Why People With Disabilities Should Buy A Robot Vacuum (And How To Choose)
2023-10-08
Many people are familiar with the feeling of procrastinating cleaning because it feels troublesome and repetitive. But for individuals with limited mobility and physical disabilities, a whole other set of challenges can stand between the desire to maintain an organised living space and the act of doing it. Whether it’s visual impairments, people who use wheelchairs, or those who live with chronic pain, traditional vacuum cleaners can be cumbersome, necessitate excess physical effort or simply be difficult to manoeuvre.
Robot vacuums present a more accessible alternative, offering greater autonomy and simplicity to the day-to-day lives of disabled people. In this article, we will explore the benefits of smart vacuums and how these innovative devices work to automate cleaning.
What Are The Best Robot Vacuums For Disabled People?
DEEBOT T20 OMNI
The DEEBOT T20 OMNI by ECOVACS is a premium robotic mop vacuum which offers the ultimate hands-free cleaning experience for individuals with disabilities, with better cleaning performance than any model that came before it.
The smart vacuum automatically empties dust into its base station, auto-cleans and dries its own mopping pads with hot air, and auto-refills water into the water tanks for the next round of mopping. It transitions without a problem between hard surfaces and carpet or rug, vacuums for up to 260 minutes on a single charge*, and can be operated without the user lifting a finger via its YIKO voice assistant.
DEEBOT X1 OMNI
The DEEBOT X1 OMNI is like the T20 OMNI’s more cost-effective cousin. Another disabled-friendly robot vacuum that sweeps and mops, it can also be remotely controlled with voice commands, uses smart mapping technology to map your home in minutes and navigate it while avoiding common household objects that could damage the vacuum, effectively cleans corners, wall edges and under furniture; and automatically cleans its own mops and empties dust.
DEEBOT X1 TURBO
Finally, another fantastic option for the best robot vacuums for disabled persons is the DEEBOT X1 TURBO. Also featuring YIKO voice control, vacuum-mop capabilities and auto mop cleaning, this smart vacuum cleaner uses cutting-edge cameras to create and save 3D maps of your home and intelligently clean around even small objects like socks or cables. The X1 TURBO also washes and dries its mop pads by itself, as well as replenishes clean water in preparation for future mopping sessions independently.
How To Choose A Vacuum For Disabled Persons
Manoeuvrability
Traditional vacuums, such as stick, canister, central vacuum and compact handheld vacuums, rely on the user steering the machine. This can be less than easy for people with bodily impairments or health conditions like arthritis or cane users.
Certain conventional vacuum cleaners which have sophisticated swivel steering and smaller wheels can be easier for a person with a disability to manoeuvre. A robot vacuum, with advanced mapping and navigational abilities, is the easiest to manoeuvre as it’s a virtually hands-free vacuum.
Ease Of Use
In traditional vacuums, the factors that affect how easy the vacuum cleaner is to use include vacuum weight, adjustable height, cordless design and large buttons. These elements contribute to making the device more accessible for people with different disabilities.
In robot vacuums, ease of use is largely determined by how user-friendly the accompanying mobile app (such as our ECOVACS HOME App ) is. These applications typically allow homeowners to remotely activate cleaning and set cleaning schedules. While there may be buttons on the automatic vacuum, to improve accessibility, these should be remotely controllable.
Storage Capabilities
Another element of accessible vacuum cleaners is large enough storage for debris. If a device requires manual emptying after every session, it’s rendered less user-friendly. A heftier dust bin can extend the amount of time between empties.
Certain DEEBOT models take it the next step further to self-empty dust; their base stations contain dust bags that can hold up to 60 days of debris.
Multi-surface Cleaning
Next, a disabled-friendly vacuum cleaner should be able to adapt to different floor types that may be in a home, such as carpets, hardwood or tiles. Automatic vacuum cleaners such as ECOVACS’ DEEBOT T20 OMNI vacuum mops hard surfaces and carpets, using ultrasonic sensors to seamlessly adapt from floors to carpet.
Maintenance
The final factor to consider is ease of maintenance. This encompasses how often attachment/filter replacements are required as well as ease of dealing with tangles or other issues that may arise in vacuums through normal wear and tear. The vacuum cleaner should be made with durable materials and components that are easy to switch out to reduce the need for heavy-duty maintenance.
Battery Life
In matters of convenience, it’s the little things that make the overall difference. Good battery life is another factor to be considered when choosing the best hoover for disabled persons because needing to change the battery frequently is at best an inconvenience and at the worst, a major hindrance to the vacuum being used.
Convenient charging options such as wireless chargers or charger cradles, requiring less effortthan cables, also make the vacuum cleaner more friendly to people with specific requirements for cleaning solutions.
Benefits Of Robot Vacuums For Individuals With Disabilities
Accessibility Features
Auto vacuums also have accessibility features like voice control (for example, YIKO on newer generations of DEEBOT models), mobile app integration that allows the user to start, stop and set cleaning modes with a few taps; self-emptying, self-water-refilling, and even self-cleaning functions. For instance, the DEEBOT T10 OMNI and DEEBOT X1 OMNI automatically wash and dry their own mopping pads.
Increased Independence
Smart vacuum robots navigate your living space without any human effort by ‘learning’ it, using advanced cameras and laser sensors to methodically clean visible and micro particles from every inch of your floors. Especially for individuals with reduced mobility, these smart home devices can alleviate the physical strain and time of cleaning tasks, helping them to maintain a fresh and hygienic living environment with greater independence.
User-friendliness
Robot floor cleaners are the ultimate user-friendly vacuums. They are hands-free in multiple ways, with innovative features like automated cleaning schedules, remote control options (using the ECOVACS HOME app, you can clean specific rooms or even see your home using the DEEBOT robot vacuum’s camera from anywhere in the world), cord-free power source, and 2D and/or 3D mapping capabilities to plot the most efficient way to clean rooms.
Improved Quality Of Life
The overall effect of a premium robotic vacuum cleaner is better quality of life for people that have unique requirements for home cleaning. A tidy and sanitary living area achieved by robot vacuums, which have elements such as HEPA filters to capture allergen particles, the ability to ‘learn’ your home for more effective cleaning, and even Quiet Mode that limits vacuuming noise on DEEBOT robot vacuums, help those with disabilities achieve a deeper level of clean with minimal effort.
Cleaning Tips And Techniques
Next, let’s talk about some practical tips and techniques for integrating these accessible devices into a cleaning routine in order to maximise the effectiveness of smart vacuums for disabled people:
● Pre-schedule cleaning routines: On the companion app, set the automatic vacuum to spot-clean or do general cleans on certain days to your desired frequency.
● Target high-traffic areas:Designate areas of the home that need more frequent cleaning, like the bedroom or kitchen.
● Personalise cleaning to your needs:Customise the vacuum robot’s functions down to water flow, suction power or the order in which rooms are cleaned. You can even set the robot to vacuum-only, mop-only, or vacuum-mop on some DEEBOT models.
● Use virtual barriers:Through ECOVACS HOME, use virtual barriers to set off-limit areas that you don’t want the robot floor cleaner to enter.
● Maintain the robot vacuum:Order replacements for filters, brushes, dust bags and more through the ECOVACS HOME app to ensure optimal performance.
● Use voice commands:The AI-powered YIKO assistant available on most DEEBOTs can understand and interpret natural language commands, turning on when you say “OK YIKO.” Use simple commands to get her to start cleaning under furniture, spot-cleaning spills or vacuuming around your location. DEEBOTs can also be used in conjunction with Alexa and Google Home.
FAQ
What vacuums are available for people with disabilities?
There are various vacuums that are more disabled-friendly than traditional stick vacuums, such as those with robot vacuums which can be controlled remotely through an app or through voice commands, lightweight vacuums or vacuum cleaners with adjustable height.
Why are robot vacuums good for disabled people?
Smart vacuum cleaners are an excellent choice for persons with reduced mobility or physical disabilities because they have accessibility features like self-emptying, self-cleaning, house cleaning scheduling, can clean multiple types of flooring and can be operated hands-free.
What is the best vacuum cleaner for wheelchair users?
One of the best accessible vacuum cleaners for wheelchair users are robotic vacuum cleaners which can independently navigate the obstacles of the home for a spotless floor (some can even sweep up dust and mop simultaneously) without the user having to lean down or manually operate the device.
What features should an accessible vacuum have?
Vacuum cleaners for individuals with disabilities should be easy to maneuver, have intuitive interfaces, have good battery life, have sufficient dust bins, effectively clean various surfaces and be simple to maintain.
Disclaimer(s):
*260 minutes: This data comes from ECOVACS laboratory. With a 5,200mAh battery, one charge powers the latest DEEBOT models for up to 260 minutes of working time (under standard suction power setting and working on a hard floor). Actual results may vary according to the home environment.
