CleanseBot UV robot against house dust mites for $64.99

The former Kickstarter project has made the leap to the market. A mini-robot that goes by the name of “CleanseBot” and uses UV light to autonomously kill dust mites and other vermin in textiles. The perfect solution for allergy sufferers? Our review.

https://youtu.be/1VV63KLqcBM

• CleanseBot UV robot
  • at Geekbuying for $64.99 | Amazon for $119.99

Packaging and scope of delivery

A small brown cardboard box, where you wonder how the robot could fit into it, awaits its owner.

Is such a small UV robot perhaps a suitable gift? Well, I would be happy about it, maybe other allergy sufferers as well, but otherwise? In any case, the packaging does not take away this possibility. Everything is neatly sorted and looks good. No plastic smell.

It is quite possible that this is the smallest scope of delivery I have ever had with a test device. But you don’t need much to run this little guy either. Namely:

• the robot itself
• a USB-C charging cable
• Operating instructions in English

I wouldn’t know exactly what else to put in it myself, so up to here everything’s cool.

Functions of the CleanseBot

The CleanseBot was the first UV robot of its kind. Its crowdfunding campaign was followed by several imitators, such as the ROCKUBOT. This one works in about the same way, looks about the same, but can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker. This sounds nonsensical at first (it probably is), but one field of application for the small UV robots are hotel beds.

Before you lie down in a frequently occupied strange bed, you can use a UV robot to rid it of all kinds of vermin – and with ROCKUBOT, you’d have musical accompaniment. But the Cleansebot’s USB-C charging cable, which is included in the delivery, is not only meant to charge the robot’s battery.

The CleanseBot is also a 3700 mAh powerbank. After a charging time of 4 h it is ready for a potential working time of 3 h. However, this value of 3 h only applies if the robot is used manually. So as a kind of UV-radiation device that can be operated manually. This is supported by a plastic loop on the upper side and UV lights on both sides.

Due to the low weight of 220 g and the dimensions of 130 x 30 cm, the use as a manual UV sterilisation device is considerably simplified. Please note that the robot should be held in the hand about 5-6 cm away from the object to be cleaned. Then it looks like this:

The CleanseBot in use: House dust mites hate this trick

Now I will spare you a detailed digression on allergies and dust mites. To really know what you need the CleanseBot for, you should know a thing or two about house dust mites, but this is primarily for allergy sufferers. If you want to know more about the little beasts in textiles, take a look at the review on the Jimmy JV51. Now let’s have a look at how the little robot does in bed and on the sofa.

A total of 18 sensors are built into the CleanseBot, an automatic cleaning of a bed can take between 30-60 minutes. The sensors protect the robot from falling off the bed and from having to deal with the duvet and Pillow. Four different UV-C lights are used on the bed or sofa. Brief explanation of UV light:

With a wheel technology patented by the manufacturer “the CleanseBot can climb over all lumps and unevenness in blankets and mattresses”. At least that is the product description. Follow these instructions to prepare everything for the CleanseBot to work:

1. Remove the wrist strap.
2. Place the sides of the blanket over the edge of the mattress.
3. Place the CleanseBot under the blanket.
4. Press and hold the power button for 1.5 seconds until the LEDs light up.
5. Press the power button once more, then CleanseBot starts to disinfect the bed.

Another small tip: The mattress should be pushed forward to the end of the bed, i.e. directly against the back of the bed, so that the robot does not get stuck there. If you can’t get enough of the little rascal (like me), here is a long version in action:

https://youtu.be/0ffvDXWrjWU

Of course he should drive under the blanket, but you wouldn’t be able to see that in the video. Hence the recording this way. There you can also see that the CleanseBot navigates according to the chaos principle, which is uncool for vacuum robots, but irrelevant for a normal bed size, because it drives off in one way or another. Chaos principle means cruising and cross driving without knowing where you are.

My procedure looks like this: First I let the CleanseBot drive over the bed to kill the mites, then I take a handheld vacuum cleaner with mite attachment (most models have it nowadays) and vacuum the dead mites out of the textiles. I do the same with the Pillows, only that I take the small robot with a hand strap and pass it over the pillows.

Result after two weeks in use (three to four times a week): I can fall asleep better because I have to spend less time with my dripping nose. I also have the feeling that I can get air better.

Conclusion: Buy CleanseBot UV robots?

At a price of under $70? As an allergy sufferer? Hell yes, the CleanseBot takes away some of the night-time sniffles, shortness of breath and discomfort from everyday life. If you follow the instructions mentioned in the article, the CleanseBot drives completely autonomously across the bed and is also absolutely useful in its function as a portable mite killer. I have not had any crashes so far, provided you pay attention to the instructions in this article.

The powerbank function is nice to have, but of course there are more powerful versions. Especially for frequent travelers I consider the small device as useful, for allergic persons in general anyway. I have to admit that I fell a little bit in love with the small device and as a dust and pollen allergy sufferer I have also bought it myself. What’s wrong with the little UV robot? I can’t think of anything, even the price is fine.

What do you think of the CleanseBot?