iRobot 240 Braava Robot Mop – Superior small robot mop review and test
The small mopping robot iRobot 240 Braava is currently available for around $170. Now and then it is even available for less money and thus offers an inexpensive alternative to the expensive mopping robots, which sometimes put a strain on your wallet. We reviewed this small household helper in detail.
Many owners of vacuum robots would like to buy a pure mopping robot as additional household help, but the expensive price of the devices quickly puts you off, especially since you already spent a small fortune on a vacuum robot.
It has recently been known that the mopping function of vacuum and mopping robots poor compared to a pure mopping robot. Dragging a damp rag through the whole apartment cannot clear larger stains from the floor, at most it can remove the remaining dust and conjure up a certain shine on the floor. Mopping robots can do more because they are designed for this task. In this review and test, I would like to show you what the small and cheap mopping robot can do and how it compares to the well-known vacuum and mopping robots.
The scope of delivery
The scope of delivery of the iRobot 240 Braava is kept quite short. The robot itself, a battery, a battery charger, 2 wet mopping pads, 2 damp sweeping Pads, 2 dry Sweeping Pads, and the owner’s guide and documentation are included. If you choose to buy the 250 model instead of the 240 model it offers the same functions, but with another reusable wet wipe and two sample packs of Braava Cleaning Solution. But these accessories can also be purchased separately cheaper.
The robot and the accessories in detail
After unpacking from the already quite small and beautifully illustrated packaging, the completely white mopping robot comes straight towards you. At first glance, you think to yourself, oh my god he’s cute! At just 6.7 in (17 cm) in width and 3.3 in (8.4 cm) in height, you can hardly believe that this device can do its expected tasks. You immediately get the familiar maternal feel towards the little robot.
The little robot has a single button on the top that has to perform exactly four tasks. The device is switched on by briefly pressing it. With one more pressure, it starts to work. If you wake it up with a long press while it is switched off, it creates a restricted zone behind it, then no longer drives during the wiping process. After work, you can turn it off by pressing the button again. Also, an iRobot Braava Jet logo can be found on the top and a practical handle. At the back, there is a recess in which the battery is inserted.
If you fold up the handle, you will find the blue inlet for the water, which is closed with a rubber seal. When you open the rubber seal, you immediately discover an additional filter in the tank that does not allow larger foreign bodies to get into the tank. There is also a blue rubberized switch to remove the wipe from the robot. On the front bumper, there is a small blue hole from which the robot regularly sprays water to keep the wipe moist. On the bottom, you can quickly find the large black wiping plate, which vibrates during work. The robot also has a fall sensor at each of its corners to prevent it from falling down the stairs.
The battery and the battery charger
The iRobot 240 Braava does not come with a charging station as usual. You get a charger plug. This means that the charger for the lithium-ion battery is plugged into the socket and thus charges the battery. Since the battery has a low capacity but is sufficient for a maximum of 180 minutes of cleaning, it is fully charged again within 1-2 hours.
The 1950 mAh lithium-ion battery is not built-in and it can be used separately. This has some advantages, as you can buy it as a spare part and simply put it back in again. For example, you can use 2 or 3 batteries at the same time if the area to be wiped is much too large. Even if the old battery gives up, you can easily buy a new one and use it.
The wipes
iRobot has provided special disposable wipes for the iRobot 240 Braava, which should be bought again and again. In my opinion, this is not only an extreme constant burden on the wallet but also constant environmental pollution. For this reason, you can get reusable wipes from a third-party manufacturer. Although they make significantly higher vibration noises during wiping, they save a lot of money.
There is a different colored wipe for every task that the iRobot 240 Braava has to do. Holders made of cardboard paper, which has a special punched-out mark, have been attached to these wipes. This marking shows the robot which wiper has been attached for which mode and so the robot knows which mode to operate now, even without prior settings. In itself, well thought out but poorly implemented due to the high consumption. The wipes cost $7.99 in a pack of ten.
Features & app
The small device gets a good selection of functions on the way and there is even an app control, which is simple compared to its competitors.
The spray jet
The small iRobot 240 Braava has a small blue slot on the front, which, depending on the mode, splashes water on the floor in front of it to moisten the wipe. The robot takes accurate care that no furniture, walls, or objects are sprayed on. When sprayed, the robot always sets back a little before it and then moves back over the sprayed floor.
No-mop zone
A single exclusion zone behind The Braava Jet 240 can set up with a long press on the start button when it is switched off. Unfortunately, the iRobot 240 Braava does not have active carpet detection. However, this should not be a problem with carpets laid out, as the robot cannot drive up edges and therefore always bumps into them and changes direction. However, if the carpet is low, only the exclusion zone will help.
The wet mopping
With the blue wet wipe (Wet Mopping Pad) attached, it is possible, as the name suggests, to wipe suitable surfaces very wet. The robot moves back and forth in the so-called Y-shape, imitating scrubbing. In the first 10 back and forth passes it sprays a jet of water, then he goes back and forth 5 times and only then sprays again. It acts like this until the room has been completely wiped. This is suitable for well-sealed floors
The damp sweeping
With the orange damp sweeping pad attached, it no longer drives Y-shaped tracks but first drives a little straight-ahead, backs up, sprays, and drives a little straight ahead again. Here, too, you can see that it always injects the first 10 cycles. Then it drives straight through the room for a long time before spraying again. This mode is much faster and gives the floor a nice shine. However, it is not suitable for removing stains from the floor. This mode is ideal for laminate or sensitive floors.
The dry sweeping
iRobot also includes dry wipes, which are very similar to the Swiffer wipes and very easily pick up and hold dust. With the white dusting cloth attached, it drives through the room, lane by lane, until every corner is reached.
Water absorption and throw off cloth
The opening for the tap water, which is necessary for the spray jet, is located under the handle. I guess you can get half a liter into the robot. The inlet is closed by a rubber seal, but the robot always likes to lose some water if you tilt it when it is closed. On the other side, there is a blue rubberized switch with which you can easily remove the wipe after cleaning.
The app control
The iRobot 240 Braava even has an app control, which is limited in variety and functions but is still available. In this, it is possible to start or stop the robot, set up the restricted zone, or activate an additional SpotClean function.
In the settings, there is the option of setting the water intensity for each mode. If the wiping is too wet for you, you can adjust the spray jet there. The iRobot 240 Braava is not WiFi-enabled. This means that the robot is connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth. So you always have to stay close when you want to use the app and you can’t control the robot while on the go. There is also no time control.
The navigation
The iRobot 240 Braava is equipped with what is known as a gyroscope navigation system, which allows it to drive straight through the rooms. Everyone knows the gyroscope sensor from their smartphone. This registers the movement of the device and helps the robot to keep straight paths. However, one cannot speak of its intelligence too high, since the robot never knows where it is, rather remembers the path it is driving.
In practice, this works extremely well. Due to its rubberized wheels, the robot rarely slips, but corrects the navigation error immediately and thus maintains its straight paths. In very large rooms it can shift the track a little and the journey no longer looks quite straight. However, this does not affect the cleaning performance.
The Braava Jet 240 is even advertised by the manufacturer for cleaning small individual rooms. The device is not intended for an entire household with many rooms. If you want something like that, you should find out more about the more expensive vacuum robots. Due to its maximum running time of 180 minutes, the cleaning is suitable in this principle for entire smaller apartments in one go.
The obstacle detection
The Braava Jet 240 has a small flaw. It does not recognize any obstacles because of lack of the sensors. On the front, there is a single bumper that it always uses to identify obstacles. A wall or other obstacle can be hit with full force in the first lanes. It also has no rubber coating to protect the objects but does not hit so hard that a small weight could cause any damage.
However, after hitting a wall or an object, iRobot 240 Braava remembers the position of the obstacle and approaches it more slowly in the next lane. After cleaning every accessible point, it drives back to the starting point and automatically ends the cleaning with a notification.
Due to the small size of iRobot 240 Braava, it is also possible for it to clean in very hard-to-reach places. This device is perfect for very narrow and inaccessible places.
The wiping performance
The spray from the iRobot 240 Braava distributes a lot of water onto the wipe. As already mentioned, especially in wet mop mode, the floor sometimes gets very wet. However, this is useful for dirt and stains such as coffee or lemonade stains. Thus, the result is already significantly better than that of a vacuum and mopping robot that pulls a mopping rag across the entire apartment.
It should also be mentioned that the robot’s wheels sit behind the mopping cloth and thus it leaves wheel tracks on the floor. The result is particularly noticeable on sensitive floors. This does not happen in damp mopping mode, as the pad only becomes wet enough to leave a light and even film of water on the floor.
In the end, it should be said that the wet mop mode is very suitable for cleaning the floor. The disposable wipes soak up well with water and easily absorb any dirt. You should make sure that the floor has been vacuumed before mopping, as it has no way of sucking up the coarse dirt.
Vibrating mopping cloth
iRobot 240 Braava’s vibrating mopping function, shakes up the dried-on dirt during the wet mopping and dry mopping mode. The vibration is barely noticeable with disposable wipes, but if you attach the reusable third-party wipes, you can hear the vibration. This is because the attachment for the robot on the mopping pad is no longer made of cardboard paper, but of plastic. However, the small robot mop is still very quiet during cleaning.
Fine shine for the floor
In the damp mopping mode, in combination with a suitable cleaning agent, it leaves a beautiful, shiny, and streak-free floor. Exactly enough water is also sprayed so that light stains and dirt are also wiped off the floor.
In the dry mopping mode, the robot picks up hair and dust that has been left on the floor after vacuuming. You should make sure that very coarse dirt is removed beforehand, as it only pushes it to the edges.
Edge and corner cleaning
During and after the cleaning of the surfaces, the robot carries out its journey along the edges of the walls and objects. He does this with excellent precision and accuracy. iRobot 240 Braava comes right to the edge and completely into the corners.
Conclusion
With the Braava Jet 240, an easy-to-stow, very space-saving robot mop comes into your home, which initially seems to be a toy instead of a cleaning device. When you pick it up for the first time, you can’t take it seriously. However, he quickly proves the opposite. iRobot 240 Braava’s wiping performance is quite impressive. It has different modes that are customizable for each floor. It also has some features that many other mopping robots lack.
The iRobot 240 Braava reliably removes even coarser dirt and, in the right mode, gives the floor a shiny finish. Of course, you shouldn’t expect miracles for $170, but this is useful every time.
But for which application is it intended? It is ideally suited for small rooms such as bathrooms, kitchens, or hallways and should be used from room to room. A new wipe can then also be attached to each room to increase the cleaning performance. Of course, it was also able to clean a living room or bedroom in my test, but the manufacturer himself explicitly says small rooms instead of large ones. But that could also be due to their other robots, which are also supposed to be sold. In large rooms, it becomes tedious because it is so small and the wiping surface is not particularly large. Lastly, I would recommend reusable wipes, as the regular ordering of disposable wipes can be very expensive and unnecessarily pollute the environment.
