The latest robotic cleaners are more than just novelties and the Mint Automatic Hard Floor Cleaner by Evolution Robotics is becoming popular with consumers looking for a practical cleaning machine. It has garnered very good owner reviews on sites like Walmart and Amazon and consumer ratings are generally above 4 stars out of 5.
The Mint Floor Cleaner is not a vacuum however. This machine is built to sweep and to mop. It is made to clean wood, tile, vinyl and laminate but not carpet. It generates no suction to pull up dirt and dust and therefore it does not have filters, nor does it have a dirt canister or a bag to change or empty.
It uses disposable cleaning cloths (dry or wet) as well as re-usable micro-fibre cleaning cloths. These are attached or removed from the bottom of the unit using a magnetic plate and consumers indicate that changing the cloths is very easy. The micro-fibre cloths are washable and can be re-used hundreds of times. It is worth noting that one should not use bleach or fabric softener on the micro-fibre cloths as that will limit their useful life. Swiffer brand cleaning cloths are often used with the Mint cleaner.
The unit is powered by a rechargeable battery that is replaceable should it ever die. A power adapter is included with the Mint and the battery allows for a full 3 hours of sweeping or 2 hours of mopping on a single charge. Owners comments however indicate that recharging the unit can take from between 7 and 10 hours. A switch on the cleaner allows one to easily change between sweep mode and mop mode. In sweep mode the machine moves in straight lines across the floor. In mop mode it moves back and forth in a "mopping" motion.
The Mint Floor Cleaner navigates using what Evolution Robotics call the North Star Navigation System. This system ensures optimal floor coverage by tracking where the unit has been so that it is does not redo areas that have already been cleaned. Also, on-board sensors stop the unit from falling off edges or running into raised rugs or other obstacles.
After the main sweeping or mopping has been done, the Mint does a final "perimeter sweep" cleaning along baseboards and the edges of furniture. A number of Mint Cleaner owners have indicated that the edge cleaning abilities of this robot are very good and that it manages to clean right up to the baseboards and furniture. When finished the Mint parks itself at the point in the room where it started. The machine can even work in the dark as the North Star Navigation System and on-board sensors don't require light. However it should be noted that if one changes the cloth during cleaning the unit will lose its place and will have to start over to ensure it covers the intended area properly.
In "sweep" mode the Mint is capable of cleaning an area of about 800 square feet. However in "mop" mode this area is generally limited to about 250 square feet as the damp cloth is only capable of mopping a smaller area without cleaning/re-dampening. Some owners feel that these cleaning areas are a little small, particularly the mopping area.
At only 3.5 inches in height, the Mint Floor Cleaner has a low profile that allows it to easily get under low furniture and it is quiet, a fact highlighted by several consumers. It comes with the NorthStar Navigation System (batteries included), 2 sweeping cloths and 1 mopping cloth as well as an adapter and an owner's manual. The Mint Automatic Hard Floor Cleaner carries a 1-year warranty.
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