing plates and hoovering up to five times a day. And when it came to hoovering, we actually drew straws to find out who would take on our ancient Henry the Hoover. If you were nimble, you could expect to finish hoovering your way around our flat in close to two hours.
After a month of this behaviour, and a steady increase in chore-related arguments, my eldest sister grabbed her laptop one Sunday afternoon, signed into her Amazon account, and typed in “self-cleaning hoover” into the search tab. This decision came straight after a squabble over whose turn it was to hoover that day. With no written evidence to settle the matter amicably (like the 26- and 29-year-olds that we are), she felt that this was the only way to end this feud. She began scrolling through the options while we waited to see what she found. In the back of my mind, I thought this was just her way of avoiding doing the hoovering for that particular day. Soon, she came across Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac and made an almost instant ruling: It was on the lower end of the price scale and was rated four and a half stars.
[Editor’s note: Abigail’s model is no longer in production – this is the updated version.]
The RoboVac arrived, and within a day, it became another member of the family. We press one button and our robot hoover manoeuvres its way around the flat like a human cleaner we’ve always wanted but couldn’t quite afford. Our circular little helper goes through the house, eating up floor dirt for 90 consecutive minutes. Its suction power is strong enough to swallow an ankle sock whole, and it operates at a volume no louder than a working microwave. It limbos underneath the beds and sofas, using sensors to avoid casualties. I even have it on during my work Zoom calls and nobody suspects a thing, as it quietly zips around the living room.
My mother is the only family member who is not as impressed with the robot cleaner. She was (and still is) convinced that not only is it a waste of money, but that it will not last and we will soon be back at Argos placing an order for a new Henry. But for the rest of us, we no longer fight over who’s going to vacuum, but over who gets to turn on our new RoboVac.
Some other Strategist-recommended vacuum cleaners
When we researched the best robot vacuum cleaners on Amazon, one reviewer, who has two small children, two dogs, and a cat, said they were fighting a losing battle against the debris their floors had accumulated, and after using the Bagotte model, they were “incredibly impressed” with it. An added bonus is the included electronic strips, which, when stuck to the floor, stop the vacuum from crossing over into the indicated areas — for example, if you want to keep it out of the kids’ playroom to avoid a Lego disaster.
Dyson’s Animal range is the technology company’s lightest, cordless model, and it’s one of the most popular we found, when we researched the best vacuum cleaners on Amazon. It’s also one of the lightest, too — at 2.3 kg it’s less than half the weight of the Vax upright vacuum. Nearly one in eight reviews said it was easy to lift and hold for long periods, and it even converted one man who swore he’d never go cordless after finding them unreliable. The strong suction also got commended by one cleaner, who said they never had to do the same spot twice.
The Strategist UK is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Read about who we are and what we do here. Our editors update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.