With two adults, five kids, two dogs, ducks, chickens and a whole colony of bees living in or around Pickle Cottage, it’s fair to say that Stacey Solomon has her hands full. And while it’s no secret that she has a passion for all things cleaning and organising, she’s recently revealed that she now has a helping hand to keep Pickle Cottage spotless: her Kärcher robot vacuum cleaner and mop.
Sadly, Stacey’s beloved Kärcher RCV 3 Robot Vacuum Cleaner (or her ‘new best friend’ as she’s called it) is no longer available on Amazon as it sold out during the Amazon Prime Day deals. But I’ve found the exact same model on sale at Very for just £299 right now, making it one of the cheapest robot vacuums you can buy.
Of course, the best robot vacuum cleaners have been around for many years now, but Stacey sharing her love for her robot vacuum on Instagram is proof that they’re becoming increasingly popular. After all, this hands-free cleaning appliance was made for busy households like hers!
App controlled and easy to use, this robot vacuum can both vacuum and mop your floors. It offers up to 120 minutes of run time and uses LiDAR sensor room scanning to create the perfect cleaning map for your home.
Stacey Solomon is no stranger to handy home gadgets and hacks, including her genius wardrobe storage ideas and laundry room essentials. But last night was the first time she shared her new robot vacuum with her followers on Instagram.
She excitedly filmed the white Kärcher robot vacuum cleaning the floors of Pickle Cottage, telling her sister Jemma, ‘Why work harder when you can work smarter? I have to hoover 17.5 times a day with these kids. I’m letting my best friend, the robot, do it because why wouldn’t I?!’
And while Stacey later confirmed with her followers that the robot vacuum she’d bought on Amazon had sold out completely before she could buy another one for her home office, what she didn’t realise is that the Kärcher RCV 3 Robot Vacuum Cleaner is still available elsewhere - and for a discounted price.
In fact, it’s down from its RRP of £349 to just £299 at multiple retailers, including Currys, B&Q and even directly through the Kärcher website.
This makes it almost as affordable as the cheapest vacuum cleaner I’ve ever tested as Ideal Home’s Vacuum Expert, the HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner, which is £269 at Very. Both can store multiple maps for different floors of your home, are compact and small enough to fit underneath furniture, and will vacuum and mop your floors.
The Kärcher RCV 3 Robot Vacuum Cleaner is also fairly well received by happy customers, with one person saying, ‘I feel better with my allergies, and it just makes me smile when I can have a cup of tea while it's cleaning instead of me. Would 100% recommend.’
However, it’s worth noting that the reviews of the Kärcher RCV 3 Robot Vacuum Cleaner aren’t all good. Some have criticised the overall cleaning power - and this is something to be aware of in the specs. After all, the Kärcher offers just 2500Pa of suction power (which is on the lower end of the spectrum), while the Hoover HG2 offers a more powerful 6,000Pa.
One of the things I think everyone should know before buying a robot vacuum is that auto-empty docking stations can be a game-changer, so it’s worth noting that this particular model doesn’t have this either. So, you’ll need to keep on top of emptying the 500ml dust container regularly.
With this in mind, I do think Stacey Solomon’s choice of robot vacuum cleaner would be ideal if you’re looking for something to quickly mop and vacuum your floors in between your bigger vacuums.
But if you really want to take advantage of hands-free cleaning (and have a bit of extra money to spend), these are the other robot vacuum cleaners I’d recommend as someone who has tested them in my own home with a very critical eye.
Alternative robot vacuum cleaners
Crowned the 'best overall' robot vacuum I've ever tested, this particular model boasts a whopping 20,000Pa of suction and utilises impressive jet technology for exceptional mopping. It's an investment, but one I definitely don't think you'll regret.
If you have a lot of hard flooring in your home, this is the model I'd recommend for you. The docking station is sleek and slimline, and the dual rotating pads are ideal for mopping. It also offers 10,000Pa of suction power.
This Shark robot vacuum cleaner is ideal for everyday use, thanks to its easy-to-use app. It's not as powerful as my other alternatives, but it does auto-adjust its suction power depending on the debris it detects. Plus, the docking station is a lot smaller than the others.
If you haven't bought a robot vacuum cleaner for your home yet, I'd seriously recommend one. And maybe Stacey Solomon's 'best friend' could be yours too!
