I love the idea of robots taking over menial tasks, so I was excited to try the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni. This premium window-cleaning robot is highly rated online. I have a robot vacuum and a robot mower, and I would never go back to doing these chores myself. Sadly, I had such a traumatically awful experience with the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni that I’m left wondering why anyone would want a window-cleaning robot at all.
Before I embark on this tale of woe, I should point out that most of my issues are with the whole category, not the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni specifically. There are circumstances where I can imagine it working well. I briefly tested another window-cleaning robot, the much cheaper Mova N1 ($199), for comparison, and can attest that the Ecovacs has a much smarter design and cleans more efficiently. It might even be the best window-cleaning robot you can get; I just don’t think a robot for cleaning windows is worthwhile for most homes.
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The Good
The Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni has a smart design and comes in a charging case that includes its own battery. The case has slots and compartments for cables, spare pads, cleaning solution, and the bot itself, attached with a retractable, braided, 18-foot cable. It looks like a little cooler with a folding handle and weighs around 15 pounds. A full charge gives you 110 minutes of cleaning.
The Winbot is 10 by 10 by 2.5 inches and weighs around 4 pounds. You attach a cleaning pad to the Velcro sections and fill it with the cleaning solution. It has a leatherlike strap for picking it out of the case and sticking it to the window. Press the button on the front to start it up. It takes a few seconds to ramp up the suction, then tells you when it’s firmly in place, so you can let go. This is a nerve-racking moment the first few times, but the suction is plenty powerful.
You can press a button on the case to cycle through the four modes. There are Deep and Thorough modes, recommended for exterior windows, Fast mode for interior windows, and an Edge Cleaning mode. I was surprised by how quick and easy it was to set up, and I started with the biggest window in our house, a recently installed, ground-level, modern window at the back, roughly 7 by 10 feet.
The Winbot navigated to the top using its tank-style tracks and then cleaned in horizontal lines. It has wee bumpers that detect the edges, and it deploys an occasional spurt of cleaning fluid onto the glass ahead of it. The cleaning pads are microfiber pads. The Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni did a decent job on this first window. If you have a lot of large windows like this, it might be worth looking at. My only complaints were that it left a dirty residue in the corners and smearing in places.
I had it clean my back door next, which is a large pane of glass, but it struggled with the handle. I was surprised to find that, after cleaning the inside and outside of the first window and door, it asked me to change the pad and refill the cleaning solution. It comes with one spare pad, and you can flip them over, though you will quickly end up with muck in the Velcro if you do.
My Victorian house has tall bay windows, and I was excited to try the Winbot there next. I struggle to reach the top of these windows. I have tried a ladder and an extending cleaning pole, but neither is ideal. I figured the Winbot might just be the solution. I was wrong.
The Bad
I have a traditional sash-and-case bay window, recently replaced at great expense. I tried the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni on the largest, top-central pane first. It mostly cleaned the inside but got stuck on the metal loop fittings for opening the window and had to give up. I tried it on the outside. It was slow, but it eventually cleaned most of the window, except for a clag of muck in the corners and dirty stripes down the edges. Unfortunately, when it got to the bottom, it did a weird stuttering maneuver, managing to damage the astragal by ripping off paintwork.
OK, so window-cleaning robots cannot deal with traditional windows. I know textured glass interferes with the suction and, predictably, handles and fixtures interfere with the movement, but it also struggles with astragals that aren’t thick or solid enough. I wouldn’t risk using it with any that aren’t finished in hard plastic or something else durable.
I figured I’d give it one last chance on the upstairs bay window, as it’s a PVC replacement that was put in before we moved in, so it has thicker astragals finished in hard plastic. Using it one story up gave me serious anxiety. After an alarming five minutes or so of watching it loudly and squeakily navigate the window, it began to sound an alarm and flash a red light, with a stern voice informing me it was stuck and I should check the app for solutions. Where was it stuck? You guessed it, right at the top of the window where I had no hope of reaching it.
I’m not ashamed to say I panicked. I worried that if it suddenly fell, it would potentially smash into the window downstairs. The charging case does act as a counterweight; other window-cleaning bots have tethers to attach to furniture. There’s also a button to retract the cord and cut the slack, but there’s still potential for damage if it falls. I tried to lean out of my window, while it loudly alerted, to see if I could reach the release button. No joy.
By this time, a couple of passersby had stopped to watch. I tried to pull it in using the cable, but it wouldn't budge. Eventually, I figured out I could lower the top pane just enough to reach it. But pressing and holding the button to power down the suction, while hanging out my window and holding the strap, felt downright dangerous. My heart was pounding in my ears by the time it finally released. I got it inside and back into its case, where it will remain until I return it.
The Ugly
Reflecting on this sorry saga, I can't help feeling, even without my mishaps, which may be partly down to user stupidity and bad luck, that window-cleaning robots are just a massive waste of time.
They're way too much work to use. Time-wise, I could clean the windows far faster and do a better job with less stress. By the time you’ve set up a window-cleaning robot and stuck it on the window, you could have cleaned it yourself. You have to babysit the damn thing and then detach it and move it to the next window. Even if you get to a point of trusting it, you’ll have to return every five to 10 minutes. It can’t deal with window handles, fittings, or certain astragals, and windows must be at least 12 by 16 inches, but realistically larger, for it to be worth using. It always leaves dirt in the corners and cannot remove stubborn stains like bird droppings.
Using it on upstairs windows is harrowing. Leaning outside to retrieve it feels dangerous. It also goes through cleaning solution and dirties up the pads very quickly. I’d probably need eight pads if I wanted to clean all my windows in one go, and the 230-milliliter bottle of solution provided would maybe last me three full washes. Of course, both the extra pads and the solution are overpriced ($30 for 1 liter of cleaner and $20 for two pads), and the manual warns you not to use anything else.
It’s also loud. I measured 68 decibels when cleaning. When I used it on my front windows, several people heard it and stopped to stare. The universal reaction from family, friends, and strangers was bemusement. No one seemed to think a window-washing robot was a good idea.
Now, if you live high up in an apartment with large, modern windows and there’s no window-cleaning service, it could be great, though attaching and detaching it will be scary. I also wondered if it might be handy for folks with mobility issues, but it’s actually quite a lot of work to use. There are scenarios where I can see potential value, but for the average home, I don’t think it’s worth it. As for me, I’m done with window-cleaning robots forever.
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