I tried ALDI’s robot window cleaner to see if it lives up to the hype

If you love robot vacuums, ALDI's latest special buys sale will have you frothing over this gadget. 

I have a robot vacuum. It's the bomb! The "set and forget" attitude is fast becoming a trend in the cleaning space and busy parents are HERE. FOR. IT!

Which is why when ALDI announced a robot window cleaner in their latest Special Buys sale, shoppers couldn't contain their excitement. 

Tech brand ECOVACS recently unveiled its new WINBOT NEO robotic window cleaner and to celebrate, the German supermarket placed it in their famous middle aisle.

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Robot window cleaner arrives in ALDI's middle aisle 

The vacuum went on sale on September 14th for $399 with many shoppers planning their visit even before the sale. 

"Sparkling clean windows await your future," ALDI shared on Facebook with a shot of the new appliance from their catalogue. 

"Another robot for my collection?" one shopper questioned. 

"Just when I thought I had all appliances," another added. 

Many other group members were tagging their other halves trying to convince them that they needed to line up outside of the store before opening to nab one. 

"Our next gadget," someone wrote. 

Meanwhile, others were a little confused and had questions. Like... 

a) Is it good on ALL glass windows? 

b) Can it be used on a second-storey window?

c) Is it actually worth it? 

I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of these nifty machines, so let me answer those for you!

ECOVACS unveils its new WINBOT NEO robotic window cleaner. Does it live up to the hype? Image: Leah Goulis / Kidspot

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About the WINBOT NEO robot window cleaner

Let's start with the basics - like what this machine actually does. 

The WINBOT NEO robot window promises squeaky clean, streak-free windows that requires very little to no effort at all from you. 

With a strong power suction of 2800Pa, the machine will grip onto your windows (indoor and outdoor) and do the work for you. It boasts dual-direction cross auto-spray technology, a powerful steady-climbing system, impressive path planning, and edge detection technology even while reaching those hard-to-reach spots up high. 

The machine will automatically clean the window in a back-and-forth motion, and has three adaptive modes including fast clean, deep clean and spot clean, so you get the clean you want each time. 

“We are excited to be offering a robotic window cleaner as a first in ALDI’s Special Buys aisle, with our shoppers having a huge appetite for technology that will save them time for incredible ALDI prices," a spokesperson for ALDI Australia said in the announcement of the sale.

"This is the perfect opportunity for our customers to invest in technology that will streamline their cleaning routine to reclaim valuable time in their days."

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My review: Is it worth the hype? 

I must admit, I was a little intimidated when I first opened the box and had a lot of the same questions that appeared online myself. 

My first thought was the the machine was surprisingly smaller than I thought. But in a good way. It was also rather light, so my concerns about it falling and smashing on the ground were eliviated somewhat. 

Next came the set-up. Also something that makes me nervous. I'm the type of person who doesn't follow a recipe or read a manual, just to give you an idea of who we're dealing with here. 

To set up the appliance, all that was really required was to download the ECOVACS app, which was pretty user-friendly and even allows you to control the machine through a remote control option from your phone. Via the app, you're also able to start up the machine and get real time updates.

The machine comes with two large microfibre cleaning pads with one already placed ready to go (all you need to do is wet it) and some cleaning solution that you squirt into a reservoir on the top of the appliance

All up, a pretty easy process so far. Now for the real test!

Getting the job done with little effort from me. Image: Leah Goulis / Kidspot

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A time-saver for busy parents

Starting with the inside of my home, I switched the machine on and placed it on the lounge room doors. It didn't take long for the suction to kick in and the machine was off. 

A few little niggles were experienced, like the remote control feature being a tad slow to communicate. I also received a few error messages about the suction not being efficient enough. For this reason, I personally would not attempt it on a second storey-window outdoors. 

I nervously let the appliance navigate its way around the window while I stood underneath it, tackling my biggest windows inside and outside. 

Looking at some of the comments online, many people said it was something that definitely cut down their chore time around the home. 

"I have this and it does a really good job and you can do other things while it’s cleaning. Really worth it for me," one person reviewed on Facebook. 

Other shoppers said they've had success with using it on their pool fences. 

For me, it was hardly the "set-and-forget" moment I was hoping for but maybe with a few more uses, I'll rely on the path technology and I can watch in the distance and get on with other jobs... or sip cocktails by the pool. Whatever comes first. 

Originally published as I tried ALDI’s robot window cleaner to see if it lives up to the hype