This robot will clean your grubby windows

Housework is a necessary chore but I draw the line when it comes to window cleaning. Not only is it utterly monotonous, but I could also be doing more pleasurable things, such as practising DIY cranial lobotomies on myself with rusty knitting needles.

Thank goodness for the folks at Ecovacs. They’ve come up with a window cleaning option that can do a better job than I’m ever going to be capable of, and best of all, it requires almost no effort on my part. My inner lazy bastard approves utterly.

Their solution is the WINBOT W1 Pro, a window-cleaning robot. It’ll clean most flat, non-leaded windows and is so easy to use that even a complete novice (like yours truly) can easily get it set up.

I was pleased to note that the WINBOT W1 Pro comes in a sleek carry case, which keeps everything (the robot, cables, chargers, cleaning solution and mop pads) all in one place. Finished in metallic white on silver, the W1 sports a pleasing compact squarish design with curved corners and a handy leather handle, which makes placing it on a window or removing it a doddle.

Its corners have bump sensors. These are so it knows when it makes contact with the window frame or hardware. Given it’s likely to be used on taller windows or on multi-storey dwellings, it also has a rope/lanyard combo that can be anchored to act as a safety line should it ever fall from a window, preventing it from landing on people or property from a height and causing any damage.

That said, the WINBOT W1 Pro packed a shedload of suction power (the Ecovac blurb says it packs a whopping 2800 Pa of suction). Hence, it sticks to windows like it’s glued to the glass but can still move around and clean easily. It looks improbable in action but in use proved to be completely stable.

The WINBOT W1 Pro uses the same Ecovac smartphone app as their X1 Omni Robovac cleaner, greatly adding to its usability. With the app, you not only get an at-a-glance overview of the status of the WINBOT W1 Pro, but the ability to choose cleaning modes and a remote control function to guide it into harder-to-reach spots that its own programming might otherwise miss. Ironically, while the robot is intended as a time saver, freeing me up from the drudgery of window cleaning chores, I found myself mesmerised, watching it as it moved around my windows, cleaning them within an inch of their lives. All this watching might not have saved much time, but cleaning my home’s windows didn’t require any work on my part. Perfect!

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The WINBOT W1 Pro was dead easy to use. After attaching its power adaptor and securing its rope line, I placed it on the window. Its motor engaged and it stuck to the window, announcing “starting cleaning”. From there, it’d trundle vertically around the window until every inch was spotless, announcing, “Cleaning complete” when it was done. Its built-in voice prompts proved to be a handy addition. While I watched it clean, the prompts meant I could also be nearby doing something else, letting the WINBOT W1 get on with its window cleaning chores.

Priced at $899, the WINBOT W1 Pro isn’t what I’d call super cheap, but that comes down to how much you value your free time (or how much you dislike cleaning windows). Either way, its cleaning chops were excellent and improved with use (machine learning, perhaps?) With its sheer ease of use and effectiveness, there’s lots to like, hence it getting a 10 out of 10 score.

www.ecovacs.com/nz