Are Smart Cleaning Appliances Worth It? I Spent 3000 Yuan to Find Out

Last year on Double 11, I couldn’t resist and bought three smart cleaning appliances at once: robot vacuum, floor washer, steam mop. Spent about 3000 yuan total.

I thought: with these magical tools, cleaning will be easy from now on.

Result? After using them for over half a year, I’ll say: some worth it, some not. Today I’m sharing my real experience.

First, the robot vacuum.

I bought one around 2000 yuan, mid-range pricing, won’t name the brand. Pros: scheduled daily sweeping, floor definitely cleaner than before. Cons are obvious too: can’t reach corners, can’t climb rugs, gets stuck on cables, needs regular dustbin and brush cleaning.

My home is 120 square meters. Full sweep takes about an hour and a half. But I found after it sweeps, I still have to manually sweep corners and under the sofa. So now it’s basically: robot sweeps daily, I do deep cleaning on weekends.

Worth it? If your floor has few things, not many obstacles, I think it’s worth it. At least maintains a basic cleanliness level. But if your floor is piled with stuff, don’t buy it—you’ll drive yourself crazy.

Now the floor washer.

This one disappointed me most. Marketing said “vacuum, mop, wash all in one pass.” Reality: cleaning power is decent, cleaner than regular mop. But problems: too heavy, too loud, dirty water tank cleaning is troublesome, need dedicated charging spot.

Used it for a month, now basically idle. Why? For daily cleaning, it’s too “heavy”—physically heavy, mentally heavy too. Before each use, move things off floor. After use, clean dirty water tank. Too much hassle.

Worth it? If you have kids or pets at home, floor frequently gets dirty, maybe worth it. But for ordinary family daily cleaning, I’d rather buy a good mop.

Finally, the steam mop.

This was actually my most satisfactory one. Pros: no detergent needed, high-temp steam sterilizes, floor dries quickly after mopping. Cons: corded, limited range; small water tank, need to refill after each room.

Now I use it about once a week, mopping kitchen and bathroom floors. Feels cleaner than regular mop, plus no detergent needed.

Worth it? I think so. Over 100 yuan, good value.

To summarize:

Robot vacuum: Suitable for homes with few floor items, good for daily maintenance.

Floor washer: Suitable for homes with kids and pets, think twice for daily cleaning.

Steam mop: Good value, worth buying.

But let me say this: these appliances are just “assistants.” Real cleanliness still needs human effort. Don’t expect buying these means no more manual work—that kind of good thing doesn’t exist.

Have you bought any “useless” cleaning appliances? Vent in the comments.